Khagrachhari schoolgirl rape: Half-day road block underway
A half-day blockade is underway in Khagrachhari demanding justice for the gang rape of a teenage indigenous girl.
The blockade, which began at 6:00 am Thursday, has left tourists traveling to Sajek and Khagrachhari from Dhaka and other parts of the country stranded.
The protest is scheduled to continue until noon.
The blockade was called yesterday, Wednesday, by Jumma Students and Citizens, demanding the arrest of those involved in the rape and greater security for women. As a result, vehicular movement on the Dhaka–Khagrachhari, Chattogram–Khagrachhari, Khagrachhari–Rangamati, and Khagrachhari–Sajek roads has come to a standstill.
Around 6:30 am today, this correspondent observed that demonstrators were burning tyres and placing tree trunks on the roads in support of the blockade.
Protesters were seen at Chengi Bridge and Swanirbhar areas on the Khagrachhari–Chattogram road; Perachhara and Technical School points on the Khagrachhari–Panchhari road; and at Char Mile and 9 Mile points on the Khagrachhari–Dighinala road.
Vehicular movement through these routes has been suspended. In some places, police removed the burning tyres and tree trunks, allowing limited movement of small vehicles such as autorickshaws. Despite today being Khagrachhari’s weekly market day, buyers and sellers from the ethnic minority community were notably absent.
At Nancy Bazar in Dighinala, Amar Jyoti Chakma told Prothom Alo that he had been waiting to travel to Merung, located 15 kilometres from Dighinala town. With transport halted due to the blockade, he said he would wait at the station until the blockade was lifted.
Meanwhile, many tourists remain stranded in Khagrachhari town. At Khagrachhari Bazaar, a group of young men including Md. Arman and Sajjad Hossain were seen waiting.
They told Prothom Alo that they were unaware of the blockade before starting their trip from Dhaka. They only learned about it during a stopover in Cumilla. The eight friends had booked hotels in Sajek a week ago but are now unable to continue their journey.
Ukyenu Marma, one of the student organisers who called the blockade, told Prothom Alo that the protest was still being observed peacefully, though police had extinguished fires at a few spots.
He added that a mass rally protesting violence against women and rape will be held in Khagrachhari town Friday.
Khagrachhari Sadar police station officer-in-charge Abdul Baten Mridha said that aside from a few tyres set on fire on the roads, no untoward incidents had occurred. Tourist buses coming from Dhaka were escorted into the district under police protection. Police remain on high alert.
The incident that sparked the protest took place Tuesday night around 9:00 pm, when the teenager was reportedly gang raped on her way home from private tutoring. At around 11:00 pm, she was found unconscious in a field and rescued by her family members. Police have since detained one suspect.
The girl’s father told Prothom Alo that his daughter had a daily routine of going for tuition in the evening and returning home by 9:00 pm. On Tuesday, when she did not return on time, the family went to the teacher’s house and learned that the tuition session had ended as usual. They then began searching with local residents, and around 11:00 pm discovered her unconscious in a crop field. She was subsequently admitted to Khagrachhari Sadar Hospital.