Hill Voice, 16 September 2025, Cox’s Bazar: On 15 September 2025, at approximately 9:00 am, a group of more than 25/26 people led by Muslim Bengali Yasin Ali (48), s/o late Nazir Hossain, attacked and looted members of three Tanchangya families in the same area and molested a woman in a naked state in Telkhola (Tayontuli Para) village under Ward No. 6 of Palangkhali Union under Ukhia Police Station of Cox’s Bazar district.

The victims were: 1) Surya Kumar Tanchangya (50) s/o late Hatdoba Tanchangya, permanent address: Daine Kainda Para, Ward No. 4, Balukhali UP, Thana-Rangamati Sadar, District-Rangamati, Current address: Telkhola (Taiyantuli Para), Ward No. 6, Palangkhali Union, Ukhia police station, Cox’s Bazar District; 2) Ripon Tanchangya (25), s/o Raju Kumar Tanchangya, 3) Shanti Ranjan Tanchangya (34) s/o Dhappuri Tanchangya. On the other hand, the woman who was molested (22) is also a housewife of the Tanchangya community of the same village.

It is known that 3/4 days before the incident, someone hacked and injured a buffalo kept by Yasin Ali when he released it to eat grass in the Telkhola hilly area. The buffalo was suspected to have been hacked by people from the Tanchangya and Chakma communities, and Yasin Ali has been intimidating and threatening people from the Chakma and Tanchangya communities for a long time.

At one point, on September 15, 2025, at approximately 9:00 am, 25/26 Muslim Bengalis led by Yasin Ali attacked the house of Surya Kumar Tanchangya, Ripon Tanchangya and Shanti Ranjan Tanchangya with sharp knives, axes, iron swords, sticks, iron rods, illegal guns, etc. in a pre-planned manner.

At this time, when Surya Kumar Tanchangya, Ripon Tanchangya and Shanti Ranjan Tanchangya resisted, they were injured in the chest, back, head, waist and various parts of the body. Ripon Tanchangya was injured by the iron sword, the bone below his left eye was broken. At this time, when the victims heard screams, the people around them came to the scene to save them, but the Muslim Bengalis threatened to kill them too.

In this situation, when Surya Kumar Tanchangya’s daughter (22) tried to stop them, she was also dragged and, tearing off her clothes, sexually assaulted her while she was naked.

At one point, Muslim Bengalis kidnapped Surya Kumar Tanchangya, Ripon Tanchangya and Shanti Ranjan Tanchangya at gunpoint with the intention of killing them and took them to Yasin Ali’s house, approximately 6/7 kilometers away from the scene of the incident, and tortured them physically and mentally there while they were detained.

Later, when the news of their kidnapping became known locally, a group of police from Ukhia Police Station quickly went to the scene. The Muslim Bengalis who had attacked the attackers fled towards the hilly area and the victims were rescued with the help of the police at approximately 2:00 pm on the same day.

Later, the locals took them to the Ukhia Upazila Health Complex for treatment.

During this time, the attackers cut down 120 banana trees from Surya Kumar Tanchangya’s banana plantation, destroyed vegetables and paddy fields, causing crop damage worth 60,000/- taka, and took away 2 grey cows (worth 1,40,000/- taka), 1 goat (worth 12,000/- taka), 3 goats (worth 30,000/- taka) and a pair of gold earrings weighing 8 grams belonging to his daughter Sundari Tanchangya (20), cash worth 10,000/- (ten thousand), and a 30 ampere solar power battery from Ripon Tanchangya’s house, cash worth 50,000/- (fifty thousand taka) kept in the house. In addition, they vandalized the goods in Ripon Tanchangya’s house, destroyed vegetables and paddy fields, the market value of which is 80,000/- taka.