Hill Voice, 20 November 2025, Rangamati: After being postponed several times earlier, the assistant teacher recruitment examination under the Rangamati Hill District Council (HDC) was scheduled to be held on 21 November 2025. However, due to the settlers’ strike, the Rangamati HDC has announced the postponement of the examination for the fourth time.

Today, the HDC Chairman confirmed this announcement through a press note.

The press note stated that, due to the strike announced centering the previously scheduled exam date and considering possible transportation and security-related issues, the HDC, after discussions with law-enforcement and other relevant authorities, has decided to postpone the examination once again.

Meanwhile, in protest against quota discrimination in the recruitment of assistant teachers under the Rangamati HDC, a few extremist, religiously motivated Bengali settler organizations have been enforcing a 36-hour strike in Rangamati district from 6 am on Thursday.

On the first day of the strike, all vehicles in the town were stopped from 6 am. During this time, Bengali settlers were seen enforcing the strike at various points in the town, and at several locations they created obstacles by burning tires. Later, after the HDC announced the postponement of the examination, the settlers withdrew the strike, according to reports.

It has also been learnt that during the ongoing 36-hour strike, a female police officer named Pritthibi Chakma was allegedly harassed by a Bengali settler while on her way to work. She described the incident on her verified Facebook account. In her post, she stated that during the teacher-recruitment strike, an auto-rickshaw driver named Rusel allegedly harassed her; he was reportedly among those protesting the quota discrimination in the recruitment process under the Rangamati HDC.

According to local residents in the town, the individuals picketing during the strike were various professional Bengali settlers, and they claimed that no examinees were among the protesters.

Local residents also expressed the view that, under the pretext of the strike, women were being harassed in various ways.

On the other hand, a certain group claims that in the Rangamati teacher recruitment process, the district units of the BNP, Jamaat, and NCP demanded 150 seats as a quota. When the HDC rejected this demand, they allegedly initiated a superficial, showpiece anti-quota movement with the intention of creating unrest. In this movement, Bengali settlers have repeatedly been incited with communal rhetoric against the Jumma people.