Army statement on Khagrachhari violence
The Bangladesh Army has issued a statement regarding the incidents of violence that took place in Khagrachhari on Saturday and Sunday (27 and 28 September). The Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) released the statement on Sunday night under the title “Army Statement on Communal Violence in Khagrachhari and Guimara on 27 and 28 September 2025.”
According to the statement, on 19 September 2024, following the murder of motorcyclist Mamun in Khagrachhari, the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) and its associated organisations attempted to incite communal unrest in Dighinala and Rangamati, engaging in clashes with security forces. This resulted in three fatalities and injuries to several local residents. Marking the first anniversary of that event, the UPDF and its affiliated groups organised protest rallies across the Chittagong Hill Tracts this year, seeking to replicate similar unrest.
On the night of 23 September, taking into consideration allegations of the rape of a schoolgirl in the Singinalla area of Khagrachhari, the prime suspect, Shayon Shil, identified by UPDF (main), was apprehended with the assistance of the army on 24 September and subsequently remanded into police custody. The matter is currently under judicial process. Despite the arrest, UPDF’s student wing leader, Ukyanu Marma, under the banner of “Jumma Chhatra Janata,” called for protest marches and a human chain protest in Khagrachhari on 24 September. In continuation, a half-day hartal was observed on 25 September at the UPDF’s call. During this period, a number of expatriate bloggers and some locally influential individuals disseminated propaganda and provocative statements online, targeting Bengali communities.
On 26 September, under the leadership of UPDF activist Ukyanu Marma and influenced by incitement from both domestic and expatriate bloggers as well as certain local figures, tensions escalated across Khagrachhari. During the blockade, unruly persons, provoked by UPDF, attacked an army patrol with brickbats, injuring three soldiers. Considering the overall situation and the ongoing provocation, the army acted with great patience, restraint and humanity, refraining from the use of force.
On 27 September, UPDF members and affiliated organisations once again attempted to instigate unrest. They engaged in shooting, vandalism, assaults on ambulances, road blockades, and other destructive activities against Bengalis and other common citizens, resulting in a severe deterioration of law and order within Khagrachhari municipality. By midday, the situation had escalated into communal clashes between hill people and Bengalis. In view of this, the district administration imposed Section 144 in Khagrachhari and Guimara.
Under these circumstances, the army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and law enforcement agencies worked tirelessly throughout the night with extreme patience to restore order, thereby preventing an imminent communal riot.
Following the failed attempt to instigate communal unrest in Khagrachhari municipality, members of UPDF and its affiliated organisations, from 28 September, violated Section 144 in the Ramsu Bazar area of Guimara upazila, Khagrachhari district. They incited local residents and blockaded roads, completely closing the Guimara–Khagrachhari highway.
At approximately 10:30am, UPDF activists and armed miscreants engaged in clashes with members of the local Bengali community. When the army intervened to restore order, they launched a coordinated attack using improvised weapons, brickbats, slingshots and sticks. As a result, 10 Army personnel, including three officers, sustained injuries. Simultaneously, they vandalised a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) vehicle in Ramgarh and injured BGB members. During the clashes, at around 11:30 am, armed members of UPDF (main), positioned on high ground west of Ramsu Bazar, opened fire four to five times with automatic weapons, discharging 100–150 rounds aimed at both hill and Bengali residents engaged in clashes, as well as Army personnel attempting to restore order.
Several civilians at the scene sustained bullet wounds. In response, an army patrol moved swiftly towards the armed group’s position, prompting the assailants to retreat.
At the same time, external UPDF miscreants set fire to shops and houses in Ramsu Bazar and engaged in further clashes with Bengali residents. Additional Army units were deployed in Ramsu Bazar and Guimara to stabilise the situation, which was brought under control by approximately 4:30pm.
The army further noted that recent events clearly demonstrate a deliberate plan by UPDF and its affiliates to destabilise the Chittagong Hill Tracts by coercing women and schoolchildren into participating in sabotage. Moreover, efforts are being made to bring in armed outsiders to instigate communal riots in the region. On Sunday afternoon, a significant cache of improvised weapons, transported by UPDF operatives, was seized from a passenger bus at the Kaptai BGB battalion checkpoint.
From 19 to 28 September, various incidents in Khagrachhari and Guimara indicate a wider conspiracy to destabilise the hill region and incite communal violence without resorting to lawful processes. Law enforcement agencies have preserved substantial evidence of this. In view of the overall situation, the Bangladesh Army calls upon political leaders of all communities in the Hill Tracts, as well as the general public, to exercise restraint. The army specially urges cooperation with all law enforcement agencies to restore stability in the region. Despite propaganda, misinformation, and incitement, the army remains resolute in safeguarding the territorial integrity of this inseparable part of Bangladesh. The army is committed to taking any necessary measures to ensure the security of all communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and to protect the sovereignty of the nation.