On Saturday morning at 8:00am, a significant number of police, APBN, and Ansar members were on high alert at Shanir Akhra on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. From then until about 11:30 am, they repeatedly patrolled Kajla intersection and Shanir Akhra Bazar. Afterward, they positioned themselves in front of Dania College in Shanir Akhra.
At the same time, Jubo League leaders and workers had gathered there. On the other side, hundreds of BNP leaders and activists also gathered near Shanir Akhra, in front of Matuail Institute of Child and Mother Health. They were carrying sticks and chanting anti-government slogans. They stopped traffic on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway.
After 11:30 am, armoured vehicles, policemen with water cannons proceeded towards Matuail Institute of Child and Mother Health from Shanir Akhra. Jubo League leaders and activists were also behind the police. The situation escalated when the police began using rubber bullets and tear gas shells against the BNP leaders and activists. In response, some of the BNP leaders started throwing bricks at the police. People started running in panic in search of safe shelter.
The situation became ‘scary’ on Saturday centering the BNP's planned sit-in programme. Many vehicles, including buses, were halted on the other side of the Institute of Child and Mother Health along the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. During this time, BNP leaders and workers were seen throwing bricks at the buses.
Due to the police using tear gas shells, rubber bullets, and the actions of BNP leaders and activists, panic spread across the area. People on the buses quickly got off and ran to safety. The situation continued for about one and a half hours, with both the police and BNP members involved in chasing each other.
The panic intensified when a Turag transport bus was set on fire in front of the Institute of Child and Mother Health around 1:00 pm. Shortly after, a Swadeshi Paribahan bus was also set on fire on the opposite side of the institute. As a result, the traders closed their shops on both sides of the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Matuail and rushed to safety.
Matuail resident Abdul Jabbar shared with Prothom Alo, "We haven't seen such a frightening situation in a long time. There are hundreds of police positioned on the road. Both BNP and Jubo League, the ruling AL's youth organisation, leaders, and workers were carrying sticks. We are scared."
Chase, counter-chase
There were clashes between the BNP and the police, which caused a complete halt in traffic on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway for some time. After 12:30 noon, the situation eased a bit, and vehicles from Jatrabari quickly moved towards Kanchpur. However, the conflict reignited as BNP leaders and activists positioned themselves on the road in front of the Institute of Child and Maternal Health and chased the police.
This led to more disruption in traffic. The situation escalated when BNP members set tyres on fire and stood their ground on the road. Additional police arrived from Shanir Akhra, and when they chased the BNP members, they took refuge in the lane of the Institute of Child and Maternal Health. Rubber bullets were fired by the police, and in response, BNP members threw bricks at them.
Due to the clash in Matuail, all passengers of Dhaka-bound vehicles on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway were asked to get off at Kanchpur and Signboard. They were then compelled to walk from Kanchpur to Dhaka. The sight of bricks, burning tires, and buses in front of the Child and Maternal Health Institute in Matuail caused panic among the commuters.
Omar Farooq came to Dhaka with his wife and children from Cumilla. They got off the bus at Kanchpur. He said to Prothom Alo, "We were forced to get off the bus. There is no way but to walk. Two vehicles were set on fire. We are scared.”
Sudden arson causes panic again
After being pursued by the police, the BNP leaders and activists left the scene. However, Jubo League leaders and workers remained on the road, carrying sticks. The police and RAB remained on high alert. The situation had become relatively calmer at that point. But suddenly, around 1:40 pm, three young individuals set a bus on fire in front of a Shanto filling station in Matuail and quickly fled.
This incident caused fear and panic among the residents of Matuail. Mehedi Hasan, a local resident, expressed his fear, saying, "Three young men set the bus on fire right in front of us and fled in front of everyone. We are very scared!"