THE killing of a Rapid Action Battalion member marks a disturbing escalation in lawlessness pervading Jungle Salimpur, a remote area at Sitakunda in Chattogram. During a routine operation, the law enforcer was killed and three of his fellows were injured when a gang of criminals unleashed a lethal volley of gunfire. This is not an isolated incident but an escalation of decades of unchecked criminality. For too long, Jungle Salimpur has been a sanctuary for syndicates and criminal gangs that thrive on the illegal occupation of government land, illicit plot trade and the systematic destruction of hills. The groups, often in conflict with each other, have exploited the shifting political power to shield their activities. By aligning themselves with whichever party holds sway, the groups have grabbed nearly 3,100 acres of government land, valued at a staggering Tk 30,000 crore. The sheer scale of the economic interests involved has turned the area into a volatile den of criminals where violence is rampant. Government officials, from executive magistrates to police officers and forest officials, have earlier been ambushed by these gangs.
In September 2023, 20 people, including a magistrate, were injured in a coordinated attack following an eviction drive. Similar violent obstruction occurred throughout 2022 and as recently as October 2025, gangland infighting resulted in further fatalities. The operation of such armed syndicates and criminal gangs is not unique to Sitakunda. Across various hill tracts, similar criminal gangs have established parallel administration, frequently attacking forest department personnel and administrative staff who dare to challenge their hegemony. The geographical advantage of the hilly regions, offering high vantage points and natural escape routes, has been weaponised by the criminal gangs against the state. Law enforcers are often met with a barrage of crude bombs and stones long before they can reach the heart of these settlements. Journalists, while attempting to report on these criminal gangs and their illegal and criminal activities, have, too, come under attack. The consequences of the illegal and criminal activities of these groups are severe. Frequent landslides in the hill districts are linked to the unabated hill cutting and the construction of precarious infrastructure. In the past 15 years, landslides have killed more than 250 people.
The authorities must, therefore, bring the perpetrators of the attack on law enforcers to justice and reclaim Jungle Salimpur and other hill areas from the clutches of the criminal gangs. In so doing, the authorities need to dismantle the financial infrastructure of the gangs. The authorities must be stern to stop illegal hill cutting, tree felling, earth lifting and grabbing of forest land.
