Matiranga Correspondent, CHT News
Sunday, July 19, 2026
An alleged plan to resettle additional Muslim settlers
in three indigenous villages in Taindong Union of Matiranga Upazila,
Khagrachhari, has raised fresh concerns among local residents, according to a
local source.
The villages identified are Bogapara, Bandarsing Para,
and Tanakkapara, all located in Taindong Union, which borders Panchhari Upazila
and India.
Local residents say Taindong is already home to a
large settler population. They allege that many settlers were relocated to the
area during the 1980s under the government of former President Ziaur Rahman and
were settled on land belonging to indigenous communities.
Residents also claim that several large scale communal
attacks took place during that period, forcing many indigenous families to flee
across the border into India. They allege that their land was subsequently
occupied by settlers and has never been returned, despite the signing of the
1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord.
Community members further allege that, in recent
years, attempts to acquire indigenous land have increasingly relied on forged
land documents, with individuals claiming ownership of property through
fraudulent deeds.
Some local observers believe the reported effort to
bring in additional settlers is connected to the Bangladesh Army's alleged use
of the PCJSS (Santu) faction against the UPDF in neighboring Panchhari.
According to local sources, members of the PCJSS
(Santu) faction have been staying near Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) camps in
Bandarsing Para and Bogapara for the past several months. Some residents
believe their presence is intended to discourage or respond to any local
resistance if the alleged resettlement plan moves forward.
A reliable local source also claimed that members of
the PCJSS (Santu) faction have expressed a desire to leave the area but have
not been allowed to do so by the BGB.
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