Human chain in Koyra demands Sundarbans be freed from forest bandits

On Wednesday 4 November at 3 pm, a human chain was held in front of Kashiyabad Forest Station on the banks of the Sakbariya River, organized by the coastal and Sundarbans conservation movement with support from the Koyra Upazila Crab Business Cooperative.

Opening remarks were delivered by movement president Tariqul Islam, followed by speakers including A B M Abdul Malek, Mustofa Shafiqul Islam, Maulana Mizanur Rahman, M Anwar Hossain, Assistant Professor Bidesh Ranjan Mridha, Md Asadul Islam, GM Monayem, Kamal Hossain and forest dweller Musanur Rahman among others.

They stated that for the past two years forest bandits have been kidnapping forest dwellers such as jail, bawali and mouyal for ransom; using 2‑5 taka notes as tokens, demanding an advance of 4‑5 thousand taka, and charging 50 000‑150 000 taka per person without a token. They called for bandits and their local collaborators to be brought under law, and for increased surveillance and special operations to ensure safety in the Sundarbans.

Reported by 8 outlets. See the original sources below for full details.