Second round of Sajek blockade underway as protesters set fire to tyres, tree trunks
All vehicles on the Sajek tourist road have stopped moving, leaving tourists trying to enter or leave the area and local residents stranded.
A second round of a road blockade called by two regional organisations began in Sajek, Baghaichhari, Rangamati, this morning (15 October), with protesters setting fire to tyres and tree trunks on roads, reports Prothom Alo.
The blockade began at 6am at the call of the Sajek Gono Odhikar Roksha Committee and the Sajek Karbari Association.
According to police and local sources, roads have been blocked at several locations, including Baghaichhari 10 No, Gangaram Bridge and Machalong 14 Kilometre.
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All vehicles on the Sajek tourist road have stopped moving, leaving tourists trying to enter or leave the area and local residents stranded.
The protesters are demanding three measures, including the removal of armed members of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS) from the area.
On 11 October, the organisations called an indefinite blockade of the Sajek tourist road over the same demands. They suspended the programme for 48 hours that afternoon following assurances from the administration.
However, in a joint statement issued yesterday (14 October), Sajek Gono Odhikar Roksha Committee Convener Babudhan Chakma and Sajek Karbari Association President Natun Joy Chakma announced the second round of the blockade.
They alleged that JSS, led by Santu Larma, had begun armed activities in Sajek and was threatening and intimidating local residents. They said they had set a deadline for action against the group following a rally, but the authorities had failed to act, prompting the renewed blockade.
JSS denied the allegations, describing claims of threats and intimidation against local residents as baseless. It alleged that the two organisations had announced the blockade under pressure from the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF).
JSS Publicity Secretary Sajib Chakma told Prothom Alo that the allegations were intended to divert attention from what he described as the long-standing oppression and harassment of innocent people in Sajek by armed UPDF members.
Tourist vehicles were stranded in Sajek last Sunday due to a blockade. The district administration subsequently announced a temporary closure of Sajek that evening for security reasons.
Sajek Police Station Officer-in-Charge Tofozzal Hossain said no vehicles were moving on the roads as protesters had blocked several locations with tree trunks. However, the law and order situation in the area remained normal.
