The roads leading from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan residence, Firoza, remained heavily congested from early Tuesday morning.
Despite coordinated efforts by both BNP volunteers and law enforcement agencies to keep the route clear, those attempts largely failed— causing significant disruption for the public.
With major roads blocked and traffic frequently coming to a standstill, many commuters, including CNG auto-rickshaws and motorcycles, diverted to the elevated expressway until around 1pm.
The Banani exit was eventually closed due to overcrowding.
As crowds surged beyond control, law enforcement resorted to baton-charging BNP supporters gathered along the route to catch a glimpse of Khaleda Zia.
In one incident, a party activist was critically injured in a road crash in Uttara’s Jasim Uddin area while returning home, and was later admitted to Kurmitola General Hospital.
Meanwhile, chaos in front of the airport led to dozens of mobile phones reportedly lost or stolen—among the victims were at least 50 individuals, including several journalists.
Over 3,000 personnel from the police, army, navy, air force, and RAB were deployed to secure Khaleda Zia’s passage.
Yet, the massive turnout of supporters, combined with regular Dhaka traffic and the day’s SSC exams, kept the situation turbulent into the afternoon.
Some overenthusiastic supporters even breached police cordons to touch her car and take selfies, disregarding repeated security warnings.
It took almost three hours for Begum Zia to reach Firoza from the airport.