Wipe out KNF

Kuki Chin National Front or KNF is a banned ethno-nationalist political organisation based in Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. It is also known as Bomb Party or Boom Party. This organisation was founded in 2017 by Nathan Baum. The KNF aims to establish a separate autonomous state for the Baum people with nine upazilas of Rangamati and Bandarban districts. That is why they are continuing to attack. Recently, armed men of this organisation attacked three branches of two banks within 17 hours in two upazilas Ruma and Thanchi of Bandarban.

As a result, the matter came into discussion. They took people hostage at gunpoint in Ruma of Bandarban. At Thanchi in the same district, firing blank bullets in the market created panic among the people. Gunmen attacked the Sonali Bank branch in Ruma on Tuesday, April 2, around 8:30 pm. Again on Wednesday 3rd April around 1 pm they attacked the branches of Sonali Bank and Bangladesh Krishi Bank in Thanchi and took 17.5 lakh taka. Besides, these attackers took Nizamuddin, Branch Manager (Manager) of Sonali Bank hostage in Ruma. At the same time, they looted 14 weapons and 415 rounds of ammunition belonging to the police and Ansar members. They also took many peoples mobile phones.

Nathan Bom is the son of a jumchashi of Ruma upazila of Bandarban district. He is the youngest of six siblings in the family. Nathan Boms family was poor. Because his family is very big. Nathan had to go from door to door to provide food for more family members. Sometimes he went to the local army camps, zones and brigades for help. Nathan studied in the sculpture department of the fine arts faculty of Dhaka University. He completed his post graduation from there. Nathan is the father of one child. Nathan was associated with various organisations since his student days. At first he was associated with Pahari Chhatra Parishad supported by Jan Sanhati Samiti led by Santu Larma. However, as a student of the sculpture department, he learned the work of sculpture construction. MN Larma built a sculpture at Larma Square in Mahajan Para area of Khagrachari town after the Parbatya Peace Treaty. The sculpture was inaugurated in 2000.
 After that fame as an artist increased. He was also involved in Hill Artist Group at that time. Also wrote on Bam. Published a book called The Bomjou on the identity of the Kuki-Chinese ethnic group. Thus his popularity increased among the leftist population. Kuki-Chin National Development Organisation (KNDO) was founded in 2008 by educated people from the backward and underprivileged Kuki-Chin community. The objective of the organisation was to protect the economic development and cultural characteristics of the backward minorities of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

With the passage of time, his form began to change. After 2017, Nathan took a new form. KNF was established in his continuation. First, Nathan founded the Kuki-China National Development Organisation (KNDO). In 2016, the armed group formed. Kuki-Chin National Volunteers (KNV) later replaced KNDO. He wanted to participate in the National Assembly elections held in 2018. He could not participate in the election as the nomination paper was cancelled. After that, Indian Manipur and Burma established relations with the Chinese kingdom. The first batch of KNV sent more than a hundred members of the organisation to Manipur for training. Then 100 members were sent for guerilla training in Manipur, Burmas Karen and Kachin states. KNV was renamed KNF in 2020. Their armed wing was named Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA). Now Nathan Bom and his gang KNF are emerging as a big mafia.

Every KNF attack is planned. Which is led by Nathan Bom. Although the issue is not entirely clear, this is how gang mafia attacks happen. Every attack of Surya was according to plan. That is why he was successful in every attack. As a result, the sun was always out of reach. Police Commissioner Vinayak Roy knew the movement of the sun before the next attack or terrorist act happened. Same with KNF and Nathan Bom.
On the night of April 2, some members of this group robbed the Sonali Bank branch in Ruma and looted about one and a half million taka. The next day at noon again attempted to rob two branches of Krishi Bank and Sonali Bank in Thanchi.

Apart from the bank robbery incident, Nathan Bams gang attackers kidnapped the manager of Sonali Bank, looted around 14 weapons of Ansar and police forces. Later, the manager was released in exchange of a ransom of Tk 20 lakh. Earlier on February 18 this year, all traffic was stopped in Thanchi, Ruma and Rowangchari upazilas of Bandarban due to the threat of Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF). On 13 February, Uhlaching Marma was shot and injured when KNF members refused to pay the contribution. Nathan Boms KNF kidnapped a businessman named Sujan Chowdhury (45) from Ruma upazila on July 16 last year and demanded a ransom of one lakh taka. A soldier was killed in a KNF planted bomb blast in Bandarban on June 1. This year also on February 23, a farmer was killed by KNF firing.

Therefore, to make Bangladesh stand as a smart Bangladesh in front of the world, it is necessary to root out KNF: Nathan Bom mafia don.

The writer is a student, Department of Sociology, University of Chittagong