A half-day blockade of road and waterways has been underway in the hill districts of Khagrachhari and Rangamati since early Saturday. The programme was called by an organisation named the Chhatra-Janatar Sangram Parishad (Students-People's Struggle Council). The blockade is scheduled to continue until noon today.
The organisation said the programme was being observed in protest against attacks, beatings and vandalism of homes and shops during the road blockade in Sajek, and in solidarity with the demands of Sajek residents.
Road transport along the Rangamati-Khagrachhari highway has been suspended due to the blockade. No long-distance buses have left Khagrachhari. However, traffic on the Rangamati-Chattogram highway remains normal. Protesters have staged demonstrations by burning tyres at various locations in the two districts. In some places, they have placed tree trunks and felled trees to block roads.
According to local sources, traffic on internal roads in Rangamati city, including those in the Banarupa and Kalyanpur market areas, remains normal. Long-distance vehicles have also been seen operating on the Rangamati-Chattogram highway.
Meanwhile, protesters have been picketing by placing tree trunks and setting fires on the Rangamati-Khagrachhari highway in the Sapsari Khamarpara and Kutukchhari Dharmaghar areas. A protest procession was also held from Kutukchhari Half Bazar to Dharmaghar.
Mohammad Selim, a CNG-run autorickshaw driver on the Rangamati-Chattogram highway, told Prothom Alo, "Traffic on the Rangamati-Chattogram highway is normal. Many of our autorickshaws and Paharika buses departing from Rangamati left for Chattogram this morning."
Mohammad Yousuf, joint general secretary of the Rangamati Bus-Minibus Workers' Union, also confirmed the matter. He said that although traffic on the Chattogram route was normal, bus services on the Rangamati-Khagrachhari highway had been completely suspended due to the blockade.
Fizirikky Chakma, a resident of the Sapsari area, told Prothom Alo, "Vehicle movement on the Rangamati-Khagrachhari highway has been suspended since morning. I wanted to go to Rangamati market for some urgent work, but I could not go because no vehicles were available.
However, the blockade has not affected waterways, said Biswajit De, a lineman of the Rangamati Launch Owners' Association. He told Prothom Alo that launch services on Kaptai Lake in Rangamati were operating normally.
Rangamati Kotwali police station Inspector (Investigation) Mohammad Mokhlesur Rahman said no untoward incidents had been reported anywhere so far in connection with the blockade.
In Khagrachhari, protesters staged demonstrations by burning tyres on roads in the Chengi Bridge and Swanirbhar areas of the town, the Agricultural Research area on the Khagrachhari-Dighinala road, and the Jorabridge area of Guimara on the Chattogram-Khagrachhari highway. Trees were felled to block the road in the Sapmara area of the Chattogram-Khagrachhari highway. A few autorickshaws were seen operating in different parts of the town. Night buses arriving from Dhaka early in the morning reached Khagrachhari under police escort.
Khagrachhari police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Kai Kyslu said the night buses arriving from Dhaka had been brought to Khagrachhari under police escort. Some buses were delayed and were in Ramgarh. They had been asked to reach Khagrachhari after noon. Pickets had attempted to create disorder by burning tyres at several locations in the town. Law enforcement personnel went to the sites and chased them away. The situation remained calm so far, he said.
Speaking about the overall situation during the blockade, Ushatan Chakma, president of the Chhatra-Janatar Sangram Parishad, said, "We are making every effort to carry out the blockade programme peacefully. However, law enforcement personnel obstructed our members while they were picketing in the Betbunia area."
Asked about the situation in Sajek, Sajek police station OC Tofazzal Hossain said army and police patrols had been intensified there. No reports of picketing had been received, but no vehicles were operating either.
The blockade was announced in a press release signed by Nirmal Chakma, organising secretary of the Chhatra-Janatar Sangram Parishad, on Thursday afternoon. The release sought cooperation from democratic and progressive organisations in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, as well as transport owners' and workers' organisations in Khagrachhari and Rangamati. Ambulances, fire service vehicles, vehicles carrying emergency medicine supplies and journalists' vehicles have been exempted from the blockade.
According to local sources, the Chhatra-Janatar Sangram Parishad is primarily a UPDF-supported organisation. However, a UPDF member denied the claim, saying that the organisation was not supported by them.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the Sajek Public Rights Protection Committee and the Sajek Karbari Association announced an indefinite blockade of the Sajek tourist road over three demands. This is the third round of blockades called by the two organisations. One of their key demands is the removal of armed members of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS), supported by Santu Larma, from the Sajek area.
However, the JSS has denied the allegation. Sajeeb Chakma, the organisation's information and publicity secretary, told Prothom Alo, "Such fabricated allegations are being made to divert attention from the long-standing oppression and harassment of ordinary people in Sajek by armed UPDF members."
After Sajek Gon-Odhikar Rokkha Committee and Sajek Karbari Association announced the blockade last Wednesday, the Rangamati district administration temporarily closed the Sajek tourist destination, citing security concerns. A public notice signed by Deputy Commissioner Nazma Ashrafi said Sajek Valley would remain closed until further notice. Tourists were also instructed to leave Sajek safely by 4:00pm on Thursday.
Following the directive, tourists began leaving Sajek on Thursday morning. However, on their way back, they faced obstruction from protesters in the Ujo Bazar area.
The tourist convoy resumed its journey after law enforcement personnel removed the protesters from the road. Gunfire broke out at around 11:00am. Law enforcement agencies said armed UPDF members had opened fire targeting tourists and law enforcement personnel. The UPDF, however, denied the allegation.
Amid the tension, 2,933 tourists stranded in Sajek were escorted by security forces to Khagrachhari town at around 1:00pm on Thursday.