Bhanga police station, upazila parishad vandalised, cops take shelter at mosque

The road and railway blockade in protest of demarking the constituency in Faridpur turned violent today, Monday.

The agitated people attacked and vandalised the Bhanga police station and upazila parishad premises. The Upazila Officers Club was also set on fire.

The protesters also took on the journalists at the time and snatched away their cell phones and tried to physically assault them.

A witness says the incident occurred between 12:00 pm to 1:15 pm.

However, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Bhanga police station and upazila nirbahi officer were not available for comments.

A newsperson, who was present at the spot said, “The protesters charged toward us when we were recording the incident and snatched away our camera and mobile phone and assaulted us physically. Later, we left the spot. We are now into hiding.”

The ‘Long March to Bhanga,’ which began from the Swadi area of Algi union along the Dhaka–Khulna highway, reached the Bhanga roundabout by around 12:00 pm.

Many of the protesters were seen carrying sticks. At that time, thousands of people took control of the roundabout and its surrounding areas. Members of the law enforcement agencies tried to remove the protesters from the road but failed.

When a small number of police attempted to bring the situation under control, they were chased by the protesters. The police members later took shelter inside the Bhanga Model Mosque, before returning to the police station 10–15 minutes later.

Meanwhile, traffic movement on both the Dhaka–Khulna and Bhanga–Barishal highways came to a complete halt, causing severe suffering for passengers on the road.

Attempts were made to contact the Bhanga circle police, the officer-in-charge of the police station, and the upazila nirbahi officer for updates on the situation, but none of them could be reached.