Sajek road blockade: 2,933 tourists evacuated amid gunfight

Gunfire broke out between law enforcement personnel and armed members of the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) in Rangamati’s Baghaichhari upazila on Thursday (October 22), during a road blockade in Sajek. Tension and clashes went on from around 11 am until noon in the Ujobazar area of Baghaihat. No casualties were immediately reported.

Local sources and police said the trouble began during an indefinite blockade called by the Sajek Gana Adhikar Raksha Committee (Sajek People’s Rights Protection Committee) and the Sajek Karbari Association. Protesters burned tyres and laid tree trunks across several points on the Baghaichhari-Sajek road, bringing traffic to a halt.

Meanwhile, the joint forces moved to bring out the 2,933 tourists who had been stuck at the Sajek tourist spot. At around 8:30 am, a convoy of tourist vehicles left Sajek for Khagrachhari under army and police escort. When it reached Ujobazar in Baghaihat, protesters stopped it, and the situation worsened.

Clashes and chases followed between the security personnel and the protesters. When the crowd hurled bricks and stones, security forces fired several blank rounds to bring things under control. Arrangements were then made to send the tourists on safely.

Tofazzal Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sajek police station, said that during the clash at Ujobazar, armed UPDF members opened fire. The security forces returned fire, and the two sides exchanged shots several times before the armed men fell back. The OC said no information on casualties was immediately available.

Concerns about tourist safety had already led the Rangamati district administration to close the Sajek Valley tourist spot from 7 pm on Wednesday (October 21) until further notice. Tourists were also told to leave Sajek by 4 pm on Thursday and return safely to their destinations.

The two organisations behind the blockade have demanded the removal of armed members of the Santu Larma faction of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS) from the Sajek area, security for local residents, and action against those responsible for unrest in the area. They resumed the indefinite blockade after saying these demands had not been met.

The same demands led to road blockades on October 11 and 15. Following assurances from the administration and in view of Durga Puja, the programme was suspended from October 16 to 21. The two organisations alleged that the demands were not met within that period and restarted the blockade on Thursday.