Since the political shift on August 5, 2024, Indian-backed armed group United Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF) has once again become active, seeking to destabilize the Chittagong Hill Tracts region.
The latest incident occurred at Singinala area of Khagrachhari district, where UPDF activists stirred unrest by alleging the rape of a school student near a Buddhist temple.
This provoked tension among the hill communities, with the group aiming to ignite communal violence between indigenous peoples and Bengalis, thereby threatening Bangladesh’s sovereignty.
Investigations reveal that UPDF operates six camps inside India’s Tripura state near the border with Bangladesh’s Khagrachhari district.
These camps, including Ratan Nagar, Twichama, Narayanpur, Narikel Bagan and East Sabroom camp, serve as training and operational bases for the group’s members and their collaborators.
From these facilities, UPDF trains militants who infiltrate Bangladesh to carry out sabotage and foment instability.
In addition to these Indian camps, UPDF maintains another six camps within the Chittagong Hill Tracts, spread across Dighinala to Sajek, Mahalchhari to Kaikhali, Laxmichhari to Ramgarh and Khagrachhari to Matiranga areas.
These camps house approximately 400 to 500 armed members equipped with advanced weapons such as AK-47s, M4s, M16s, G3s, CRs, LMGS and SMGs. Using these arsenals, UPDF engages in various criminal activities including kidnappings, killings, extortion and enforced disappearances.
Over the past 17 years, UPDF has been involved in a series of violent confrontations and crimes.
Between September 1, 2009 and August 31, 2025, UPDF and the rival group JSS exchanged gunfire 296 times, resulting in 28 deaths and 60 injuries.
During the same period, UPDF perpetrated regional party assassinations that caused 124 fatalities and 42 injuries.
The group also clashed with security forces on 26 occasions and was responsible for 278 abductions, holding 332 individuals hostage for ransom.
Financially, armed groups in the Hill Tracts; including UPDF, extorted approximately Tk 351 crore last year from local communities and various economic sectors such as business, agriculture, transportation, contracting, timber and bamboo.
Of this, UPDF alone collected about Tk 104 crore, which is believed to fund the procurement of sophisticated weaponry.
Senior military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the presence of UPDF camps inside India’s Tripura state, where militants receive training and amass weapons before launching operations in Bangladesh.
They emphasized that the armed forces remain prepared to tackle any threats to national sovereignty.
Security analysts argue that while military action is necessary to curb UPDF and other armed groups in the Hill Tracts, parallel political measures and enhanced border security are urgently required.
Strengthening surveillance and control along the border is crucial to protect Bangladesh’s territorial integrity from external-backed insurgency and internal destabilization efforts.
AH/SH
