Protests erupted in Khagrachhari as demonstrators enforced a dawn-to-dusk road blockade on Saturday demanding the arrest and punishment of perpetrators involved in the gang rape of a Marma schoolgirl.
The blockade began at 6am and continued until 6pm. Due to the shutdown, traffic on the Dhaka-Chattogram-Khagrachhari highway and connecting roads came to a complete halt. Protesters obstructed roads by felling trees and burning tyres.
Eyewitnesses said the blockade caused immense suffering for tourists, particularly those returning from Sajek in Rangamati. Many were forced to walk three to four kilometres to reach Khagrachhari town.
A large number of visitors also remained stranded in Sajek due to consecutive blockades on Friday and Saturday. The disruption was less severe for locals as schools, colleges, offices, and courts were closed on the weekend.
Khagrachhari Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Baten Mridha said no untoward incidents had occurred during the protest. Police were deployed at key points across the town to maintain order.
According to the victim’s family, the incident took place on 23 September in Singinila area of Khagrachhari. The schoolgirl, who belongs to the Marma community, was returning home after private tuition when a group of miscreants allegedly drugged and gang-raped her.
Family members later rescued her unconscious from a nearby field, with the victim’s father filing a case with Khagrachhari Sadar Police Station against three unidentified men.
In the aftermath, protests have intensified across the hill districts. The Parbatya Chattagram Pahari Chhatra Parishad (PCP) and other organisations have staged regular demonstrations since the incident.
Speaking at an event in Rangamati on Friday, Chakma Raja and Chief Devasish Roy said, “Unfortunately, such incidents of rape have been occurring in the Chittagong Hill Tracts for decades. Due to a culture of impunity, indigenous women and children have been victims of sexual violence for many years.”
