Sangmoy Bom, Detained on KNF Charges, Gets Bail Day Before Death

Sangmoy Bom (55), detained on charges involving the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), died today at 4:30 PM while undergoing treatment at Chittagong Medical College Hospital. He had been suffering from ulcers for a long time, which later developed into cancer. According to his family, although Sangmoy Bom's physical condition was critical, he was not provided with adequate treatment for a long time. He had been admitted to the hospital for the past few days. Just a day before his death, his bail was granted yesterday afternoon.

Law enforcement agencies arrested Sangmoy Bom in 2022 on suspicion of being involved with the KNF. Expressing anger over Sangmoy's death, a local resident said, ‑The state has shown mercy. By granting bail a day before his death, it has given him the opportunity to die in his home district.‑ This incident is seen as another example of ongoing state oppression against the Bom ethnic community. Earlier, on May 15, 2025, thirty-year-old Lal Tlêng Kim Bom died in Chittagong Central Jail.

He was a resident of Bethel Para in Ruma upazila and was arrested in 2024 on charges related to the KNF. Although prison authorities made claims, questions have been raised regarding the actual cause of death. Allegations exist that he died due to a lack of proper treatment and torture. Since 2019, repression against the Bom ethnic community has steadily increased under the guise of anti-KNF operations. Amnesty International states that more than 4,000 Bom individuals have been displaced in operations starting from October 2022.

Since April 7, 2024, at least 10 civilian Bom citizens have been killed, 186 imprisoned, and more than 20 remain in military custody. Many have still not been produced before a court. Human rights activists say that the arbitrary suppression of an ethnic group in this manner amounts to a violation of international human rights. According to Amnesty International's 2024 report, no one among the Bom people—including children, pregnant women, pastors, teachers, businessmen, and farmers—is outside the scope of state persecution.