Ramgarh Correspondent, CHT News
Friday, July 24, 2026
A fresh conspiracy to illegally seize lands belonging
to indigenous hill communities has reportedly resurfaced in the Ramgarh upazila
(sub-district) of Khagrachhari.
According to local sources, a group of highly
ambitious Muslim settlers has long eyed indigenous-owned lands across several
areas, including Batna Shibir, Taisagara, Thanachandra Para, Lalchhari, and the
Patachhari union. The group is allegedly spearheaded by a notorious land
grabber identified as Md. Yunus.
In multiple areas, outsider Muslim settlers have
already forcibly occupied indigenous lands and established settlements.
To legitimize these land grabs, the settlers submitted
a memorandum to the Khagrachhari Deputy Commissioner on July 20 claiming
ownership of the lands, followed by a human chain demonstration in Ramgarh on
July 21. Furthermore, local sources allege that the military is actively
assisting the settlers in these occupations. To deter indigenous landowners
from protesting, the military has reportedly intensified operations and
patrols, creating an atmosphere of fear.
Additionally, a masked vigilante group has been
deployed to the area. They have reportedly established a reign of terror by
kidnapping, extorting, and threatening innocent villagers. Meanwhile, the
settler faction led by Yunus allegedly attacked indigenous individuals heading
to a local market on Wednesday, July 22, plundering all their belongings. The
local administration has reportedly taken no action against the perpetrators.
These coordinated actions are allegedly designed to
prevent the indigenous community from organizing a resistance when settlers
move in to occupy their land.
An elder from Sonaiaaga village expressed grave
concerns, warning that organized settlers could launch an attack on indigenous
villages at any moment to seize their properties.
He stated that indigenous families have traditionally
inhabited and cultivated lands in Sonaiaaga, Patachhari, and various parts of
Ramgarh through Jhum (slash-and-burn) farming for generations. However, over
the past few days, greedy settlers have been threatening them to vacate the
area.
Requesting anonymity due to security concerns, the
elder added, "Our backs are against the wall; we have nowhere left to
retreat. We have no choice but to resist."
"If necessary, we will fight and die on our own
land, but we will not surrender it," he declared, calling upon all
regional political groups, including the UPDF and PCJSS, to stand by them and
work collectively to build a resistance against land grabbing.
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