Sajek Correspondent, CHT News
Sunday, July 5, 2026
The deployment of Bangladesh Army personnel at several
locations across Sajek in Rangamati has raised concerns among local Indigenous
residents, according to local sources.
Sources said that at around 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, July
5, a group of 21 soldiers from the Baghaihat Army Zone under Baghaichari
Upazila of Rangamati entered Bame Baibachhara village carrying cooking
equipment and supplies. After moving around the village for nearly two hours,
the troops reportedly set up a temporary position at the Bame Baibachhara
Non-Government Primary School.
Later, at around 2:00 p.m., another contingent of 20
soldiers from the Gangaram Taigaigar Tila Camp reportedly entered Ramuchhara
village and took up position there. At the same time, a separate team of 10
soldiers from the Baghaihat Army Zone was reported to have established a
position at Retkaba Government Primary School in the Gangaram Dopda area.
A senior community elder, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said military activity in Sajek has increased since troops from the
14 Bengal Regiment were deployed to the Baghaihat Army Zone. He alleged that
soldiers frequently enter villages and question residents in ways that many
consider intimidating. According to him, the scale and frequency of the patrols
create the impression that the military is preparing for an armed operation.
A woman from the Gangaram area said residents do not
feel safer despite the army describing the patrols as security measures.
Instead, she said, people live with constant anxiety whenever soldiers enter
their villages, fearing arbitrary detention, abuse, or sexual violence against
women. She added that these fears are shaped by incidents the community says
have occurred in the past.
She urged the authorities to halt military patrols in
villages that are conducted without a clear or publicly stated reason.
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