In a memorandum submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian Chakma leaders called for an immediate downgrade of diplomatic relations with Bangladesh, urging him to avoid any meetings or dialogue with Dr Mohammed Yunus, Chief Caretaker of Bangladesh’s Interim Government. The leaders emphasized the need for India to take a firm stand until the safety of indigenous communities and religious minorities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is secured, following ongoing attacks by the Bangladesh Army and illegal plain settlers since 19 September 2024.
The attacks have claimed the lives of at least nine innocent tribals, including Junan Chakma, 70-year-old Dhan Ranjan Chakma, Rubel Tripura, and Lenin Chakma. Five other unidentified bodies remain at Khagrachari hospital. In addition to these deaths, over 100 houses and shops were burned in Dighinala Sadar, and dozens of tribals were injured in the violence.
The memorandum was signed by several prominent Chakma leaders, including Suhas Chakma, Founder of the Chakma Development Foundation of India; Rashik Mohan Chakma, MLA and Chief Executive Officer of the Chakma Autonomous District Council of Mizoram; Nirupam Chakma, former Minister of Mizoram and Member of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes; Bimal Chakma, Member of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council; Prof. Gautam Chakma, President of the Humanity Protection Forum and Head of the Department of Political Science at Tripura University; Pritimoy Chakma, Convener of the Chakma Hajong Rights Alliance; and Ashutosh Chakma, President of the All Assam Chakma Society.
The memorandum highlighted a report by Prothom Alo on 12 September 2024, detailing the destruction of at least 1,090 houses, businesses, and places of worship belonging to minority communities between 5 and 20 August, following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government. The ongoing violence is believed to be part of a systematic effort to suppress the democratic aspirations of the hill tribes and expel them from the CHTs.
On 18 September 2024, about 40,000 indigenous students participated in the historic “March For Identity” in Khagrachari, organised by the Anti-Conflict and Discrimination Tribal Students Movement. The demonstration demanded recognition of their rights and protection of their distinct identities. The Bangladesh Army, however, continues to play a role in driving the indigenous communities from their ancestral lands.
Historically, the Chittagong Hill Tracts was a predominantly tribal region, with 98.5% of the population comprising non-Muslims. Despite this, the Bengal Boundary Commission awarded the region to Pakistan during India’s partition in 1947. Between 1979 and 1983, then-President General Ziaur Rahman resettled approximately 500,000 illegal Muslim plain settlers in the CHTs, reducing the indigenous population to a minority in their homeland. Today, these settlers make up more than 50% of the region’s population.
