Ramgarh Correspondent, CHT News
Thursday, August 27, 2026
The Bangladesh Army and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)
reportedly held a meeting with local Indigenous residents and Muslim settlers
in Sonaiga Para of Ramgarh Upazila, Khagrachhari, on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
Allegations have emerged that Army personnel made statements supporting the
demands of the Muslim settlers during the meeting.
According to local sources, a BGB team arrived at the
premises of Sonaiga Para Government Primary School at around 10:00 a.m. in two
vehicles, while Army personnel arrived in five vehicles. The security forces
reportedly called local Indigenous residents and Muslim settlers to the school
for a meeting concerning the resolution of a land dispute.
Residents of Hachuk Para and Nangel Para were also
asked to attend the meeting. However, they reportedly did not participate,
alleging that the Army and BGB have consistently taken the side of Muslim
settlers in land-related disputes.
Several Indigenous residents of the Sonaiga area who
attended the meeting said the Army made statements during the meeting that
appeared to support the settlers in disputes over land between Indigenous
residents and Muslim settlers.
According to local sources, on August 26, a group of
Muslim settlers entered the homestead of Shanti Ranjan Chakma, 45, a resident
of Nangel Para, without authorization and attempted to cut down trees. Shanti
Ranjan and other local residents reportedly confronted them, prompting the
settlers to withdraw.
On the same day, a BGB team accompanied by several
Bengali settlers reportedly went to Hachuk Para and moved around the area. They
allegedly photographed and recorded videos of houses and attempted to pressure
local Indigenous residents over the demarcation of land boundaries.
The meeting in Sonaiga Para on August 27 is believed
to have been organized in connection with these recent incidents.
Meanwhile, continued Army and BGB patrols in Hachuk
and Nangel Para, along with alleged attempts by Bengali settlers to occupy
Indigenous-owned land, have reportedly heightened fears among Indigenous
residents that they could lose their ancestral homesteads. Residents say they
are consequently living under persistent anxiety and uncertainty.
Local residents have called on the administration and
relevant authorities to remain neutral and refrain from taking sides in favor
of Muslim settlers in land-related disputes.
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