A virtual discussion in India on the Chittagong Hill Tracts has sparked controversy after speakers questioned the region’s place within Bangladesh and called for stronger mobilization around its ethnic identity.

The discussion, titled “80 Years of Raising the Indian Flag in the Hill Tracts,” was organized by Delhi-based Chakma Reporter on Saturday. It marked the 80th anniversary of the raising of the Indian national flag in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

The event brought together several Chakma figures from India and Bangladesh, including Professor Gautam Chakma, Rasik Mohan Chakma, Pritimoy Chakma and Suhas Chakma of the UPDF-Prasit faction.

Professor Gautam Chakma revived the long-standing claim that the Chittagong Hill Tracts should have become part of India during the 1947 Partition. He described its incorporation into Pakistan, and later Bangladesh, as a “historical mistake.”

He also claimed that many indigenous people in the region had never fully accepted a Bangladeshi national identity.

Pritimoy Chakma focused on the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord. He criticised its incomplete implementation and blamed the region’s political leadership for failing to secure its full enforcement.

He also suggested that former prime minister Sheikh Hasina could be brought to the hills for a public reception. At the same time, he raised the possibility of separation from Bangladesh if such a proposal was rejected.

Suhas Chakma said political and social discussions on the Chittagong Hill Tracts remained limited on both sides of the border. He argued that political changes and instability in 2024 and 2025 had created an opportunity for a new political direction.

Rasik Mohan Chakma, meanwhile, called for greater unity between the JSS and UPDF factions. He said their prolonged rivalry had weakened political demands from the hill communities.

He also stressed the importance of ethnic identity and promoted what he described as “Jumma nationalism.”

The remarks have added a new layer to the sensitive debate over the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Land rights, ethnic identity, political autonomy and the implementation of the 1997 Peace Accord have remained deeply contested issues in the region.

For Bangladesh, however, calls for territorial separation and questions over the country’s sovereignty are likely to raise fresh concerns, particularly when such views are voiced from neighboring India.

BOB Post