On August 17 every year, Chakma communities across India and beyond observe what is known as “Chakma Black Day,” a day of collective mourning to mark the loss of their ancestral homeland, the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), to Pakistan in 1947. The observance is not just symbolic, but also a reminder of the political betrayal, forced displacement, and long-standing marginalisation of one of South Asia’s most overlooked indigenous populations.
What Happened on August 17, 1947?
Just two days after India and Pakistan became independent nations, the Radcliffe Award was made public. This award determined the final boundary lines of partition. To the shock of the Chakma people and other indigenous communities, it assigned the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), a region with over 97% non-Muslim population, to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
In defiance of this unexpected decision, the Chakma people had hoisted the Indian national flag in Rangamati, their capital, on August 15, 1947. However, on August 17, soldiers of the Baluch Regiment of the Pakistan Army marched into the region and forcibly pulled down the Indian flag, asserting Pakistani control over the area. This act remains one of the most painful symbolic losses for the Chakmas, who to this day commemorate August 17 as Black Day.
The CHT’s Overlooked Demographics and History
The Chittagong Hill Tracts is home to 13 indigenous communities, including the Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Tanchangya, Keot, Chak, Pankho, Mro, Murang, Bom, Lushei, Khyang, and Khumi. Culturally and geographically, the region had more in common with Assam and Tripura than with Bengal. It had also been administered separately under the CHT Regulation of 1900, which gave it a degree of internal autonomy, similar to the Inner Line Permit system in other tribal regions of Northeast India.
Despite this, the region was handed over to Pakistan on the grounds of “economic contiguity” with the Chittagong district. According to archived minutes of a meeting held in New Delhi on August 16, 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru insisted that there should have been no dispute over the CHT’s inclusion in India. He noted that Chakma leaders had personally requested to stay out of Pakistan. However, Lord Mountbatten and members of the Muslim League argued that the region’s economic links with Chittagong justified its inclusion in Pakistan.
Post-Partition Repercussions: Autonomy Abolished
Once incorporated into East Pakistan, the CHT Regulation of 1900 was abolished, stripping the region of its protected status. According to the official website of Chakma Rights and Development Organisation, what followed was a steady erosion of indigenous rights, starting with the Kaptai Dam project in the 1960s. Built with American funding and engineering support, the dam submerged more than 647 square kilometres of farmland, displacing around 14,000 Chakmas, many of whom sought refuge in India.
Initially settled in Assam, these refugees were later relocated to NEFA (now Arunachal Pradesh). Their presence there remains controversial, with some indigenous communities still contesting their resettlement even decades later.
A New Country, Same Struggles
The Chakma Rights and Development Organisation further states that, allowing the creation of Bangladesh in 1971, the Chakmas hoped for a reversal of past injustices. Appeals were made to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to reinstate the region’s autonomy and reintroduce the CHT Regulation. However, these appeals were rejected. The new unitary Constitution of Bangladesh ignored the multi-ethnic reality of the state, leaving no space for indigenous political or cultural autonomy.
In response, the Chakmas formed a political organisation, the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS). Its leader, M.N. Larma, was elected to Parliament in 1973, where he advocated for regional autonomy. His demands were ignored, pushing the indigenous communities into resistance.
Rise of Armed Resistance and Civil War
As political efforts failed, the Shanti Bahini, an armed wing of the PCJSS, took up arms in the mid-1970s, launching a guerrilla war against the Bangladesh Army. The conflict spanned over two decades and was marked by serious human rights abuses. The military reportedly carried out torture, rape, extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, and created strategic hamlets—camps where communities were forcibly relocated and monitored, often under appalling conditions.
The 1997 Peace Accord: Hope and Disappointment
In 1997, the Shanti Bahini signed a peace accord with the Government of Bangladesh, raising hopes for a new beginning. However, reports suggest that most provisions of the accord remain unimplemented. The Bangladeshi state has been accused of not only dragging its feet but also tacitly supporting ethnic cleansing through continued settlement, land grabs, and unchecked violence against indigenous peoples.
Why Chakmas Still Observe Black Day
For the Chakmas, August 17 is not merely a historical date, it is a living memory of forced exclusion, displacement, and cultural erasure. It marks the day when their homeland was handed over to a foreign state against their will, despite their explicit pleas to remain with India. It is also the day the Indian flag was brought down by force, and a symbolic rupture occurred between a people and the nation they had hoped to be part of.
In Mizoram’s Kamalanagar, the day was observed with speeches, black flags, and silent tributes. In New Delhi, the Delhi Chakma Students’ Union (DCSU) held events titled “Black Day: Remembering the Unjust Handover of the CHT to Pakistan”. Their statement emphasised that Black Day is not about reopening old wounds, but ensuring that history is not forgotten.
The DCSU called on the Government of India to acknowledge the Chittagong Hill Tracts as a “lost territory” and urged Parliament to hold debates, officially recognise the injustices, and take diplomatic and political steps to support the rights of indigenous people in the region.
The Road Ahead: A Fight for Recognition and Justice
Seventy-eight years after the partition, the story of the Chittagong Hill Tracts remains one of the least acknowledged tragedies of 1947. For the Chakmas and other hill communities, August 17 serves as a powerful reminder that political decisions made without consent can cause irreparable harm.
Their call is clear: recognition of past injustices, respect for indigenous rights, and international attention to a region that has long been silenced.
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