The Centre for Northeast India Security Studies (CNEISS), a security-focused think tank, has warned that an alleged alliance involving the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), the Bangladeshi tribal armed group Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS–Santu faction), and Rohingya militant organizations could pose a threat to peace during the upcoming Assam Assembly elections. In a press statement issued on Thursday, CNEISS claimed that representatives of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), ULFA(I), and the PCJSS (Santu faction) reportedly attended a two-day meeting held from December 9 to 11, 2025, in Cox’s Bazar. The meeting was allegedly organized by Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
According to the statement, arms are allegedly being routed through Rohingya militant groups and members of the PCJSS. A PCJSS representative based in Cox’s Bazar, identified as Bidhayak Chakma, reportedly procured around 50 sophisticated weapons on February 26, 2026, which could be used to create disturbances in parts of Northeast India. The organisation also claimed that rocket fuel sourced through channels in Chittagong may be supplied to insurgent groups, which could potentially be used in attacks on infrastructure such as bridges. CNEISS spokesperson Swapan Debbarma further pointed to several arrests of PCJSS cadres in Tripura. According to him, Tripura Police and the Border Security Force apprehended a few armed PCJSS (Santu faction) members, including Samaj Priyo Chakma, with a 9 mm pistol in Agartala on January 21, 2025. Additionally, 13 cadres were arrested in Agartala on June 4, 2025, while another individual, Apollo Chakma, was arrested on February 23, 2026.
Debbarma also referred to a judgment delivered by the Gauhati High Court on September 5, 2024, in Criminal Appeal No. 1/2019 (National Investigation Agency vs. Rohmingliana), relating to the seizure of a large cache of arms and ammunition in Mizoram on March 7, 2013. The seized items included 31 AK-47 rifles, one light machine gun, one Browning Automatic Rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The court described the PCJSS as a terrorist organization in its observations.
The think tank further claimed that security responses have not been sufficient to counter the alleged network involving the PCJSS (Santu faction). Debbarma alleged that the group has attempted to influence Chakma communities in India through financial support, citing issues surrounding citizenship and alleged discrimination faced by Chakma populations in certain northeastern states. He also referred to protests in Tripura during July and August 2025 following a drug seizure worth Rs 10.43 crore by the Assam Rifles on June 19, 2025. The drugs were allegedly recovered from Sapna Chakma and Punyasur Chakma, who were described as associates of Bidhayak Chakma.
Debbarma further claimed that the current situation in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts could increase regional security risks. He noted that PCJSS (Santu faction) chief Santu Larma, who has served as chairman of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council since the signing of the CHT Accord, may face political uncertainty under the present government in Bangladesh. According to the statement, a senior PCJSS leader and CHT Regional Council member, Gautam Kumar Chakma, who reportedly entered India on a medical visa, has allegedly summoned certain armed commanders from the Chittagong Hill Tracts to Agartala. CNEISS warned that such movements, particularly during the festive period around Holi, could potentially be exploited to create security disturbances in the Northeast, including during the Assam Assembly elections.