By PCJSS
The Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) has reported a series of coordinated communal attacks targeting Indigenous Chakma and other Jumma communities in Langadu and Baghaichhari upazilas of Rangamati district on March 27 and 28, 2025.
The organization alleged that Bengali settlers, reportedly supported by local influential groups, carried out the assaults that left at least three Indigenous persons dead, over 50 injured, and dozens of homes burned and looted.
According to the report, violence first erupted in Langadu on March 27 following tensions between Bengali settlers and local Indigenous residents. By that night, groups armed with sharp weapons and sticks attacked at least 12 Indigenous villages, including Mitinga Para, Maini Para, and Choumuhani areas. The PCJSS claimed the attacks were pre-planned and carried out in a “systematic and organized” manner with the apparent knowledge of local authorities.
Witnesses told the PCJSS fact-finding team that several houses were set ablaze, religious idols vandalized, and valuables looted. Many families fled their homes and took shelter in nearby forests. At least three Indigenous men were reportedly killed in the attacks, while more than 20 others sustained severe injuries. The organization identified 21 affected localities and estimated that 29 Jumma families lost their homes and properties.
The following day, on March 28, violence spread to neighboring Baghaichhari upazila. PCJSS reported that settler groups armed with locally made weapons attacked villages in Dighinala and adjacent areas. Over 50 houses belonging to Chakma and Tripura families were set on fire, while 25 families reportedly lost their livestock, food grains, and essential belongings. Around 70 people, including women and elderly villagers, were physically assaulted or forced to flee.
The PCJSS alleged that despite repeated calls for help, law enforcement agencies, including the army and local administration, arrived late or remained inactive during the attacks. “The inaction of security forces has once again revealed the culture of impunity surrounding communal violence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts,” the report stated.
On March 29, representatives of the PCJSS, local civil society members, and rights activists visited the affected sites and documented the aftermath—charred homes, destroyed granaries, and displaced families living without food or medical aid. The report accused the attackers of deliberately targeting economic and cultural symbols of the Indigenous communities to instill fear and displacement.
According to PCJSS data, in total, more than 80 Indigenous households were attacked across the two upazilas, with approximately 25 houses completely burned down and 16 families rendered homeless. The organization also documented the killing of three Indigenous residents and the injury of over 50 others, including children. It further alleged that women and girls were subjected to harassment and threats during the assaults.
In its statement, the PCJSS demanded a judicial inquiry into the incidents, immediate arrest of the perpetrators, and adequate compensation and rehabilitation for the victims. The group also urged the government to ensure the protection of Indigenous villages and full implementation of the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, which promised demilitarization and autonomy for the hill region.
The report pointed out that the March 2025 attacks resembled earlier communal outbreaks in the CHT region—such as the Longadu arson in 2017 and Baghaichhari violence in 2023—where Indigenous settlements were torched after alleged provocations involving Bengali settlers. “The recurrence of such incidents demonstrates the failure of the state to uphold constitutional rights and equality for Indigenous peoples,” the PCJSS said.
Local sources confirmed that many displaced families have taken temporary refuge in nearby Buddhist temples and forested areas. Relief efforts from NGOs and rights organizations remain minimal, while fear of renewed violence prevents most families from returning to their villages.
The PCJSS concluded that the attacks were not isolated but part of a “long-standing pattern of ethnic aggression” aimed at undermining Indigenous land rights and forcing demographic change in the CHT. It called upon national and international human rights bodies to investigate the incidents and pressure the government to ensure justice and lasting peace.