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Sajek Valley, a popular tourist destination in Rangamati’s Baghaichhari upazila, remains tense following clashes between road blockade protesters and law enforcement personnel, as well as an exchange of gunfire involving an armed group.
Nearly 3,000 tourists stranded in the area were safely evacuated with security assistance, while the district administration has closed the tourist destination until further notice amid fears of further deterioration in the situation.
Meanwhile, the road blockade enforced by the Sajek Gano Odhikar Rokkha Committee and the Sajek Karbari Association continued on Friday, October 23, halting vehicular movement on the Sajek-Rangamati road. Resort and cottage bookings in Sajek have also begun to be cancelled amid the disruption.
The protesters began the blockade at 6:00am by sporadically burning tyres at different points. Police said traffic remained suspended, although the situation was normal at the time.
An organisation has also called a half-day blockade of roads and waterways in Rangamati and Khagrachhari on Saturday, October 24, in protest against the violence, raising fresh concerns over security and normal life in the hill districts.
According to police and local residents, the two groups began an indefinite road blockade at 6:00am on Thursday, October 22, with three demands, including the removal of armed members of a group from Sajek and ensuring the safety of local residents.
The blockade halted traffic on the Sajek-Dighinala road, leaving a large number of tourists stranded.
Later that morning, the army and police launched an operation to escort tourists towards Khagrachhari. However, the convoy encountered an obstruction near Gangaram Uzobazar.
Tensions escalated as security personnel attempted to remove the barricade and move the tourists forward. Gunfire was reported during the ensuing unrest.
With assistance from the army and police, around 2,933 tourists were safely evacuated to Khagrachhari.
The groups behind the blockade alleged that the presence of armed members of the Santu-led faction of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS) in different parts of Sajek had left local residents feeling insecure. They demanded the removal of the alleged armed members and measures to ensure public safety.
The JSS denied the allegations, saying it was being targeted by misinformation over the situation in Sajek.
Sajib Chakma, the organisation’s assistant information and publicity secretary, said the JSS believed in democratic politics and had no armed members or activities in the area. He accused the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) of establishing a reign of terror in the hill districts.
Although some quarters have described the groups organising the blockade as close to the UPDF, the actual cause of the violence, the identity of those who fired the shots and how the clashes began need to be established through an impartial investigation.
