Clashes erupt in Bhanga between police and demonstrators

Demonstrators in Bhanga upazila of Faridpur once again blocked roads on Monday (September 15) in protest against the redrawing of parliamentary constituency boundaries. Clashes broke out when law enforcement intervened to keep traffic movement normal, leading to chase and counter-chase between the two sides.

Although the blockade had been suspended since dawn on Monday, protesters resumed their programme after 10:30 am.

Earlier in the morning, law enforcement agencies stepped up special operations and security at key points of the blockade to ensure normal vehicular movement.

On Saturday (September 13), demonstrators had announced a continuous three-day blockade programme, from Sunday through Tuesday (September 16). On Sunday, they blocked highways and railways from morning until 5:30 pm. Later, Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd.) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury instructed them to withdraw from the roads to keep traffic running.

Following this, the protesters called off their three-day blockade of highways and railways. On Monday morning, traffic on all routes between Dhaka and South Bengal resumed without disruption. However, after 10:30 am, demonstrators once again blocked roads, burning tyres and placing tree trunks and electricity poles on the streets to stage their protest.

Locals reported that consecutive days of blockades from morning till evening had partially paralysed public life. Still, they expressed hope that the government would meet the demands of Bhanga residents.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mizanur Rahman said that law enforcement had been stationed at key points in Bhanga upazila and municipality since 5 am to keep traffic normal. He added that the administration would take all necessary measures to ease public suffering and ensure the safety of life and property.

It may be noted that Faridpur-4 constituency consists of Bhanga, Sadarpur, and Charbhadrasan upazilas, while Nagarkanda and Saltha upazilas belong to Faridpur-2. However, according to the gazette notification published by the Election Commission on September 4, Hamirdi and Algi unions of Faridpur-4 were annexed to Faridpur-2, thereby redrawing the parliamentary constituency boundary. In response, from September 5 onwards, residents of Bhanga launched protests, enforcing blockades for consecutive days to demand the reinstatement of the two unions.