The Volatile Hill Tracts: Conspiracies, Foreign Influence And Disinformation – OpEd
By Tanim Jasim
The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) stands as a sensitive and geo-strategically vital region for Bangladesh. Bound by hills and forests, its importance is multi-dimensional, extending beyond mere geography.
Located at the gateway to the Indian Ocean, just a few kilometers from the Bay of Bengal coast, the CHT is a critical junction connecting South and Southeast Asia. Bordered by parts of India (Tripura and the Seven Sisters) and Myanmar (Arakan region), this territory is a geostrategic lynchpin, critical to maritime routes and the stability of the entire Bay of Bengal.
Recently, the region has been thrown into turmoil, highlighting deep-seated instability. The current wave of violence was sparked by the horrific alleged gang rape of an ethnic Marma teenage girl in the Singinala area of Khagrachari. Police, assisted by the army, arrested a 19-year-old, Shayan Shil, in connection with the crime. The incident rapidly escalated. Protests, including a subsequent road blockade under the banner of ‘Jumma Chhatra Janata’ shut down major routes connecting Chittagong, Rangamati, and Sajek. As the situation deteriorated, authorities imposed Section 144 in Guimara. However, violence spread, culminating in the burning of the ‘Ramesu Bazar’. Clashes between law enforcement and protestors resulted in three fatalities and injuries to at least 20 people, including an Army Major.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) directorate swiftly issued a statement, assigning blame for the violence to the hill-based organization, the United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF). The ISPR alleged that the UPDF and its affiliates are systematically forcing women and minors to participate in subversive activities with the clear aim of destabilizing the CHT.
This sudden period of unrest is widely viewed as a manifestation of domestic and foreign conspiracies. This perception gained traction shortly after Pradyot Manikya Debbarma, a leader of India’s Tipra Motha Party, had publicly threatened to occupy the Chittagong Port and even break up Bangladesh. Amid the ensuing instability, there are reports that Indian media outlets are engaging in provocative news and disinformation campaigns. Furthermore, international bodies are being drawn into the fray. The Indian human rights group Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) called for the intervention of the United Nations and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the killings, announcing plans to raise the Guimara incident at the upcoming UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva. Compounding the problem are allegations that various domestic and foreign Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)—while ostensibly working on the rights, education, and health of the hill populace—may also play an unseen role in destabilizing the hills.
In view of historical context and ethnic diversity, the CHT is home to a total of 12 different ethnic minority groups, most of whom are anthropologically categorized as Mongoloid. These communities constitute a small portion of the country’s total population, only about 0.45%. They settled in the CHT less than 400 years ago, arriving from Tibet, China, Myanmar, and India, often in search of safe havens. While the majority of Chakmas and Marmas practice Buddhism, other groups follow Hinduism (Tripura) or Christianity (Mizo, Bawm, Theiyang), and some practice traditional animistic worship. Interestingly, despite having their own languages, members of different ethnic groups often use the Bangla language to communicate with one another, as every community understands the national language.
The administrative history of the CHT is marked by deliberate colonial policies that set the stage for current conflicts. On May 1, 1900, the British introduced the ‘Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation 1900’ with the explicit goal of curtailing Bengali influence and settlement to facilitate the spread of Christianity. This move was seen as a breach of justice, as the claim of the adjacent Bengali population was arguably as strong as that of the recently arrived tribes. This sowed the seeds of the current conflict.
Decades later, the region’s special status was eroded. The provision for a separate region ended in 1956, and its status as an Excluded Area was completely abolished in 1964 under Ayub Khan’s Basic Democracies. A Dhaka High Court ruling that same year ensured the free movement of all citizens throughout Pakistan, which subsequently facilitated the increase of Bengali settlement in the CHT. The vast single district of CHT was eventually broken up into the three administrative districts of Rangamati, Bandarban, and Khagrachari in 1983.
Geographically, the CHT is larger than several sovereign nations combined, including Lebanon and Singapore. This vast area, bordering Tripura, Mizoram, and Myanmar, possesses immense strategic value. However, the region suffers from critical infrastructure deficits, which have a direct bearing on its stability. The lack of adequate inter-district communication systems, mobile networks, potable water, and electricity, combined with a deficiency in effective security arrangements, has turned the border areas into a haven for drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and terrorists. It is this security vacuum that provides the volatile conditions for sudden flare-ups of unrest.
The 1997 CHT Peace Accord was only an initial measure; it has not delivered the lasting peace the region desperately needs. The current crisis underscores that the roots of the conflict lie in a convergence of factors: the Bengali-Pahari conflict, unresolved land disputes, extortion by armed groups, the spread of rumors and religious incitement, and persistent foreign-backed conspiracies for state creation.
Neither the hill people nor the Bengali settlers want the instability and violence that plagues their home. The recurrence of a “third force” suggests that negative politics is being played out with devastating consequences. The path to peace requires a unified, non-partisan approach. To restore calm and ensure prosperity, the following steps are essential- Ensure Equal Rights for all by transcending the Pahari-Bangali divide. Achieve a just and permanent resolution of land disputes. Bring all factions and armed groups under the proper rule of law. Decisively foil all domestic and foreign conspiracies against the sovereignty of Bangladesh. Develop the CHT’s natural resources and tourism potential, leveraging its regional and geographical importance to enrich the nation.
The responsibility for peace in the hills—for the safety and prosperity of its citizens—rests not just with the Government and law enforcement, but with all stakeholders, every community, and every citizen of Bangladesh. It is a national imperative.
