The new units of specialised battalion of armed police will soon be deployed to protect the internal
law and order and security at the three hill districts of Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Rangamati.
In line with the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, the government will deploy the forces in camps
vacated by the army, said Home Ministry officials. Mountain police headquarters and company camps will
be in the three hill districts.
The Home and Public Administration ministries have already approved the proposal of forming the three
battalions, according to Police Headquarters.
The proposal was first sent to the Home Ministry on March 15 in 2021. Following a series of meetings,
a revised proposal was finalised on November 25 in 2021.
The army, BGB, district police and Ansar battalions are working to maintain law and order in the three
hill districts. Now Armed Police Mountain Battalions are starting the journey to maintain law and
order in the hills.
On December 30 in 2021, the proposal was forwarded to Public Administration Ministry to allocate a
manpower of 2,650 people to form the three battalions. The Public Administration Ministry on July 27
in 2022, approved a manpower of 2,260 personnel.
Meanwhile, on May 25 in 2022, police received administrative approval from the Home Ministry to
conduct operational activities of the battalions.
According to the proposal, the battalions would be named "Armed Police Mountain Battalion".
The three units will be APMB-18 in Rangamati, APMB-19 in Bandarban, and APMB-20 in Khagrachhari. The
battalions will be formed under the leadership of a Deputy Inspector General of police.
According to CHT people, these police battalions are supposed to have a certain percentage of human
resources from the hill tracts. However, the proposal did not mention any such clause.
The DIG office, responsible for the battalions, will have 70 members while the battalions will have
730 members each, said a PHQ official. "Each battalion will be led by a police officer of Additional
DIG rank," he added.
A top official of the PHQ requesting anonymity told the Daily Observer that the human resources will
be given specialised training before deployment in the hill areas. Primarily, each battalion will set
up 10 camps in the three districts, said sources.
The battalions will conduct patrols and prevent criminal activities while the cases will be filed and
investigated by the district police units, they said.
An additional DIG of police headquarters said the proposal to form an armed police mountain battalion
is now with the Finance Ministry. The proposal will go to the secretary committee as per the rules
after getting clearance from the Finance Ministry.
From there, the three separate Armed Police Mountain Battalions can start their journey after
receiving the final approval from the Prime Minister's Office.
