BGB's role in keeping peace in CHT

Since independence, one hundred and ten border guards have laid down their lives in the Chittagong Hill Tracts-fighting for peace and defending Bangladesh's sovereignty. Among them, two were killed along the Myanmar frontier, the rest fell to the bullets of the Shantibahini. For their unmatched courage, one Bir Bikrom and eight Bir Protik gallantry medals were awarded to members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). 

The history of the Border Guard Bangladesh is written in courage and blood. During the Liberation War of 1971, the forerunner of BGB-the then East Pakistan Rifles-earned immortal glory. Two of the seven Bir Shrestha hailed from this force, along with eight Bir Uttam, thirty-two Bir Bikrom, and seventy-seven Bir Protik recipients. But when the war ended, a new battle began in the hills. 

From 1972, the Shantibahini launched insurgent attacks, turning the Chittagong Hill Tracts into a conflict zone. The then-BDR, now BGB, realised early: the war wasn't over. Only the enemy had changed. The hills soon ran red again. Names like Sepoy Abdul Latif, Abdul Halim Miju, Nayek Rojob Ali, Amjad Hossain, Abdur Rahim, Md Azam, Abdus Salam, and Amjad Ali are etched into history-108 martyrs who fell fighting for peace against the Shantibahini. 

Along the Myanmar border, Lance Nayek Mosharraf Hossain and Nayek Md Mizanur Rahman made the ultimate sacrifice. They died one after another, but the resistance never wavered-not an inch of Bangladesh's soil was lost. The first to fall was Sepoy Abdul Latif, killed on 1 June 1972. Twenty-five days later, Sepoy Abdul Halim Miju was shot dead in an operation. In 1976, Nayek Obaid Ullah was martyred in Rangamati and posthumously honoured as Bir Protik. His bravery left an eternal mark on the hills. 

In February 1979, Nayek Abdul Aziz fell during a fierce encounter-his gallantry too earned him Bir Protik. In 1980, Major Syed Ekramul Haque Khandaker led a BDR team in Baghaihat against the Shantibahini, capturing their camp with weapons and ammunition. For his leadership, he was awarded Bir Bikrom, while Sepoys Nurul Islam, Akhtar Hossain, and Abdul Jalil received Bir Protik. On 22 April 1980, the Shantibahini attacked the Madok Border Outpost in Bandarban. Subedar Azizur Rahman and twenty others were killed after three hours of fighting. He, too, was posthumously honoured with Bir Protik. The years that followed were no less brutal. In 1982, nine soldiers died in Barkal's Andermanik BOP. Later that year, seven more were killed in Khagrachhari while marking the border. In 1984, Sepoy Mohammad Hossain was killed at Kaptai during joint India-Bangladesh demarcation work. In 1987, under monsoon rain and jungle darkness, Nayek Alif Ali, Lance Nayek Abdul Malek, and five others were ambushed in Barkal. Even as they died, they radioed their final message: "Hold your ground." On 6 May 1989, five soldiers, including Sepoy Humayun Kabir and Signalman Delowar Hossain, were martyred in Panchhari. 

Then came the attack of January 1990. In thick fog, thirty soldiers returning from Kukichhara were ambushed near a spice farm. Captain R.A.M. Nizamul Islam Khan, Habildar Abul Bashar, Nayek Aminul Haque, and Lance Nayek Nure Alam were among twelve killed. One survivor later wrote, "We guarded the border, never knowing these hills would be our graves." The bloodshed didn't end there. In March 1991, Nayek Sirajul Islam Bhuiyan was killed in Barkal. The last BGB casualty to Shantibahini fire occurred on 3 January 2005, when Sepoy Shahjahan Ali was martyred in Marishya. Even after that, the hills demanded blood. 

On 28 May 2014, near pillar 52 of the Naikhyangchhari border, Nayek Mizanur Rahman was shot dead by Myanmar's Border Guard Police-a haunting reminder that "peace on the frontier must be bought with blood." Earlier, in December 1991, Lance Nayek Mosharraf Hossain was killed at Rejupara by Myanmar's Nasaka forces. Many of these heroes were young and unmarried. Their parents mourned quietly, their names buried in dusty battalion files. Yet BGB is now reviving those forgotten stories-restoring their honour to the nation's memory. Beyond these 110 martyrs, countless others died of malaria, fever, and exhaustion while patrolling the unforgiving terrain. They guarded the flag through storms and cold nights, their deaths noted only in battalion diaries-never in headlines. Over the decades, BGB has faced enemies on many fronts-from India's Mizo National Front and People's Liberation Army to Myanmar's Chin National Army and Arakan Army. 

During the 1970s to 1990s, the Chittagong corridor became a transit route for regional insurgents. BGB countered them with makeshift posts, reconnaissance patrols, and relentless vigilance. Today, the challenges are more complex. 

The rise of the Arakan Army, the re-emergence of ARSA and RSO, infiltration by the Kuki-Chin National Front, and continued activities of JSS and UPDF have turned the border into a pressure point. Since August 2024, BGB operations have captured six JSS, two UPDF, four Arakan Army, one KNAF, and nineteen ARSA members-recovering assault rifles, pistols, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. These are not just border operations-they safeguard the sovereignty of Bangladesh. 

Now, BGB stands not only as a guardian of borders but as a bridge between the state and the hills. It runs schools, medical camps, and awareness drives in local languages, using technology to monitor and prevent trafficking, smuggling, and violence. Eighteen battalions, 154 BOPs, 38 regular camps, 22 special posts, and 14 temporary camps keep constant watch across the Hill Tracts. When the Arakan Army or Kuki-Chin rebels stir new unrest beyond the frontier, BGB's message rings clear through the valleys: Bangladesh's sovereignty is indivisible, and its soil belongs to no one's mercy. As long as the Border Guard Bangladesh stands watch, the red-green flag will fly over these hills-eternal, unyielding, and sanctified by blood.