Ramgarh Correspondent, CHT News
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Indigenous residents have expressed concern after
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were seen moving around Hachuk Para in
Ramgarh Upazila, Khagrachhari, accompanied by several Muslim settlers. The BGB
personnel reportedly questioned local residents and photographed and videotaped
their homes.
According to local sources, at around 10:00 a.m. on
Wednesday, August 26, approximately 15 BGB personnel from the Taichhala Camp
entered Hachuk Para via Sonaia Para, accompanied by two to three Muslim
settlers.
The BGB personnel reportedly asked residents where
they had come from, who had given them permission to build houses and settle in
the area, and whether they had any links to the United People's Democratic
Front (UPDF).
Residents also alleged that the BGB personnel
photographed and videotaped their homes, as well as the residents themselves.
During the visit, a local resident reportedly told the
BGB personnel that the residents had not come from elsewhere to establish
settlements. He said the land had historically been owned by Indigenous hill
communities and that the residents were living there on that basis.
The resident was reportedly videotaped while making
the statement.
After remaining in the area for an extended period,
the BGB personnel visited a local church and stayed there for some time. They
then reportedly proceeded about halfway toward the TNO Garden before turning
back toward Hachuk Para and leaving the area through a stream known as
Taisagara, according to local residents.
Residents suspect that the BGB's presence in Hachuk
Para, accompanied by two to three Muslim settlers, may have been part of an
alleged attempt by Mohammad Yunus and others from the Sonaia area to exert
pressure over land in the locality. Locals also said they heard a BGB personnel
discussing land boundaries with one of the Muslim settlers accompanying the
patrol.
The presence of BGB personnel accompanied by settlers,
along with their questioning of residents and photographing and videotaping of
homes, has caused concern among Indigenous residents. They fear that the
photographs and videos could later be used to falsely implicate them.
Meanwhile, reports have emerged that approximately 12
Muslim settlers were clearing forested land on property belonging to an
indigenous resident of the Nangel Para area. However, details of the incident
remain unclear.
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