Road blockades in Faridpur, strike in Bagerhat
In protest against the redrawing of parliamentary constituency boundaries, residents of Bhanga in Faridpur blocked the Dhaka-Khulna and Dhaka-Barishal highways for the second consecutive day.
The blockade caused severe traffic congestion, affecting passengers and others travelling on these major roads.
The protesters lifted the blockade and traffic resumed on both highways after 11 hours on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, in Bagerhat, a two-day programme of strikes and road blockades was observed across the district on Wednesday, demanding the retention of four parliamentary constituencies.
Previously, Faridpur-4 constituency consisted of Bhanga, Sadar, and Charbhadrasan upazilas, while Faridpur-2 included Nagarkanda and Saltha upazilas.
According to the gazette published by the election commission on 4 September, Algi and Hamirdi unions of Bhanga were added to Faridpur-2.
In protest, residents have been organising various activities, including road blockades. On Thursday, they announced they would block the highways again from 7am.
On Wednesday, from 7:00 am, residents of the two unions staged demonstrations at several points - Pukuria, Hamirdi, Madhabpur, and Nawapara bus stands on the Dhaka-Barishal highway and Munsurabad bus stand in Hamirdi Union and Suadi area in Algi Union on the Dhaka-Khulna highway.
This action halted traffic on both highways, affecting travel to 21 districts in southern Bangladesh. Food was provided to the protesters around midday and the blockade was suspended at 6:00 pm, after 11 hours.
In Bagerhat, from 6:00 am, leaders and activists of the All-Party United Committee observed a strike on various roads across the district, setting fires and placing tree trunks to block passage. This programme will continue until 6:00 pm.
The All-Party United Committee of Bagerhat, formed by leaders of various political parties, called for this action in protest against the Election Commission’s decision to reduce the number of parliamentary constituencies in the district to three.