Jaflong entry fees waived for 7 days, 5 volunteers held over assault on tourists

The district administration has announced a waiver of entry fee after tourists were assaulted by volunteers at Jaflong tourist spot in Gowainghat, Sylhet.

Police have detained five volunteers in connection with the incident. They are Selim Mia (21), Laxman Chandra Das (22), Suhel Rana (22), Nazim Uddin (23) and Joynal Abedin (23).

Several tourists were injured when some volunteers attacked visitors in front of the ticket counter in the Jaflong tourist area around 2pm Thursday.

Photo: Collected

A video that went viral on social media shows that three people wearing blue uniforms, written volunteers on them, are beating up a group of tourists with sticks. Some female tourists in the group were also attacked when they went to save them.

Witnesses said the volunteers attacked the tourists following a dispute over buying tickets from the toll counter of the upazila administration.

Gowainghat UNO Tahmilur Rahman said, "The incident ensued when a group of tourists wanted to enter Jaflong area without tickets."

Terming the incident "very tragic", UNO Tahmilur Rahman said, "It will cause huge loss to the tourism of the area."

He went on to say, "Since the attackers were our volunteers, I take the responsibility."

The UNO also informed that the upazila administration has already discharged three volunteers and asked police to take legal action against them.

Gowainghat Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) KM Nazrul Islam said, "We have identified the attackers and arrested two of them. The operation is underway to arrest another volunteer."