Ramgarh Correspondent, CHT News
Friday, July 24, 2026
A fresh conspiracy to illegally seize lands belonging to indigenous hill communities has reportedly resurfaced in the Ramgarh upazila (sub-district) of Khagrachhari.
According to local sources, a group of highly ambitious Muslim settlers has long eyed indigenous-owned lands across several areas, including Batna Shibir, Taisagara, Thanachandra Para, Lalchhari, and the Patachhari union. The group is allegedly spearheaded by a notorious land grabber identified as Md. Yunus.
In multiple areas, outsider Muslim settlers have already forcibly occupied indigenous lands and established settlements.
To legitimize these land grabs, the settlers submitted a memorandum to the Khagrachhari Deputy Commissioner on July 20 claiming ownership of the lands, followed by a human chain demonstration in Ramgarh on July 21. Furthermore, local sources allege that the military is actively assisting the settlers in these occupations. To deter indigenous landowners from protesting, the military has reportedly intensified operations and patrols, creating an atmosphere of fear.
Additionally, a masked vigilante group has been deployed to the area. They have reportedly established a reign of terror by kidnapping, extorting, and threatening innocent villagers. Meanwhile, the settler faction led by Yunus allegedly attacked indigenous individuals heading to a local market on Wednesday, July 22, plundering all their belongings. The local administration has reportedly taken no action against the perpetrators.
These coordinated actions are allegedly designed to prevent the indigenous community from organizing a resistance when settlers move in to occupy their land.
An elder from Sonaiaaga village expressed grave concerns, warning that organized settlers could launch an attack on indigenous villages at any moment to seize their properties.
He stated that indigenous families have traditionally inhabited and cultivated lands in Sonaiaaga, Patachhari, and various parts of Ramgarh through Jhum (slash-and-burn) farming for generations. However, over the past few days, greedy settlers have been threatening them to vacate the area.
Requesting anonymity due to security concerns, the elder added, “Our backs are against the wall; we have nowhere left to retreat. We have no choice but to resist.”
“If necessary, we will fight and die on our own land, but we will not surrender it,” he declared, calling upon all regional political groups, including the UPDF and PCJSS, to stand by them and work collectively to build a resistance against land grabbing.
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