Rangamati Killings: UPDF enforces road, river blockade

At least one person was bullet-hit during yesterday's dawn-to-dusk road and waterway blockade in Rangamati called by United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) protesting the killing of its four members on Saturday.

Pervez Alam, a passenger in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw, was injured when unknown criminals opened fire from a roadside bush in Shalbaga area, some twenty-five km off Rangamati.

Alam, 20, of Chandanaish village in Chittagong, was hit in the leg and was admitted to Rangamati General Hospital.

An auto-rickshaw driver was wounded as pickets beat him at Moghachhari on the Chittagong-Rangamati road around 10:00am, Kawkhali police said.

All kinds of vehicular movement on the road and waterways were closed during the day-long blockade.

Around 9:00am, a running battle erupted between members of UPDF and Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS), a pro-peace treaty body, at Moghachhari when a group of PCJSS supporters came out on the road with their bikes.

Pickets also smashed a bike at Kutukchhari Bazar around noon.

The UPDF, which opposes the peace deal in the hills, held a rally at Jurachhari protesting the gun attack on its members at Naraichhari under Barkal upazila.

Four of its members were killed in the attack allegedly orchestrated by PCJSS. PCJSS, however, denied the allegation.

So far police recovered three bodies while the body of Pulok Jibon Chakma is yet to be found.

No case was filed in connection with the Saturday's incident, said Iddris Ali, sub-inspector of Barkal Police Station.

Source: The Daily Star (May 24, 2011)

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