Hill Voice, 1 July 2026, Special Correspondent: On Wednesday (July 1, 2026), the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) released a half-yearly report (January–June 2026) on the human rights situation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), signed by its Assistant Information and Publicity Secretary, Sajib Chakma. The report states that human rights violations against the Jumma peoples of the CHT have continued unabated under the BNP government led by Tarique Rahman.
The report further states that following its two-thirds majority victory in the Jatiya Sangsad (national parliamentary) election held on February 12, 2026, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman, formed the government. On February 17, 2026, Dipen Dewan—elected from the Rangamati constituency—was sworn in and appointed Minister of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs, a move that was both consistent with the CHT Accord of 1997 and widely desired. However, on the same day, Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin—a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Chattogram-5 constituency and a member of the Bengali community from outside the CHT region—was appointed State Minister for CHT Affairs Ministry; this appointment was entirely inconsistent with the core spirit of the Accord. Although civil society in Bangladesh, including the people of the CHT, demanded the removal of Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin from the CHT Affairs Ministry, the government took no action. Even more concerning is that on June 1, just 102 days into his tenure, Dipen Dewan was forced to resign following various forms of pressure. Since then, no member of the Jumma community has been appointed as the Minister for CHT Affairs Ministry. Currently, in violation of the CHT Accord, the BNP government is illegally running the Ministry of CHT Affairs through Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin.
A matter of further concern is that Minister Salauddin Ahmed, Ministry of Home Affairs, on March 11, 2026, while addressing a discussion expressed that ensuring cent percent of human rights in CHT is impossible in perspective of protecting integrity of the state. He said: “If we bring the Human Rights Violation issue into account by cent percent, as such, we will not be able to let our defense force apply many aspects.” Such statements by the Home Minister could not only create obstacles to ensuring human rights in the region but also encourage continued human rights violations. Therefore, the Home Minister’s stance is undoubtedly a cause for concern regarding the human rights situation.
Despite nearly four and a half months having passed since the BNP assumed state power, the BNP government—led by Tarique Rahman—has taken no effective steps to implement the CHT Accord of 1997. Due to the failure to implement the Accord, the overall human rights situation in the CHT is steadily deteriorating. Like previous administrations, the current BNP government has persisted with a policy of resolving the CHT issue through extensive militarization and fascist methods, rather than pursuing a political and peaceful resolution through the implementation of the Accord.
Consequently, there has been no significant improvement in the human rights situation in the CHT following the formation of the BNP government. Various forms of oppression and human rights violations against the Jumma people by security forces persist, as do acts of terror by army-backed armed groups against innocent Jumma people and supporters of the CHT Accord. Furthermore, attacks, harassment, land grabbing, anti-Accord activities, forced conversions, and violence against Jumma women and girls—perpetrated by Bengali settlers and Rohingya terrorists—continue unabated.
From January to June 2026, 57 human rights violations were committed by security forces and law enforcement agencies deployed in the CHT, army-backed armed terrorist groups, communal and fundamentalist groups, Muslim Bengali settlers and land grabbers, and 154 Jumma people were subjected to human rights violations in these incidents. 10 people were killed in these incidents.
Of the 57 incidents, 24 were committed by security and law enforcement agencies, resulting in at least 45 victims of human rights violations and involving patrol operations in 21 villages. Additionally, initiatives have been undertaken to establish 34 new BGB camps.
Out of 57 incidents, 12 were perpetrated by army-created armed terrorist groups—such as the UPDF (Prasit faction), the Marma Liberation Party (known as the ‘Mog Party’), and the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF, known as the ‘Bawm Party’)—resulting in 27 people falling victim to human rights violations, including two killings. These violations encompassed incidents such as abduction, ransom, physical assault, killing, gunshot injuries, searches, death threats, theft of money and mobile phones, and demands for extortion.
The UPDF has intensified a Goebbelsian smear campaign—using both official and anonymous accounts on social media—against JSS leaders and activists. Furthermore, they are conducting “malicious and defamatory” propaganda against a dozen civil society individuals, including eminent academician and cultural figure Shishir Chakma (President of the Jum Aesthetics Council/JAC), Pradhir Talukdar Rega (Metta Tour and Travel), Injeb Chakma (Director of the Chakma Literature Academy), Police Sergeant Priyadarshi Chakma, and Chittagong University students Pahela Chakma, Augustina Chakma et al. Widespread protest against this propaganda by the UPDF emerged on social media.
Out of 57 incidents, 10 were perpetrated by Bengali Muslim settlers, land grabbers and Rohingya terrorists, resulting in 69 Jumma people falling victim to human rights violations—including four deaths and 43 injuries. In one instance of a communal attack, false cases were filed against 10 Mro villagers who had actually been the victims of an assault by settler and Rohingya attackers. Additionally, 21 Rohingyas were apprehended by law enforcement agencies while infiltrating Bandarban.
The process of converting members of Jumma ethnic groups—particularly the Mro, Tripura, and some Chakma communities—to Islam by exploiting their poverty remains active across various upazilas of Bandarban district. Serious allegations have emerged regarding the practice of taking young, impressionable children away under the pretext of providing education and enrolling them in madrasas in locations such as Dhaka, Chattogram, Gazipur, Cox’s Bazar, and within Bandarban itself; there, they are reportedly converted to Islam and made to abandon their ethnic identities—including their names and traditional attire—without the knowledge or consent of their parents or guardians.