More than 800 days after mass arrests in Ruma, Bandarban, 80 members of the Bawm (BOM) community remain in prison without trial in cases linked to the April 2024 bank robbery claimed by the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF). Those still detained include 77 men and 3 women.
Following the bank robbery, joint security forces conducted large-scale operations in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and arrested more than one hundred Bawm community members. Cases were filed against them under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Special Powers Act. Families and community members state that no significant progress has been made in the investigation, while many detainees continue to face prolonged pre-trial imprisonment.
According to community members, securing bail has become an expensive and repetitive legal process. Families have pursued bail applications through lower courts, district courts, and the High Court, often at considerable financial cost. In some cases, bail granted by the High Court was later stayed or overturned, requiring families to restart legal proceedings. Repeated applications and court appearances have placed significant financial pressure on households already struggling with the absence of detained family members.
Many of those imprisoned were primary income earners for their families. Community members report that some households have more than one family member in detention, forcing relatives into debt to cover legal fees and daily living expenses. Families describe facing both economic hardship and the emotional toll of prolonged imprisonment while awaiting the outcome of legal proceedings.
Community representatives have called for a fair and impartial investigation into the 2024 bank robbery while expressing concern that large numbers of Bawm civilians continue to face detention despite the lack of trial proceedings. They have demanded the release of individuals who have not been found guilty of any crime and called for an end to what they describe as collective punishment targeting the broader Bawm community.