Rights group urges India to cut ties with Yunus after Bangladesh Army "kills" four tribals in CHT

In an alleged escalation of violence in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), army personnel allegedly opened fire on tribal protesters this morning, killing at least four individuals and injuring more than 40 others.

The attack comes amid ongoing demonstrations by indigenous Jumma groups, organised under the Jumma Chatra Janata banner. Protests erupted five days ago following the brutal gang-rape of an eighth-grade Marma girl by settlers on September 23 in Singhinala village, Khagrachari. With no arrests made in the assault, the unrest quickly spread, demanding justice and accountability.

"Instead of apprehending the rapists, Bangladeshi Army forces have trampled on the protesters' rights and today unleashed indiscriminate gunfire on unarmed demonstrators," said Suhas Chakma, Director of the New Delhi-based Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG). 

He added, "The subsequent allowance of settlers to raze indigenous homes in Ramsu Bazaar under Guimara reveals a premeditated assault on the tribal population."

Chakma's statement reveals a pattern of state-backed aggression in the CHT, a region long plagued by ethnic tensions, land disputes, and militarisation.

The area has seen renewed clashes since 2024, including deadly confrontations between Bengali settlers and Jumma communities, with reports of army involvement in suppressing indigenous voices.

RRAG previously highlighted systemic abuses under the interim Bangladesh government led by Muhammad Yunus, including targeted killings and mob violence that surged dramatically since his administration began in August 2024.

In response, RRAG has urgently called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to condemn the "systematic attacks" and downgrade diplomatic relations with Yunus's unelected regime. "India must act decisively against this erosion of indigenous rights in the CHT," the group urged, emphasising New Delhi's historical ties to the region's ethnic minorities.

The organisation has also planned to raise the Guimara killings at the ongoing 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this week, seeking international scrutiny amid Bangladesh's deepening crisis of governance and communal strife.