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Sunday | November 01, 2026 | Dhaka

Armed rivals exchange fire in Sajek

 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:02 AM, 01 November 2026

A longstanding rivalry between two armed groups in the Chattogram Hill Tracts flared up again in Sajek, Rangamati, on Saturday, as members of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS) and the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) exchanged
gunfire, reportedly over control of the area.

The intermittent firing began at around 12:30pm in the remote Kalabunia and Kojoichhari areas of Machalong, spreading fear among local residents. No casualties had been reported, although the situation remained tense.

Local sources identified the groups involved as the Santu Larma-led faction of the JSS and the Prasit Khisa-led faction of the UPDF.

Tofazzal Hossain, officer-in-charge of Sajek Police Station, confirmed the exchange of fire in the forested Kalabunia area, but said police had yet to establish whether anyone had been injured.

Saturday also marked the tenth day of an indefinite blockade of the Sajek road, called by the Sajek Gonoadhikar Raksha Committee, a local rights protection platform, and the Karbari Association, representing village headmen. No vehicles were operating on the route during the blockade.

The OC said no untoward incident had been reported in connection with the blockade.

The protesters launched the blockade with a five-point list of demands, including the removal of members of the Santu Larma-led JSS faction from Sajek and an end to terrorism and extortion in the area.

On Monday, Khagrachhari MP Wadud Bhuiyan and Rangamati MP Dipen Dewan, accompanied by senior administration officials, held talks with the protesters at Ujobazar in an effort to resolve the standoff.

The administration agreed to four of the five demands, but the meeting ended without a breakthrough as the two sides failed to reach an understanding over the remaining demand.