Over 1,000 Tourists Stranded in Sajek as Indefinite Road Blockade Begins
The Sajek Karbari Association and the Sajek Public Rights Protection Committee have announced an indefinite blockade of the only road to Sajek, one of Rangamati’s major tourist destinations.
The blockade was announced in a joint statement on Saturday (October 10) by Sajek Karbari Association President Nutan Joy Chakma and Sajek Public Rights Protection Committee Convener Babudhan Chakma.
On Thursday (October 8), the two organisations issued a 48-hour ultimatum at a rally in Ujobaazar, Sajek. The deadline expired at noon on Saturday, after which they announced the indefinite blockade in a press release.
The statement alleged that the presence of members of the Parbatya Chattogram Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS-Santu faction), a regional political party in the hills, had created unrest among local communities. The organisations said the blockade would continue until the faction’s members were removed from Sajek.
Local residents and law enforcement sources said two armed groups in the hills had been involved in frequent gunfights over control of territory for the past month. On September 29, a child named Sanjita Tripura was shot during a clash between the two sides over territorial control in the Chailatali area of Sajek Union.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 tourists from different parts of the country have been stranded in Sajek because of the indefinite blockade, according to sources involved in ensuring tourists’ safety.
There is no information yet on when the stranded tourists will be able to return.
