SYLHET, Jan 14: Satchari Jatiya Uddyan under Chunarughat upazila in Habiganj district, which attracts a large number of visitors almost every day, has turned into a safe zone for the miscreants.
Sources said, mugging incidents marked a sharp rise in recent months while two alleged rape incidents have become a matter of concern for the tourists.
The number of petty crimes got a rise due to the absence of adequate security, locals alleged while the authority blamed the security men and lack of awareness among the visitors in general.
The Satchhari Udyan, a rich forest of the Forest Department, is a popular location for the visitors for long due to its uniqueness. A good number of visitors from other regions of the county also throng the area every day. But for months it lost the attraction mainly due to the rise in petty crimes, locals said, alleging the forest authority paid no heed to the situation.
After several recovery of lethal arms by the elite forces from the forest site, the recent incidents of rape in weeks caused grave concern for all. Such incidents were reported in the past too.
At least 13 anti-tank rocket launcher chargers were recovered from the forest on November 23. Bangladesh Army and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) recovered those weapons, which were found buried under the ground, during a joint raid.
The Satchari National Forest borders India's Tripura state. RAB had previously recovered various weapons including mortar shells, rocket launchers, machine guns and numerous explosives from the forest in 2014 and 2018.
While moving around, a class XII student of Government Brindabon College, Habiganj was gang raped on the forest on January 07 and the case was lodged on the following day with the district's Nari O Shishu Nirjaton Domon Trubunal-II. Five, including her fiancé were accused in the case.
Ordered by the tribunal judge Ziauddin Mahmud, Chunarughat police arrested the prime accused Shamim Ahmed Mamun on January 09.
Prior to that, a school student from Brahmanbaria while travelling the Udyan on December 11 was gang raped on the forest by her lover and his companions. After registration of a case some of the accused were caught.
Normally the number of tourists goes up during winter. But this year many people got panicked after arms haul by the RAB on different occasions.
Often the visitors are mugged inside the forest areas, but the security men take almost no action, alleged a number of visitors. Even some of them alleged that the muggers and other criminals have a link with those men.
Anwar Hossain, a tourist from Moulvibazar district, said people along with family members come to enjoy the natural beauty here regularly. But often they face unwanted incidents, while no help comes from the lawmen around.
A number of locals said the higher authority should look into the matter seriously and take stern actions for ensuring security to the visitors.
A forest official, however, said steps were being taken for strengthening the law and order on the national forest.
© 2025 - All Rights with The Financial Express
