CHT conspiracy: Indian misinformation and Bangladesh's integrity

A series of media narratives have appeared in recent times through Indian news agencies regarding the Chattogram Division as well as the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region of Bangladesh.

These narratives are deliberately seeking a potential Indian intervention or annexation of the region, triggering tractions across the subcontinent, particularly among those who are misinformed about Bangladesh’s recent political developments. 

The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region spans approximately 13,184 sq km, covering around one-tenth of the total area of the entire country, and stands as Bangladesh’s most frequented tourist destination. Grounded in some populist fallacies as well as incorrect historical views, the Indian media establishment is undermining Bangladesh’s principle of sovereignty by spreading frequent fabricated news.  

Good Governance in the CHT: Headache for India

The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is comprised of three districts- Rangamati, Khagrachari, and Bandarban- which are home to diverse indigenous communities, including the Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Mro, and other people. Bangladesh has addressed the rights and dignity of these indigenous people, promoting peace and equality within the CHT, unlike stark human rights violations and deprivations of minority rights in India, particularly in regions like Assam and Manipur. 

When it comes to ensuring the ethnic rights of the indigenous communities, Bangladesh has achieved substantial outcomes, by outpacing the efforts of its neighboring countries. Historically, Bangladesh has resolved challenges in the hill tracts related to land disputes, political marginalization, and cultural preservation. 

The Peace Accord of 1997 between the Bangladesh government and the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS), aimed to resolve longstanding political and ethnic disputes, signifies a milestone in Bangladesh’s positive governance in the CHT region. After that, regional autonomy was conferred to the people, allowing them to govern their own affairs. Land rights were restored and economic developments including infrastructural projects, education, and healthcare services were introduced for the population. The government has worked to preserve and promote indigenous languages, cultures, and traditions through policies and institutions. 

However, recent unrest related to the death of a man named Md Mamun, aged 30 in Khagrachari town, allegedly over a motorcycle theft on 18 September 2024 created chaos in the hilly district of Khagrachari. Instead of pursuing legal action or arbitration, the man was killed, an outcome neither warranted nor intended. 

While Bengalis protested against the unnecessary killing of the man, members of the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) allegedly attacked the demonstrators, firing 20-30 rounds of bullets. In response, the outraged crowd set fire to several shops in the nearby market. Four deaths have been confirmed. However, rumors turned it to be 100, spreading across online and media platforms with a boom. The origin of the propaganda, with no doubt, has its location in somewhere near North-East India. Government officials have visited the area subsequently and called for peace and harmony in the region. Normalcy returned after a few days of the incident. 

Although a minor incident, the Indian media seized the opportunity to promote its ultra-nationalist propaganda against Bangladesh’s sovereign rule over its own territory. False narratives emerged; claims over India’s historical link to Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) became an agenda. Although these assumptions are baseless, the CHT has always been an integral part of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a nation of diverse communities and ethnicities, where minority indigenous groups are an innate part of its identity. 

The theory that the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) could belong to India simply because its minority population is predominantly non-Muslim is both misleading and unjustified. The region’s societal ties as well as its history and culture are firmly rooted within Bangladesh’s sovereignty. 

India Failed in a Sovereign Bangladesh

Chattogram has become the forefront of all conspiracies. Tensions escalated further when the followers of ISKCON leader Sri Chinmoy Krishna Das, after his arrest on sedition charges, tragically killed a 35-year-old lawyer, Saiful Islam Alif, outside the Chattogram court premises. Certain groups are demanding India for meddling in Bangladesh’s internal affairs to secure Chinmoy’s release from jail. The narrative, which frequently seeks Indian intervention in Bangladesh, is very alarming for all of the diverse population within the country. Without understanding Bangladesh's political realities, spreading news like this could harm the mutual respect of its inhabitants. Traditionally people of Bangladesh have a record of peace and harmony for peaceful coexistence. 

But recent propagation of narratives from outside setting Bengali-Muslim communities against Bengali-Hindu-Buddhist communities poses serious risks of conflict to the country. In these cases, refuting the Indian fallacies is crucially needed to keep political and regional stability in the region. No one desires to fuel a regional war here except the corrupt populist leaders. 

Moreover, India has failed to safeguard its own minorities, particularly in Assam and Manipur. India’s treatment of its indigenous people in these regions has been marked by severe human rights abuses, rights violations, and deprivation as well as preaching state-led violence. The NRC crisis and discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Assam and the enforcement of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Manipur express the inability of the Government of India to ensure rights and security to its own indigenous communities with exclusive minority rights.

Even its policy on Kashmir has become subject to heavy criticism due to the brutal tactics it deployed after the revocation of special status. The indiscriminate use of pallet guns in protest has blinded more than 500 victims partially or fully, including 30 children. Even the UN Chief urged India to end using Pallet guns on Kashmiri Children at that time.

However, Bangladesh must respond clearly to the false narratives propagated by Indian media. It is crucial for the government, media, and civil society to unanimously reject any assertions that challenge Bangladesh’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, especially focusing on the Chattogram Division and the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Public awareness campaigns should be generated to spread the necessity of territorial integrity and the urge for self-determination within our own borders without any external interference.

Looking Ahead

False allegations can severely undermine Bangladesh’s reconstruction, particularly when the country is transitioning from an illiberal autocracy toward a resurrected democracy through the guidance of the Chief Adviser and Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Ignoring the historical context of Bangladesh’s independence in 1971 would be a bad idea in the context of conspiracy related to the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region. In the context of the Westphalian state system, which affirms the sovereignty of nation-states, Bangladesh's sovereignty is unequivocally recognized by the United Nations, leaving no space for doubt about its authority over the CHT, an integral identity and territory of Bangladesh. Lastly, India should accept the reality of Bangladesh, and re-align its policy here accordingly. A coercive and hostile approach would only jeopardize its interest in Bangladesh as well as shrink the path of cooperation in the long term.

Writer: Md. Abu Saim is a former student of International Relations at Dhaka University and also completed his MSS in International Political Economy. Currently, he is employed as a humanitarian worker.

Source: Fresh Angle International