Chittagong Hill Tracts Violence 3 Dead in Protests Over Alleged Rape
Clashes in Chittagong Hill Tracts Leave Three Dead Amid Protests Over Alleged Rape
Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh — Violence erupted in the Chittagong Hill Tracts on Sunday as security forces confronted protesters angered by the alleged rape of an Indigenous woman, leaving at least three people dead.
Demonstrators accused the military of opening fire, while the army blamed rebel groups for the bloodshed.
Bangladesh has been grappling with political instability since student-led protests last year forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India, straining relations between Dhaka and New Delhi.
Interior Minister Jahangir Alam Chowdhury claimed that “arms are coming from outside the country” and said they were being used by “miscreants firing from the hilltops,” though he did not provide further details.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts have long been a flashpoint between Indigenous communities and Bengali settlers, with conflicts often arising over land and resources.
Protesters said the unrest was sparked by the alleged gang rape of a woman on September 23. “We had been demonstrating peacefully, limited to rallies and road blockades,” a student protester told AFP. “The military fired shots, killing at least three of us and leaving a dozen injured.” The protester requested anonymity for safety reasons.
The army denied responsibility, with the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) accusing the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF), a breakaway rebel faction, of firing hundreds of shots and instigating the violence.
The UPDF, which rejected the 1997 peace accord that ended a decades-long insurgency for a tribal homeland, continues to demand autonomy and the removal of military bases from the region.
The latest clashes add pressure on interim leader Muhammad Yunus, who is preparing the nation of 170 million for elections in February, the first since a mass uprising toppled the previous government in 2024.
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