The attacks on indigenous peoples in Sajek, in Rangamati District of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), on 22 October 2026 brought into focus the policy pursued by Bangladesh in this troubled region. Since 11 October 2026, Indigenous peoples under the banner of the Sajek Gono Odhikar Rokkha Committee and the Sajek Karbari Association have been demanding the removal of the armed cadres of the Parbotto Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) by intermittently blockading the roads.[1] The blockade was suspended during the Hindu religious festival of Durga Puja. When the blockade resumed on 22 October 2026, the Bangladesh Army personnel, while negotiating with the protesters, suddenly resorted to a lathi-charge, resulting in human rights violations.[2]
Bijoy Kanti Chakma, member secretary of the Sajek Gano Odhikar Rokkha Committee, told The Daily Star on 23 October 2026, “Around a hundred of our people were injured in yesterday’s incident. Among them, eight are critically injured. None of them can be taken anywhere for medical treatment because law enforcement is obstructing it. However, we are trying to arrange medical treatment for the injured on our own”.[3]
Clearly, the Bangladesh Army has refused to remove the armed cadres of the PCJSS.
I. Who are the PCJSS armed cadres that the Bangladesh Army Refuses To Remove?
The Parbotto Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS), headed by Jyotirindra Bodhipriyo Larma, alias Santu Larma, was an insurgent group formed in 1972 to represent the Indigenous peoples. After 25 years of prolonged insurgency, the PCJSS signed the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord in 1997.[4]
The PCJSS was entrusted with the responsibility of running the CHT Regional Council, which was established as an outcome of the CHT Accord in 2000. Since then, the PCJSS has been running the CHT Regional Council without elections.[5]
Allowing the PCJSS to run the CHT Regional Council without elections for the last 25 years is not the only problem. The PCJSS has maintained its armed group, Jumma Liberation Army (JLA) who are reportedly used to silence other regional political parties of indigenous peoples like the United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF) and the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF). The PCJSS cadres are reportedly heavily armed with rocket launchers, light machine guns (LMGs), submachine guns (SMGs), AK-47-series rifles, and other weapons. The PCJSS’s possession of arms has been documented in various court judgments, independent media reports, and statements by the Bangladesh Army, as set out below:
– On 7 March 2013, India’s Assam Rifles seized 31 AK-47 assault rifles, one Singapore-made light machine gun (LMG), one US-made Browning Automatic Rifle, 809 rounds of live ammunition, and 32 magazines from three cadres of the PCJSS, namely Moni Tripuri, Sabuj Chakma, and Robi Chakma at Aizawl, Mizoram. The cadres absconded after securing bail. On 5 September 2024, the Gauhati High Court of India, in its judgment in National Investigation Agency v. Rohmingliana, described the PCJSS as a terrorist organisation.[6]
– On 3 February 2022, the Bangladesh Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that a trooper and three members of the Parbatya Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS) died in a gunfight in Bandarban district in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Following the gunfight, the authorities seized an SMG, 249 rounds of ammunition, three magazines, three muskets, five musket shells, four pairs of uniforms, and Tk 52,900. Ruma Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abul Kashem had stated, “They were active members of the Parbatya Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samiti faction led by Santu Larma”.[7]
– On 25 February 2026, according to the Bangladesh Army’s ISPR, Hlamnung Marma, a member of the PCJSS, was killed in an armed clash. The Army seized a submachine gun, 143 rounds of SMG ammunition, five blank rounds, and two magazines from the deceased individual.[8]
– On 12 February 2025, three PCJSS cadres, namely Roni Chakma (45), Anirban Chakma (34), and Ribeng Chakma, were arrested in Mizoram, India, with two AK-47 assault rifles, five US-made M4 carbines, 20 magazines, 504 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, 4,675 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition, Rs 49,550 in cash, identity cards, SIM cards, ATM cards, and five mobile phones.[9]
– On 4 June 2025, approximately 13 armed PCJSS combatants were arrested in Agartala, Tripura, India.[10]
– On 26 February 2026, an armed PCJSS cadre, Mr Apollo Chakma, son of Bijay Chakma and a resident of Panchari in Khagrachari district, was apprehended while allegedly attempting to cross the India–Bangladesh border.[11]
– On 4 August 2026, three persons were arrested in Mizoram, India, with seven AK-47 assault rifles and 2,050 rounds of live ammunition allegedly intended for the PCJSS.[12]
– On 6 October 2026, Indian police arrested Shyamal Kanti Chakma, alias Toru, a Bangladeshi national and alleged arms commander of the PCJSS, in Agartala, Tripura. Shyamal Kanti Chakma is believed to have previously headed a vigilante group called the “Mukhosh Bahini” and to have joined the PCJSS in January 2026, reportedly bringing with him 50 sophisticated firearms.[13]
II. Bangladesh’s Double Standards on the CHT On Keeping Armed Groups By Political Parties?
No country governed by the rule of law and the Constitution should allow the leader of an armed group to head a legally constituted body such as the CHT Regional Council.[14] The profound implications of this situation for human rights, governance, and the rule of law cannot be overstated.
On 19 October 2026, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman instructed State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraque Hossain to resign after he was caught on camera wielding a firearm during an anti-drug campaign.[15]
However, in the CHT, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman continues to allow Mr Santu Larma to remain chairman of the CHT Regional Council despite his alleged leadership of an armed group.
An indigenous woman protestor assaulted
III. Why Sajek, The Favourite Tourist Spot, On Spotlight?
Sajek Valley is a major tourist destination in Bangladesh, and approximately 3,000 tourists visit or stay there. Any incident in Sajek attracts national and international media attention.
It remains unclear whether the deployment of PCJSS armed cadres was linked to the reported meeting in Dhaka on 30 September 2026 between Mr Santu Larma and Home Minister Salauddin Ahmed, Minister of State for CHT Affairs Mir Helal, and the Prime Minister’s Political Advisor, Rashed Khan.
On 10 September 2026, the Government of Bangladesh formed three committees on CHT affairs—the National Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Advisory Committee—to formulate the National Strategy on the Chittagong Hill Tracts within the next 90 days. The process has raised particular concern over the role assigned to the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), Bangladesh’s military intelligence agency. The Director General of the DGFI has been appointed Secretary of the National Committee and Chief Convenor of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee’s key task is to “review the existing laws, the provisions of the CHT Accord, and the constitutional provisions relating to the CHT, and consider their amendment, reform, or replacement through new legislation”.[16]
Indigenous peoples are already dissatisfied with the non-implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government can expect protests from Indigenous peoples if the proposed National Strategy dilutes their rights or the special status accorded to the CHT.
Threats to tourists or armed clashes in Sajek Valley could create a narrative that justifies the deployment of additional security forces to deal with protests against the recommendations of the National Strategy on the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
IV. The challenge of the international community – upholding basic rule of law in the CHT
A number of bilateral and multilateral donors have focused on democracy, the rule of law, and good governance in Bangladesh. In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, numerous initiatives have been undertaken through non-governmental organisations.
However, when it comes to governance in the CHT, the international community has failed to speak out against the PCJSS, a la Wagner Group of Yevgeny Prigozhin[17], being allowed to run a statutory body such as the CHT Regional Council. This situation in the CHT is not simply a national security issue; it is a matter of applying the Constitution of Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Penal Code equally to all groups, especially the PCJSS which remains at the helms of the CHT Regional Council.
[1]. 2 Sajek groups announce indefinite blockade from Thursday, The Daily Star, 14 October 2026, https://www.thedailystar.net/news/news/2-sajek-groups-announce-indefinite-blockade-thursday-4298611
[2]. Sajek road blockade: 2,933 tourists evacuated amid gunfight, The Business Standard, 22 October 2026, https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/sajek-road-blockade-2933-tourists-evacuated-amid-gunfight-1580231
[3]. Sajek road blockade continues as resort bookings face mass cancellations, The Daily Star, 23 October 2026, https://www.thedailystar.net/news/news/sajek-road-blockade-continues-resort-bookings-face-mass-cancellations-4305706
[4]. The CHT Accord can be accessed at https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/bgd165309.pdf
[5]. CHT Regional, District Councils, No election in two decades, The Daily Star, 20 July 2018, https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/no-election-two-decades-1608802
[6] . The National Investigation Agency v. Rohmingliana, Gauhati High Court, 5 September 2024, https://www.casemine.com/judgement/in/66de966f8497f8199b7c1bfc
[7]. Army soldier, 3 PCJSS activists killed in Bandarban gunfight, Dhaka Tribune, 3 February 2022, https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/263144/army-soldier-3-pcjss-activists-killed-in
[8]. PCJSS member killed in ‘gunfight’ with army, New Age, 25 February 2026, https://www.newagebd.net/post/country/292212/ocea
[9]. Mizoram arms haul: 3 held with AK-47s, M4 carbines, The Times of India, 12 February 2025, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/mizoram-arms-haul-3-held-with-ak-47s-m4-carbines/articleshow/118188444.cms
[10].13 cadres of Bangladeshi outfit arrested in Tripura after illegal entry, The East Mojo, 4 June 2025, https://eastmojo.com/free-digest/2025/06/04/13-cadres-of-bangladeshi-outfit-arrested-in-tripura-after-illegal-entry/
[11]. BSF arrests alleged PCJSS cadre at Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura, 23 February 2026, https://www.borderlens.com/2026/02/23/bsf-arrests-alleged-pcjss-cadre-at-indo-bangladesh-border-in-tripura/
[12]. Mizoram Police seize 7 AK rifles, 2,050 rounds near Myanmar border; 3 held, The Times of India, 4 August 2026, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/mizoram-police-seize-7-ak-rifles-2050-rounds-near-myanmar-border-3-held/articleshowprint/132860084.cms
[13]. PCJSS ‘arms commander’ held in Agartala, The Times of India, 6 Oct 2026, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/pcjss-arms-commander-held-in-agartala/articleshowprint/134748263.cms
[14]. The CHT Regional Council Act can be accessed at https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/bgd165438.pdf
[15] . Prime Minister orders Ishraque to resign from Cabinet, Prothom Alo, 19 October 2026,https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/government/xekpxubrq6?utm_id=97757_v0_s00_e0_tv2_a1demonrv0sorf&fbclid=IwY2xjawVCoaVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR7nylh5eMl3UJFvf5FrzhZL7EVzS_4z3lGU0SldZhCPGZ3_U9dvcACwiw4ckw_aem_d2uRkeT3BOHBELekU-u-CQ
[16]. Bangladesh: Indigenous Peoples Face Threat Of Ethnocide As The DGFI Given Charge of the CHT, Asian Centre for Human Rights, 15 September 2026, https://www.achrweb.org/info-by-country/bangladesh/bangladesh-indigenous-peoples-face-threat-of-ethnocide-as-the-dgfi-given-charge-of-the-cht/
[17]. Information on Wagner Group, Russian mercenary group can be found at https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wagner-Group
