Matiranga Correspondent, CHT News
Sunday, July 19, 2026
An alleged plan to resettle additional Muslim settlers in three indigenous villages in Taindong Union of Matiranga Upazila, Khagrachhari, has raised fresh concerns among local residents, according to a local source.
The villages identified are Bogapara, Bandarsing Para, and Tanakkapara, all located in Taindong Union, which borders Panchhari Upazila and India.
Local residents say Taindong is already home to a large settler population. They allege that many settlers were relocated to the area during the 1980s under the government of former President Ziaur Rahman and were settled on land belonging to indigenous communities.
Residents also claim that several large scale communal attacks took place during that period, forcing many indigenous families to flee across the border into India. They allege that their land was subsequently occupied by settlers and has never been returned, despite the signing of the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord.
Community members further allege that, in recent years, attempts to acquire indigenous land have increasingly relied on forged land documents, with individuals claiming ownership of property through fraudulent deeds.
Some local observers believe the reported effort to bring in additional settlers is connected to the Bangladesh Army’s alleged use of the PCJSS (Santu) faction against the UPDF in neighboring Panchhari.
According to local sources, members of the PCJSS (Santu) faction have been staying near Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) camps in Bandarsing Para and Bogapara for the past several months. Some residents believe their presence is intended to discourage or respond to any local resistance if the alleged resettlement plan moves forward.
A reliable local source also claimed that members of the PCJSS (Santu) faction have expressed a desire to leave the area but have not been allowed to do so by the BGB.
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