Dhaka–21 District Traffic Blocked as Faridpur Protest Rages

NN ONLINE:

Local residents in Faridpur continued their protest for the third consecutive day on Thursday, 11 September, by blocking major highways linking Dhaka with Khulna and Barishal. The ongoing demonstrations, aimed at opposing the repportionment of the Faridpur-4 constituency, have effectively brought traffic on the Dhaka–Khulna and Dhaka–Barishal corridors to a near standstill and caused widespread hardship for commuters traveling to Dhaka and the 21 southwestern districts.

Early in the morning, highway police and local witnesses reported about 80–90 protesters gathered on the Dhaka–Khulna route at Monsurabad in Hamirdhi Union from around 7:00 a.m., with an additional group of roughly 100 blocking the road at Suyadi in Algi Union. By 7:30 a.m., hundreds more assembled to block the Dhaka–Barishal highway in Pukhuria, Hamirdhi, and Nowapara areas of Hamirdhi Union, placing tree trunks and setting fires to obstruct traffic. The disruption left hundreds of buses, trucks, and microbuses heading toward Dhaka stranded. Protesters also occupied the Bhanga Roundabout on the Dhaka–Barishal highway after 7:30 a.m., effectively halting travel from Dhaka to at least 21 southwestern districts.

Participants conveyed that they would not accept the gazette notification transferring Algi and Hamirdhi unions of Bhanga Upazila from Faridpur-4 to Faridpur-2’s Nagarkanda constituency. “Bhanga will remain Bhanga. We will stay on the roads as long as necessary. We will inform, but will not lift the blockade,” they stated.

Confirming the situation, Bhanga Highway Police Officer-in-Charge Rokibuzzaman told Jago News that hundreds of people had been sitting on both highways since early morning in protest, and their message was clear: they would not leave until their demands were addressed. He noted that managing such a large crowd had become increasingly difficult. He also recalled that on 4 September the Election Commission issued a gazette notification transferring Algi and Hamirdhi unions from Faridpur-4 to Faridpur-2’s Nagarkanda constituency. In response, residents have organized multiple road blockades, human chains, and filed petitions with the High Court in recent days.