On 27 September 2025, Bangladesh army backed Muslim settlers attacked the indigenous Buddhist and Hindu villages in Khagrachari. Muslim settlers hacked Rikon Chakma with sharp weapons causing serious injuries.

Bengali settlers attack indigenous people in Khagrachari

On September 26, 2025, a rally was organized under the banner of 'Jumma Chhatra Janata' at Khagrachari town to protest the gang rape of an idigenous girl and against the oppression of all the indigenous women in the hills. The protesters demanded the arrest of the rapists within 48 hours and a road blockade was declared in the entire Khagrachari district from 5 am to 6 pm on September 27, 2025.

A dawn to dusk road blockade program was held in Khagrachari district on September 27, 2025. No major clashes or attacks were reported during this blockade in the morning. However, at around 10 am, a chase and counter-chase began between the Muslim settlers and the indigenous people who were blocking the Narankhaiya area of Khagrachari town, which continued until around 3 pm. However, no one was injured at that time.

In this incident, Khagrachari District Magistrate ABM Iftekharul Islam Khandaker expressed the extreme deterioration of the law-and-order situation and the fear of damage to people's lives and property and ordered the imposition of Section 144 in Khagrachari Municipality and sub district from 2 pm until further instructions.

At 3 pm, an order was also decreed to impose Section 144 in Guimara upazila of the district. A few hours after the order was decreed, the Muslim settlers attacked the indigenous people in various areas. At least 3 people were seriously injured in this incident. The injured persons are:

1. Rikon Chakma alias Barize (29), son of Bhakta Chakma, address-Ranipara, Boradam, Dighinala Upazila
2. Prumia Tripura (25), address-Amtali, Kamalchari, Khagrachari Upazila
3. Kongsai Marma alias Mongsaong (22), address-Amtali, Kamalchari, Khagrachari Upazila.

Among the injured, Rikon Chakma was transferred from the Khagrachari Parkside Hospital to Chittagong in a serious condition. Rikon Chakma is a pick-up driver by profession. It is learnt that he received 17 stitches on his head at Khagrachari Hospital. Muslim settlers hacked him with sharp weapons at Narankhaiya.

After Section 144 was imposed at 2 pm, a group of Muslim settlers attacked Mahajan Para in Khagrachari town at around 4 pm with sharp weapons, spikes, and metal rods. During this, there was a chase and counter-chase between the Muslim settlers and the indigenous peope of Mahajan Para for several hours. During this, the Muslim settlers themselves attacked and vandalized an ambulance, and later they spread propaganda on social media that the indigenous people had attacked and vandalized it.

A group of Muslim settlers threw bricks and slingshots at the indigenous people from the dome and roof of the Upazila Model Mosque which was under construction with foreign funding. During this time, they used lead and abandoned gun bullets as slingshot bullets. Not only that, the settlers themselves were also known to have broken some of the glass of the mosque and then spread propaganda that the indigenous people had broken it.

Despite the imposition of Section 144, around 7 pm, two groups of Muslim settlers attacked the indigenous people at the Ganja Para village and the area adjacent to the Youngdow Buddhist Monastery in the Khagrachari Bazar area. During this time, Prumiya Tripura and Kongsai Marma alias Mongsaong Marma were seriously injured in the Yongdow Bouddha Bihara area. The Muslim settlers attacked them with sharp weapons and sticks. Later, they were admitted to Khagrachari General Hospital in serious condition.

Around 8 pm on the same day, it was learnt that another group of Muslim settlers took up positions near the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) headquarters near the Khagrachari Stadium. In addition, the army set up a new check post and dug some bunkers near the stadium.

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