Sajek Correspondent, CHT News
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
The army is conducting a large-scale operation in Bhuyochari, a village under Sajek Union in Rangamati district. The operation, which began on October 18, 2025, is still ongoing. At least 180 army personnel from the Baghaihat Army Zone are reported to be involved.
During the operation, soldiers have been reportedly harassing local residents. They are:
- Raiding homes,
- Physically abusing villagers,
- Confiscating food supplies (rice),
- Consuming villagers’ livestock (ducks, chickens, goats) without payment, and
- Burning down a jhum (slash-and-burn) farmer’s hut.
On Tuesday, October 21, the army detained one individual and conducted raids on at least eight homes in Bhuyochari. Reports claim villagers were subjected to abuse and mistreatment during these searches.
The detained person has been identified as Chitta Ranjan Chakma.
The villagers who were harassed and whose homes were raided include:
- Dipan Tripura – His home was raided, and he was physically assaulted. The army also seized 25 sacks of rice (weighing 50 kg each) that he had purchased and transported them by boat to the Masalang Camp.
- Debashish Chakma (45) – He was not at home during the raid, but his wife was mentally harassed. Soldiers fired a blank shot from a pistol near her to instill fear. The couple has an 8-month-old baby.
- Shukko Chakma (38) – His home was subjected to a search.
- Rupan Chakma (36) – His house and shop were searched. He was harassed under the pretense of interrogation.
- Chokke Chakma (40) – His house and shop were also raided, and he was harassed during questioning.
- Munich Chakma (55) – His house and shop were searched.
- Chittaranjan Chakma (33) – Soldiers allegedly ate sugarcane from his field without permission and destroyed the rest of the crop.
- Hirohito Chakma (35) – His house was searched by breaking the door. At the time, he was staying in Baghaihat, where his wife had gone to give birth.
Additionally, it has been reported that the army set fire to and destroyed a jhum hut belonging to a farmer named Hirebo Chakma.
As a result of these operations, extreme fear and anxiety have spread among the local population.
Residents are urgently calling on the government and relevant authorities to immediately halt these unjust and military activities.
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