Members of the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) and the JSS (Santu Larma) group are locked in an armed battle in Rangamati's Baghaichhari upazila. Baghaichhari Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shahadat Hossain confirmed the development. The JSS led by Santu Larma is the group with which the government signed the CHT Peace Accord of 1997. The UPDF came into being a year later with an official position expressing 'skepticism' of the accord, and advocating full autonomy. According to the locals, the gunfight started on Sunday evening and continued at high intensity for about 45 minutes, in which both sides exchanged approximately 350 to 400 rounds of bullets. Intermittent gunshots are still being heard till the filing of this report. The sound of the gunshots created panic among the people of the area. However, no casualties were reported. Three firing incidents happened at the same place in the last month. Meanwhile, the UPDF coordinator of the Sajek region, Argent Chakma, said some 30 to 35 armed cadres of JSS started firing on UPDF activists suddenly, but then fled when UPDF responded. Trideep Chakma, a leader of the JSS Santu Larma party, could not be reached for comments on the incident despite several attempts. Read more: UPDF man gunned down in Rangamati  

A member of the Parbatya Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samity (JSS) was shot dead by assailants in Rangamati on Friday, police said. The deceased was identified as Suresh Kanti Chakma alias Dinesh, a resident of Jarulchari village in Baghaichari. He was a member of JSS Santu Larma faction. According to locals, a group of armed men went to Dinesh’s house in the Bangatali area of Baghaichari upazila and pumped bullets into his body, killing him on the spot. Also read: PCJSS man shot dead in Rangamati Officer-in-charge of Baghaichari police station Anwar Hossain Khan said that the victim's body was recovered from under a bed in Dinesh’s house, suggesting he ran for cover when the assailants had opened fire. "We are trying to identify the assailants," he said. Meanwhile, Tridip Chakma, a leader of the JSS Santu Larma group blamed the rival JSS MN Larma group for the murder. However, upazila president of MN Larma group, Gyanjib Chakma dismissed the allegations, saying, “There is no member of our group in the Bangatali area.” Also read: One killed in Rangamati PCJSS infighting The crime was a fallout of an internal rivalry in the Santu Larma group, he claimed. "Some people are trying to create panic in the hill area in view of the upcoming Union Parishad election," said the JSS leader. "Police have beefed up patrolling in the area to avert any untoward situation," said OC Anwar Hossain.

An operational team of Bangladesh Army conducted a raid at a terrorist den at Noapatang under Roangchhari upazila in Bandarban district and recovered huge quantities of arms, ammunition, local weapons and other materials early Wednesday. The army was for a long time aware of information on the presence of an armed miscreant of Jana Sanghati Samity (JSS) Santu Larma group, named Apu Chakma, in Bandarban area. He is known to have carried out all kinds of extortion, arms exchanges and miscreant activities in Bandarban and adjoining areas. Acting on a tip off, the Army members of Bandarban Army Zone conducted a successful operation in the area of Noapatang  at around 5 am in the hideout of armed miscreants of JSS (Santu Larma), said an intelligence official here. The armed group was trying to establish a reign of terror by taking hostages at gunpoint, extorting huge sums of money from the poor and carrying out miscreant activities, the intelligence official said requesting anonymity. The Army team led by Bandarban Army Zone Commander reached the area by crossing various natural obstacles and inaccessible mountain paths. When the team reached near, the armed miscreants fled to the forest. During this time there was a brief exchange of fire with the Army members. Later, their hideout was found and searched. During the operation, one 9mm pistol loaded with magazines, AK-47 magazine, multiple ammunition bundlers, sharp domestic weapons, commando knife, large quantity of ammunition, communication device (walkie-talkie), solar charger, various types of electronics, 13 cell phones, JSS books, diaries, multiple olive-colored uniforms and shoes used by the JSS's armed affiliates, large quantities of indigenous drugs, large sums of money collected as tolls and receipts of JSS levies, records of extortion per neighborhood, miscreants' national identity cards and bags used in miscreant activities were recovered from the hideout.  Later, the hideout was destroyed.

A man was shot dead in a turf war between two factions of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS) in Baghaichhari upazila of Rangamati on Tuesday.

A tribal woman died and her four-year-old child was injured after Jana Samhati Samity (JSS) members opened fire reportedly on an Army patrol at Angaipara in Bandarban's Rowangchhari upazila on Friday.