Environmentalists and eminent personalities yesterday observed a token hunger strike in the capital in protest against chopping down over 3,500 trees at two betel leaf enclosures at Nahar Punji near Nahar Tea Garden in Srimangal.

Indigenous Environment Protection Movement of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon, Bangladesh Indigenous Forum, Green Voice, Khasia Welfare Society, Khasia Students Union and Chittagong Hill Tracts Hilly Student Association jointly observed the 5 hour long strike from 11:00am to 4:00pm at the Central Shaheed Minar.

They placed a 8-point demand that includes stopping of chopping down trees at Nahar Punji, punishment of the people who are responsible for the incident, stopping the attempt to evict the Khasias from that area, cancellation of all the faulty reports related to Nahar Garden and ensuring neutral investigation and curbing corruption at all the government forest offices.

Communist Party of Bangladesh president Manjural Ahsan Khan, theatre personality Mamunur Rashid, columnist Syed Abdul Maksud, indigenous leader Sanjeeb Drong, professor Mejbah Kamal of history department and professor Dalem Chandra Barman of peace and conflict department of Dhaka University, Gono Forum presidium member Pankaj Bhattacharya, environmentalist Dwizen Sharma, among others, joined the strike.