Gunfire erupted between rival ethnic factions — Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PC-JSS, Santu) and United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF, Prasit) — in the remote hills of Dighinala, Khagrachhari, on Friday night, with conflicting reports emerging over casualties.
The clash broke out around 8:30pm in the Jorasindu Karbari area, roughly 3km southeast of the Naraichari Border Outpost (BOP) in Babuchhara Union. Initial local accounts suggested at least four individuals were killed, but neither group has confirmed any fatalities.
On Saturday, UPDF spokesperson Angya Marma denied reports of deaths, calling them “completely false and a rumour.” Speaking to The Times of Bangladesh, Marma said, “If any party member had been killed, we would have issued a press release immediately. A dispute did take place, but no one was killed.”
Dighinala Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Zakaria acknowledged receiving reports of four deaths but said verification was challenging due to the area’s remoteness. “It is not possible for us to access the site without the assistance of joint forces,” he said.
The JSS (Santu) group has yet to comment officially on the incident.
The UPDF and JSS factions, representing ethnic minority groups in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, have clashed repeatedly since the 1997 peace accord. While JSS (Santu) supports the agreement, UPDF (Prasit) has long opposed it, leading to recurring violence driven by political rivalry and control over the region.
Security forces remain on high alert as tensions persist, with details of Friday’s fighting still unclear.