DHAKA, Sept 28, 2025 (BSS) – The army today released a detailed statement addressing the recent communal violence and unrest in the Khagrachhari and Guimara areas of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Over the killing of motorcyclist Mamun in Khagrachhari on September 19, 2024, the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) and its affiliates attempted to create communal instability in Dighinala and Rangamati, leading to clashes with security forces that left three dead and several injured, an ISPR press release said.

On the night of September 23, 2025, taking into account an allegation of rape of a schoolgirl in the Singinalla area of Khagrachhari, suspected UPDF (Main) activist Shayon Shil was arrested with the assistance of the army on September 24, 2025, and taken into police custody on remand.

Despite the arrest, UPDF affiliate PCP leader Ukhyanu Marma called for protests on September 24 and a half-day strike on September 25. Simultaneously, provocative statements targeting Bengalis circulated online by bloggers inside and outside the country.

On September 26, under Ukhyanu Marma’s leadership and fueled by provocative social media campaigns, tensions escalated in Khagrachhari.

During a UPDF-led blockade, locals attacked army patrols, injuring three personnel. The army exercised patience and restraint to deal with the situation.

On September 27, UPDF and affiliates again attempted to incite riots by shooting at civilians, including Bengalis, vandalizing property, attacking ambulances, and blocking roads, severely worsening law and order in Khagrachhari municipality.

Section 144 was imposed in Khagrachhari and Guimara. In this situation, the army, BGB, and law enforcement agencies, with extreme patience and tireless effort throughout the night, brought the situation under control and were able to prevent an imminent communal riot.

As their attempt to incite a communal riot in the Khagrachhari municipal area failed, the UPDF and its affiliated organizations, from the morning of September 28, 2025, violated Section 144 in Ramsu Bazar of Guimara Upazila in Khagrachhari district, inciting the general public and blocking the road, completely shutting down the Guimara-Khagrachhari road.

At 10:30 am today, UPDF activists and terrorists engaged in a chase and counter-chase with the local Bengalis in the area. At this stage, when the army moved in to control the situation, they collectively attacked the army with homemade weapons, bricks, slingshots, and sticks. As a result, 10 members, including three army officers, were injured. At the same time, they vandalized a BGB vehicle in the Ramgarh area and injured BGB personnel, according to the press release.

During the clash, at 11:30 am, members of the UPDF (Main) armed group fired automatic weapons 4–5 times from a high hill located to the west of Ramsu Bazar, targeting the hill residents, Bengali people, and army personnel, discharging approximately 100–150 rounds.

As a result, many among the local population involved in the clash at the site were shot. In this situation, to bring the situation under control, an army patrol team promptly moved into the area. Due to the army’s swift action, the armed group quickly left the area.

The UPDF militants also set fire to houses in Ramsu Bazar and clashed further with Bengalis. Additional troops were deployed, restoring order by 4:30 pm.

Observing the incidents of the past few days, it is clear that the UPDF and its affiliated organizations are deliberately forcing local women and school-going young children in the Chittagong Hill Tracts to participate in their destructive activities through various means, with the aim of destabilizing the region, added the press release.

At the same time, attempts are being made to bring outsiders with various homemade weapons into different areas of the hill region to organize communal riots in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

This afternoon, the Kaptai Battalion of BGB seized a large cache of weapons from a passenger bus linked to UPDF militants.

The incidents that took place in the Khagrachhari and Guimara areas between September 19 and 28, 2025, appear to be part of a larger conspiracy aimed at destabilizing the hill tracts and inciting communal riots, rather than seeking legal recourse.

Considering the overall situation of the past few days, the Bangladesh Army is appealing to the leaders of political parties and the general public of all ethnic communities in the hill region to behave with restraint, mentioned the press release.

Appeal has also been made to cooperate with the army and all law enforcement agencies to restore stability in the hill region.

Despite facing various forms of propaganda, misinformation, and provocative actions, the army remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding the integrity of this vital part of Bangladesh.

The army is pledged to take all necessary measures to ensure the security and protection of all ethnic communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts while upholding the sovereignty of the nation.