Dhaka-Barishal highway blocked in Madaripur, traffic resumes after 4 hours

As part of the shutdown programme called by the Awami League, whose activities are banned now, multiple trees were felled to block the Dhaka-Barishal Highway in Madaripur.

Activists of the party also set tyres on fire and staged protests on the highway. The blockade began around 6:30 am today, Sunday, in the Gopalpur area, bringing all traffic on the highway to a halt.

After remaining suspended for nearly four hours, traffic resumed on the highway around 9:30 am when police from Kalkini and Dasar police stations, along with the Fire Service, arrived at the scene and cleared the trees.

According to local sources, the shutdown programme was led by Mir Golam Faruq, former general secretary of Kalkini upazila Awami League and former upazila chairman, alongside Enayet Hossain Hawlader, general secretary of Kalkini municipality Awami League and former mayor.

Speaking to police, Fire Service officials and locals, it was learned that Awami League activists started gathering on the north side of the Gopalpur bus stand from early morning. They then used machinery to cut down 10 to 12 trees and placed them at various points on the highway.

This caused long tailbacks in both directions, leaving long-distance passengers and drivers in serious distress. The protesters also burned tyres and chanted slogans. They dispersed when police and Fire Service teams arrived.

As part of the shutdown programme, a cycle-van was brought onto the highway and turned into a makeshift stage, where Mir Golam Faruq and Enayet Hossain Hawlader delivered speeches. They said that the shutdown was being enforced against the Yuunus government in protest of the “conspiracy to execute Sheikh Hasina”. They thanked activists for successfully carrying out the programme.

Additional Superintendent of Police Jahangir Alam told Prothom Alo, “We came to the scene with a force as soon as we were informed. With the help of the Fire Service and local residents, we removed the felled trees. Traffic movement resumed from around 9:30 am.”

Regarding the long suspension of traffic movement, the police officer said that the Awami League supporters had felled several large trees and left them across the highway, which took a long time to remove. No arrests have yet been made in this incident. Legal action is underway.