Protesters call off Rangamati hartal as primary teacher recruitment test postponed

Protesters in Rangamati have withdrawn their 36-hour hartal after authorities postponed the government primary school assistant teacher recruitment test for the fourth phase.

Rangamati District Council Chairman Kajol Talukdar announced the postponement of the recruitment test at a press conference today (20 November).

"Considering the hartal and the possible transport and security issues, the council consulted relevant authorities and decided to postpone the test," the chairman said.

Following the announcement, protesters withdrew the 36-hour hartal at 2pm, and vehicle movement resumed in the town.

In a separate briefing this afternoon, Nurul Alam, on behalf of the protesters, said, "We have called off the hartal as the primary school assistant teacher recruitment test has been postponed."

"However, our movement will continue," he added.

Earlier, the 'Anti-Quota Unity Alliance, general students and aware citizens' coalition launched the hartal from 6am today till 6pm tomorrow, focusing on the assistant teacher recruitment test for transferred primary schools under the Rangamati Hill District Council.

The hartal halted all vehicle movement within Rangamati town from this morning and suspended all long-distance transport to and from the city. Only a few motorcycles were seen in limited areas, and launch services on Kaptai Lake remained suspended.

Additional police were deployed at key points across the city, where they maintained a higher-than-usual presence. They allowed protesters to carry out the programme on the streets without interference.

The hartal caused significant disruption for residents, especially students and office-goers, who were forced to walk to reach their destinations.

However, after withdrawing the hartal at 2pm, vehicle movement resumed in the city.

Md Sahed Uddin, officer-in-charge of Kotowali Police Station in Rangamati, confirmed TBS that the law and order situation remained peaceful throughout the morning. "Police patrolled the streets, and no incidents were reported."

Under the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord signed on 2 December 1997, the government manages 25 local offices and 30 functional offices through the Hill District Councils in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, including the primary education department. 

Although nearly 7,000 candidates were expected to take the written test for primary assistant teachers tomorrow (21 November), authorities postponed it for the fourth phase due to the hartal.