Altogether 13 cadres of the Parbottyo Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) including two women who were injured in the armed clashes with their rival group, United People's Democratic Front (UPDF), at Panchari in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh from 29 to 31 May 202 were arrested by Agartala city police on June 3rd night from a rented house near Tripura Medical College (TMC) in Hapania.

Sources said that they were injured in an alleged armed clash and crossed over to India for treatment and last night, the Tripura Police arrested them from a rented private house in front of Nirmal Hotel, Biswas Para, Near Tripura Medical College (TMC) under Amtali Police Station of West Tripura district.

Police sources said that all detained 13 members of a Bangladesh-based PCJSS will be pushed back to their country very soon.

Senior police officials throughout the day interrogated the 13 cadres of the Chakma community organization in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.

After interrogation, the Police handed them over to the MTF (Mobile Task Force), and the MTF handed them over to BSF. All the 13 members would be pushed back soon to Bangladesh jointly by BSF and MTF, said police.

Sources said that these 13 members were injured in the armed clashes with their rival group at Panchari in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh last week. With their injury, they crossed over to India for medical treatment, and on Tuesday night, the Tripura Police detained them from a rented private house.

According to preliminary reports, the group reportedly crossed the India-Bangladesh international border illegally through Raishyabari in Dhalai district following a violent encounter on the other side of the border. Most of them have bandages on their legs and hands with multiple injuries.

It may be recalled here that the armed struggle of ‘Shanti Bahini’ in the CHT ended through the signing of a bipartite agreement between Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) and the Bangladesh government on December 2, 1997.

The ‘Shanti Bahini’ had been demanding a sovereign CHT for the indigenous tribals comprising Chakma, Mog and other communities living in the hilly region.

According to reports, there have been attacks on the indigenous people in the CHT by the Bangladesh Army and illegal settlers after the fall of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5, 2024.

Sources said that the PCJSS (Santu) Group has been under scrutiny of the Indian security forces as Santu Larma has been kept as the Chairman of the CHT Regional Council by Dr Mohammed Yunus and Bangladesh Army. For the last 27 years, Santu Larma has held the position of the Chairman of the CHT Regional Council as many Presidents, Chief Justices, Army Chief and Prime Ministers of Bangladesh had to flee the country. Though Larma holds the rank of Minister of State, he has been allowed to keep his private army, PCJSS (Santu) , to engage in fratricidal killings among the tribals.

Santu Larma has come under scrutiny of India because of his close connections with Pakistan's ISI. Santu Larma is believed to have formed a new insurgent group, Tripura United National Front (TUNF), as an ISI ploy to destabilize India.

Indian Chakma leaders also demanded the implementation of the ‘CHT peace accord’ for the protection of the tribals in the hill region of the country.

Tripura, which has an 856 km border with Bangladesh, is surrounded on three sides by the neighbouring country, making the northeastern state very vulnerable and sensitive to cross-border migration issues.

(Updated)