Police charge batons as shopkeepers block Gulshan road  

Shopkeepers have staged a demonstration for around three hours, blocking the capital's Gulshan-1 intersection in protest against the closure of Gulshan Shopping Centre.

Later, the police intervened, dispersed the protesters through baton charge, and restored vehicular movement on the adjacent roads at around 3:30 pm. 

It was learnt that a team of the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), led by an executive magistrate, went to the market and officially sealed it off at 11:00 am. The market comprises over 500 shops.

Protesting against the closure, traders blocked the Gulshan-1 intersection at around 12:30 pm, creating a traffic gridlock on adjacent roads. 

Shahidullah, deputy commissioner of DMP (Gulshan division), said the fire service had previously marked the shopping centre in DNCC market as 'risky' in 2021 due to lack of a fire safety system. They had asked the authorities to carry out necessary renovation works, but no action had been taken so far. 

In further development, an executive magistrate went to the market and officially sealed it off on Thursday.

Regarding the police action taken against the protesters, the police officer said  they initially requested the traders to clear the road and present their demands to the relevant authorities. 

As the traders did not comply, the police were left with no choice but to disperse them forcefully at around 3:45 pm and restore vehicular movement. 

At one stage, the protesters hurled brick chips on the moving vehicles, prompting the policemen to use batons on them, he added.