Law enforcement agencies are set to launch a major joint operation in Chattogram’s Rauzan, aiming to tackle rising armed violence, targetted killings and conflicts over territorial dominance.
The move follows the success of a similar anti-crime drive in the district’s Jungle Salimpur area two months ago.
Chattogram District Superintendent of Police (SP) Masud Alam said several coordination meetings involving joint forces had already been held and that the upcoming operation would focus on dismantling armed groups and preventing targeted killings.
Speaking at an exchange meeting with journalists, the police chief said terrorism and targeted killings had become his biggest challenge. He alleged that armed groups from Rauzan were carrying out killings in Chattogram city and that investigators had found direct links between them and several recent murders.
He added that police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and intelligence agencies were monitoring the groups’ movements and that the operation would involve coordinated efforts by multiple forces.
Since the fall of the Awami League (AL) government on 5 August, 2024, at least 23 people have been killed in Rauzan over the past 21 months in clashes linked to political rivalry, territorial control and personal disputes, according to local sources.
They claimed at least 17 of the killings were politically connected.
More than 350 people were reportedly injured, including many in shootings, in over 100 incidents of gunfights, attacks and clashes during the period. Around 200 people have been accused in murder cases filed over the incidents, although repeated arrest drives have failed to stop the violence.
Among the recent incidents, Nasir Uddin alias Madhu Nasir was shot dead in the Shamsher Para area of Kadalpur Union on 17 April, while Kawsar Zaman Babul was killed in Jungle Rauzan on 16 April.
The killing of Madhu Nasir later triggered another murder in Chattogram city’s Roufabad area on 5 May, where an alleged criminal named Mohammad Hasan alias Raju was killed.
An 11-year-old passer-by, Reshmi Akter, was injured in the incident and died eight days later after fighting for her life, sparking widespread discussion across the city.
Earlier, Jubo Dal Ward No 4 president Abdul Majid was shot dead publicly in the Oli Mia’s Hat area of East Guzra Union on 25 February, while Jubo Dal leader Jane Alam Sikder was killed near his home on 5 January in a shooting carried out by assailants on motorcycles.
Political analysts and law enforcement officials said many of the recent killings were not driven by ideological political conflict, but by disputes over hill cutting, sand extraction from streams, contracting business and territorial control.
Former AL MP Fazle Karim Chowdhury maintained dominance over Rauzan for 17 years, during which many BNP leaders and activists were forced out of the area and those who remained could not carry out political activities openly.
After the August 2024 mass uprising, BNP and opposition activists began returning to the area, intensifying fresh clashes over territorial influence.
Several clashes also took place between supporters of current MP Gias Uddin Quader Chowdhury and BNP Chairperson’s Adviser Golam Akbar Khondkar. Following a major clash on July 29 last year, the convening committee of Chattogram North District BNP was dissolved and Gias Uddin Quader Chowdhury’s party post was suspended.
Police had earlier launched a special drive named “Operation for the Peace of Rauzan” to contain the violence, but it yielded very limited results.
Aimed at a long-term coordinated security structure to stabilise the area, the planned operation modelled on Jungle Salimpur will include intelligence surveillance, combing operations, arms recovery and efforts to dismantle criminal networks.
Referring to the recent operation in Jungle Salimpur, SP Masud Alam said the area had long functioned like “a state within a state”, but conditions improved significantly after the crackdown.
He said the authorities were also considering road expansion, establishment of government offices and planned infrastructure development to bring the area under a more stable administrative structure.
The SP also warned officers against unprofessional conduct and said strict action would be taken against any member found involved in wrongdoing or negligence.
Chattogram Conscious Citizens Committee President Delwar Majumdar said restoring normalcy in Rauzan depended largely on the willingness of law enforcement agencies to act. He alleged that a culture of “managed therapy” within the state had often rendered the agencies inactive.
