Miscreants set fire to Ramesu Bazar in Guimara upazila in Khagrachhari on Sunday around 1pm during a blockade organized by the “Jumma Chhatra Janata” in protest of the gang rape of a teenage girl in the hilly area.
Several shops were destroyed, and a few nearby homes were damaged. The market is located about 100 yards from the Chittagong-Khagrachhari road.
Video and photographs of the blaze have circulated widely on social media, showing shops engulfed in flames. Local residents said most affected shop owners belonged to hill communities.
Although protesters are no longer blocking roads, they remain present in the area, and law enforcement patrols have been deployed.
Earlier confrontations between police and blockade supporters reportedly involved gunfire, leaving at least six people injured.
Residents Monsajai Marma and Kongjori Marma said they were peacefully protesting near a food warehouse when law enforcement officers arrived, triggering a verbal dispute.
Police then opened fire, causing people to flee. Later, 20–25 masked individuals ransacked the market and nearby homes, setting several properties and motorcycles on fire, they added.
Guimara police station Officer-in-Charge Md Enamul Haque Chowdhury said: “Clashes are occurring between hill and Bengali communities over the blockade. There have also been confrontations with law enforcement. The situation remains tense. We are working to restore normalcy.”
The blockade, which began Saturday, has disrupted traffic on Chittagong-Khagrachhari, Khagrachhari-Rangamati, and Khagrachhari-Sajek roads. On Sunday, protesters blocked roads using tyres and tree branches.
A tense atmosphere also prevailed in Khagrachhari town, with markets closed and security personnel stationed at key points.
A discussion session chaired by Deputy Commissioner ABM Iftekhar Uddin Khandaker and attended by Adviser for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Supradip Chakma urged ethnic groups to live peacefully, warning that unrest was being exploited by some factions.
The gang rape occurred on Tuesday around 9pm as the teenage girl was returning home from tuition. Relatives found her unconscious in a field around 11pm. Police have arrested one person, and the court granted six days’ remand.