Human Rights Situation in CHT Deteriorates in 2025, Says PCJSS Report

The human rights situation in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) deteriorated sharply in 2025, with indigenous Jumma communities facing widespread violence, land grabbing, communal attacks, and intensified military operations, according to the Annual Human Rights Report 2025 released by the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS).

The report states that the continued failure to implement the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord has directly contributed to the worsening situation. Despite the tenure of the Dr. Yunus-led interim government, nearly two-thirds of the Accord, including its core provisions, remain unimplemented.

According to the report, a total of 268 incidents of human rights violations were recorded in 2025, affecting 606 Jumma men, women, and children. The violations were attributed to a range of actors, including security and law enforcement forces, army-backed armed groups, communal and fundamentalist quarters, Rohingya armed militants, Muslim Bengali settlers, and land grabbers.

One of the most alarming trends highlighted in the report is the scale of military and security operations. In 2025, patrolling and search operations were carried out in at least 193 Jumma-inhabited villages, creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. During these operations, 43 houses, including two Buddhist temples, were searched, and at least 117 innocent Jumma people were arbitrarily arrested.

The report documents that eight Jumma individuals were killed during the year, including deaths resulting from gunfire by security forces and custodial negligence. None of these killings have been brought under effective judicial scrutiny, raising serious concerns about impunity.

Violence against women and children also intensified. The report records violent assaults against 32 Jumma women and girls, including cases of rape, attempted rape, and physical abuse. Additionally, 30 children from the Mro indigenous community were reportedly converted to Islam in various madrasas under the guise of providing free education and medical care, which the report describes as forced or coercive religious conversion exploiting extreme poverty.

Communal violence emerged as another major concern. The report highlights two large-scale and brutal communal attacks carried out against Jumma communities in 2025, involving arson, physical assaults, and killings. In these incidents, homes, shops, and properties belonging to Jumma people were set on fire, causing extensive economic losses and displacement.

Land grabbing remains a persistent issue in the CHT. According to PCJSS, at least 300 acres of land owned by Jumma people were illegally occupied during the year by outside companies, influential Muslim individuals, and Bengali settlers. These land seizures often targeted jum cultivation areas, graveyards, and land surrounding Buddhist temples, frequently accompanied by intimidation, false legal cases, and violence.

The report also points to growing insecurity caused by Rohingya armed militant groups, who were involved in kidnappings and killings of indigenous villagers in parts of Bandarban and surrounding areas. The continued infiltration of armed militants has further complicated the already fragile security situation in the hills.

PCJSS warned that unless meaningful steps are taken to implement the CHT Accord, dismantle militarization, protect indigenous land rights, and hold perpetrators accountable, the human rights situation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts is likely to worsen further. The organization called for urgent political solutions, protection of indigenous peoples, and an end to impunity to restore peace and stability in the region.

Source: Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti Annual Report of 2025