Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highway blocked for 8 hours
Leaders and activists of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement blocked the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highway for eight hours on Wednesday, demanding the removal of the officer-in-charge (OC) of the Patiya police station.
The blockade began at 10:00 am in the Patiya bypass area and continued until 6:00 pm. Members of the army and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) were present at the scene.
The protest follows two clashes that occurred the night before – at 9:30 pm and again at 11:30 pmm – between police and members of the student movement. Both sides claimed 19 people were injured. Protesters alleged that the police launched an attack on them, while the policemen said the protesters formed a mob there.
As part of their protest, the student group besieged the Patiya police station starting at 9:00 am today. Later, they brought out processions and blocked the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highway, chanting slogans and calling for the Patiya OC’s removal.
At 12:30 pm, it was seen that protesters were staging a demonstration in front of the Patiya model mosque, burning tires on the highway. The blockade brought traffic to a standstill. However, the protesters allowed ambulances and students appearing for exams to pass.
The roadblock caused significant suffering for commuters. Many were seen walking to their destinations. One bus driver, Abdur Rahman, said he had been stranded since 11:00 am while transporting goods to Cox’s Bazar.
During the demonstration, Khan Talat Mahmud, joint convenor of the democratic student council, said they would not lift the blockade unless OC Zayed Noor is removed. Initially, they issued a 12-hour ultimatum, but later extended it indefinitely until their demand is met.
Around 3:00 pm, executive magistrate Plabon Kumar Biswas, Patiya upazila nirbahi officer Farhanur Rahman, as well as army and RAB personnel, arrived at the scene to negotiate with the protesters. The demonstrators insisted they would not withdraw without official confirmation of the OC’s dismissal.
It was learned from witnesses, police, and protesters that around 9:00 pm, members of the anti-discrimination student movement detained a Chhatra League leader from the Shaheed Minar area and brought him to the police station.
Since there were no cases against the individual, police refused to arrest him, which led to tensions. The protesters began chanting slogans at the police, and a clash ensued. As the situation escalated, police eventually took the Chhatra League leader into their custody.
Protesters said the police refused to file a case and then attacked them with batons, injuring several. Police, on the other hand, claimed that the protesters brought the Chhatra League member into the station while assaulting him and created a mob-like situation, prompting police to act within the law to control the situation.
OC Abu Zated Md Nazmun Noor told Prothom Alo that there were seven arrestees in remand in the station at the time. The protesters brought the Chhatra League activist while beating him. “We tried to convince them, but they stormed into the station aggressively." Regarding allegations of police assault, he said officers acted within legal bounds.
Ridwan Siddique, joint convenor of the student movement’s Chattogram city unit, said the police baton-charged their activists without cause.
According to police sources, the Chhatra League activist – Dipankar Dey, 29, son of the late Gouranga Dey from Bonrupa Bazar in Rangamati – was sent to court under Section-54 of the CrPC at 3:00 pm on Wednesday.