States » EastPosted at: Oct 11 2026 11:17PM


Bengal: Buxa road blockade lifted, but sit-in protest continues

Siliguri, Oct 11 (UNI) The road blockade at Buxa was lifted on Saturday evening after talks between the administration, forest officials and representatives of 18 villages, but the sit-in protest against forest department restrictions continues.
The agitation, which had been continuing for five days, took a serious turn on Saturday when protesters blocked a PWD road for the entire day. Several tourists, including visitors from Canada and Sweden, reportedly had to return without completing their trips. A large police force was deployed as the situation remained tense.
The blockade was lifted after Bishal Lama, Minister of State for Home and Hill Affairs, intervened. Subsequently, the sub divisional officer, the block development officer of Kalchini and forest officials held discussions with the leaders of the protesting villagers on Saturday evening.
“We were informed by the administration that if we did not lift the blockade, the police would resort to a lathi-charge and administrative action would be taken. People could have been injured, leading to an unwanted clash between the police and the villagers. To avoid such an incident, we decided to lift the blockade,” said Rajkumar Bhujel, one of the leaders of the agitation.
The protesters have raised several demands, including the implementation of the Forest Rights Act and recognition of their rights to live in the Jayanti-Buxa area. They have also demanded that the forest settlements be declared revenue villages and that information on forest resources be made available in the public domain.
The immediate trigger for the agitation was the introduction of a checkpoint and drop gate on the PWD road, where forest officials were collecting Rs 480 from vehicles. The protesters have also objected to various restrictions imposed following the introduction of tigers in the area.
Although the road blockade has been withdrawn, the villagers have decided to continue their sit-in demonstration until their demands are addressed.
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Tags: #Bengal: Buxa road blockade lifted# but sit-in protest continues
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