Hill Voice, 18 April 2025, Rangamati: On Monday, 16 April 2025, the Chittagong Hill Tracts Pahari Chatra Parishad (PCP) and the Hill Women’s Federation (HWF) issued a joint statement condemning the gang-rape of a young indigenous Marma woman (20) who was taken from her house by a group of Bengali settlers in Kaokhali, Rangamati, last night, and demanding immediate legal action against the rapists and exemplary punishment.

It is reported that this gang rape was committed under the leadership of a young man named Md. Fahim (25).

The statement said that on Monday, April 16, 2025, at around 12 midnight, two settler young men came on a motorcycle and took the young woman hostage at gunpoint and took her away from her home. Later, the young woman was gang-raped by a group of settler young men at an unknown location throughout the night. On Thursday, April 17, 2025, the victim fled from the place and went to the Kaokhali police station in a nearly dying state to seek help from the police. The police, after receiving the complaint from the victim, called her (young woman) father to the police station.

After initial questioning at the police station, the victim was sent to Rangamati General Hospital for medical check-up and treatment. On Thursday night, at around 9 pm, the army and police arrived at the victim’s house in two jeeps and assured the parents and neighbors that the accused would be arrested as soon as possible and brought to justice. But even after two (2) days of the incident, the police administration has not been able to arrest the identified rapists. It is learnt that the police had forbidden the victim’s family from posting on Facebook to cover up the rape incident.

The oppression, humiliation, torture, rape and murder of indigenous Jumma women and children in the Chittagong Hill Tracts are increasing. The PCP and the HWF believe that the increasing rate of oppression of women and children is a reflection of the administration’s indifference and culture of impunity. The PCP and HWF have demanded that the accused Md. Fahim and his gang, who were accused of gang-raping the Marma girl, be brought to justice immediately and that they be punished accordingly.