Tourists returning from the popular hill destination of Sajek in Rangamati experienced harrowing moments of terror after coming under blockade and subsequent gunfire on Thursday, October 15, while traveling under security forces' escort to Khagrachhari. The incident unfolded amid a third phase of indefinite road blockades called by local organizations, prompting the district administration to temporarily shutter the tourist hub and evacuate nearly 3,000 visitors.
Mohammad Naim, a tourist who traveled from Narayanganj with 19 family members including two children and elderly parents, recounted his terrifying ordeal at a Khagrachhari hotel on Friday morning, October 16. Naim noted that they learned of the transport embargo while staying in Sajek and were promised safe passage by law enforcement, only to encounter obstruction and gunshots along the return route near the Ujo Bazar area. Another tourist, Main Uddin, described sitting paralyzed inside his vehicle as gunfire erupted, sending panicked bystanders scattering and causing female passengers to break down in tears before finally reaching safety in Dighinala.
The crisis began when the Sajek Gono Odhikar Rokkha Committee and the Sajek Carbari Association jointly announced an indefinite blockade starting Thursday, October 15, issuing a three-point demand that includes the withdrawal of armed members of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) from the area. In response to the escalating security risks and following directives issued Wednesday evening, October 14, by Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Nazma Ashrafi, authorities suspended tourism in the Baghaichhari upazila valley and ordered all visitors to evacuate by Thursday afternoon. Law enforcement agencies successfully escorted 2,933 stranded tourists out of Sajek on the first day of the shutdown.
During the evacuation, however, blockade enforcers confronted tourist convoys at Ujo Bazar, triggering an exchange of gunfire. Law enforcement officials asserted that armed cadres belonging to the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) initiated the shooting, an accusation that the UPDF has strongly refuted, while PCJSS maintained that they do not maintain any armed wing in the region. Rashed Ahmed, a tourist from Dhaka's Uttara who had originally planned to check out on Friday morning, October 16, described how his vehicle was trapped by pickets for roughly half an hour before a brick was hurled at their transport amid the sudden sound of gunfire.
Although the stranded visitors ultimately reached Khagrachhari safely under security escort, the psychological toll lingered, leaving many too frightened to visit surrounding tourist spots. Meanwhile, the situation in the region remains tense as another platform, the Chhatra-Janata Sangram Parishad, announced a half-day blockade across Rangamati and Khagrachhari districts for Saturday, October 17.
