Residents of Bhanga upazila in Faridpur withdrew their highway blockade on Friday afternoon after receiving assurances from the local administration.
The demonstration was called to protest the reassignment of Algi and Hamirdi unions from Faridpur-4 to Faridpur-2 constituency. The protest, which had brought traffic to a halt on both the Dhaka-Khulna and Dhaka-Barishal highways, ended after four hours.
Normal traffic resumed on the Dhaka-Khulna highway at around 12:15pm and on the Dhaka-Barishal highway shortly afterward, around 12:30pm.
According to protestors, Bhanga Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mohammad Mizanur Rahman arrived at the scene around noon and expressed solidarity with the demands. He assured the demonstrators that he had already informed higher authorities and would further advocate to halt the administrative split of Bhanga.
Taking public suffering into account, the UNO urged protestors to withdraw the blockade. In response, residents agreed but issued a three-day ultimatum, warning of renewed protests if their demands are not addressed by Tuesday.
“We lifted the blockade at 12:15pm based on the UNO’s assurance,” said Kazi Arif, a resident of Hamirdi union. “However, if our demand to keep Bhanga united is not met by Tuesday, we will launch fresh demonstrations.”
UNO Mizanur Rahman said he is sympathetic to the concerns of Bhanga residents. “Bhanga is a historically significant upazila, and I have already reported the issue to the relevant authorities. All necessary steps will be taken to address the matter,” he added.
Officer-in-Charge of Bhanga Police Station, Md Ashraf Hossain, confirmed that protestors had blocked at least five points on the highways by felling trees and burning tyres. “The blockade caused complete suspension of vehicular movement on both highways,” he said. “However, the demonstration remained peaceful and did not lead to any deterioration of law and order.”
