A total of 316 people were killed and 485 others injured in 372 attacks by armed groups on security personnel and civilians in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) over the last five years, a minister told Parliament on Wednesday.

Of the deceased, 308 were civilians, and eight were members of the security forces. Among the injured, 435 were civilians, and 55 were security personnel.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, who is in charge of the Ministry of Defence in Parliament, disclosed the figures while replying to a question from BNP lawmaker SA Jinnah Kabir during the question-answer session.

The session was held at the beginning of the day’s sitting, chaired by Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal.

In his written reply, the minister said armed groups had carried out 194 attacks on Bengali people and 81 attacks on members of ethnic minority communities in the hill districts over the five years.

He said 97 attacks had been carried out against the Army and other security forces in the three hill districts.

During the same period, 297 incidents of abduction, 471 incidents of extortion and 377 incidents involving the use of illegal firearms had been recorded, Salahuddin said.

The government had taken multi-dimensional legal, administrative and security measures to maintain law and order, curb the activities of illegal armed groups and protect the lives and property of people from all communities, he said.

The minister said the special military operation, Operation Uttaran, was continuing to maintain peace and suppress armed activities in the region.

Regular patrols and intelligence activities by the Army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), police and other security agencies had been intensified to prevent terrorist activities, he added.

The government had adopted a zero-tolerance policy on illegal arms holders, extortionists and terrorists in the hills, Salahuddin said, adding that cases were being filed under existing laws against those accused of specific offences, and the suspects were being brought to justice.

To curb extortion, the number of checkpoints had been increased, and intelligence surveillance over mobile financial services and other financial transactions strengthened, he said.

The BGB had also strengthened the capacity of border outposts to prevent the smuggling of illegal firearms and drugs, the minister said.

He said surveillance had been intensified in remote areas along the borders with Mizoram in India and Myanmar.

Salahuddin said regular special joint operations were being conducted to dismantle the activities of both new and old regional armed groups and recover illegal firearms.

Hundreds of active members and terrorists belonging to different regional armed groups had been arrested in ongoing and special joint operations, he said.

The operations had also led to the recovery of a large quantity of sophisticated firearms, live ammunition, magazines, combat uniforms, drones and signal equipment, according to the minister.

Raising the issue, Jinnah Kabir said armed groups were frequently using firearms in the CHT and attacking both Army personnel and ordinary citizens.

He also expressed concern over alleged domestic and foreign conspiracies to separate the three hill districts from Bangladesh and asked whether the government planned to conduct special operations to protect the country’s territorial integrity.

In a supplementary question, he sought to know whether armed attacks in the CHT were linked to recent incidents of disorder elsewhere in the country, including arson attacks on vehicles, crude bomb explosions and the public display of illegal firearms.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami MP Shafiqul Islam also raised concerns over the alleged possession of sophisticated weapons by armed groups, attacks on Army camps and possible foreign backing.

He asked whether the activities were part of a conspiracy to undermine the tourism industry and eventually bring the entire hill region under the control of armed groups.

Responding to the concerns, Salahuddin said the government shared the concern over the security situation in Sajek Valley in Rangamati.

He said internal conflicts among armed groups often emerged in Sajek Valley ahead of the tourist season as they sought to establish territorial control.

However, the Army, law enforcement agencies and local political leaders had jointly handled the situation peacefully, and the situation in the area was now stable, the minister added.