JSS urges calm as tensions rise between Hill and Bengali residents in Khagrachhari

The organisation appeals for harmony between indigenous and Bengali communities ahead of Durga Puja

The Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS) has expressed concern over recent violence in Khagrachhari, calling on both indigenous and Bengali communities to remain calm and uphold communal harmony amid rising tensions.

In a statement issued on Saturday night, the organisation urged all sides to act with patience and restraint as unrest spreads across the hilly district following alleged rape of a Marma schoolgirl.

It also called on communities to protect communal harmony in view of the current national context and the approaching Durga Puja.

The alleged rape of an eighth-grade Marma student took place on Tuesday night in Khagrachhari’s Singinala. Since then, protests and unrest have intensified across the hilly district.

Rising tensions between hill activists and Bengali residents prompted the imposition of Section 144 also in Guimara Upazila, banning all gatherings.

A back-and-forth chase between the two groups took place from Saturday afternoon in the Mohajan Para of the district town, lasting more than three and a half hours, according to Khagrachhari Police Superintendent Arefin Jewel.

Later, police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Army stepped in to bring the situation under control.

Following the filing of the case, police arrested a 19-year-old named Shayon Sheel on Wednesday with assistance from the Army.

Meanwhile, angry locals, under the banner “Jumma Chhatra Janata”, staged road blockades demanding justice.

Clashes erupted between protesters and Bengali residents during the blockade, later spilling into Khagrachhari town with renewed chasing between the groups

In its statement, the JSS condemned the violence as “communal unrest”.

The organisation said “repeated failures” to arrest and punish those accused of rape in the Chittagong Hill Tracts have led to frequent incidents, with offenders acting with impunity.

The JSS demanded the immediate arrest and legal action against all suspects involved in the recent Singinala rape and all previous such cases in the hills.

It also called on the administration to take appropriate measures to prevent any recurrence of such violence in the region.