Dhaka suffered unprecedented traffic paralysis on Wednesday as twin political gatherings – a BNP youth rally and a Jamaat-e-Islami congregation – brought vehicular movement to a standstill across most of the city, with authorities warning congestion may persist until late evening.
The gridlock began at around 8:30am, exceeding typical peak-hour snarls as bumper-to-bumper queues stretched from Bijoy Sarani to Karwan Bazar. By 1:00pm, the entire metropolitan area became virtually impassable except parts of Mirpur and Uttara.
“Today’s exceptional jam stems from two factors – Jamaat’s Shahbagh gathering celebrating Azharul Islam’s release this morning, followed by BNP’s youth rally of hundreds of thousands,” DMP Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Md Sarowar told Prothom Alo.
BNP’s rally organisers have projected that approximately 1.5 million young participants from Dhaka, Sylhet, Faridpur and Mymensingh are expected to join Wednesday’s gathering, with massive crowds already visible around the main stage opposite BNP’s central office at Nayapaltan.
Party activists have been marching into the capital since morning, many wearing colorful caps and T-shirts bearing political slogans. The swelling crowds have created severe traffic congestion in surrounding areas, causing immense public suffering as major roads remain paralysed by the influx of processionists.
Eyewitnesses report that the human tidal wave has transformed the Nayapaltan business district into a sea of political banners, with nearby Motijheel and Paltan areas also experiencing complete gridlock. Commuters have been stranded for hours as the rally’s radius of disruption continues expanding across central Dhaka.
Reports confirmed attendees of both political events were pouring in from Gazipur, Narayanganj, Manikganj and Cumilla via packed buses, while processions from city neighborhoods compounded the crisis.
Many eyewitnesses reported stranded commuters abandoning buses along the elevated expressway, opting to walk as vehicles remained immobilised for hours. Traffic police sources indicated no significant relief before nightfall despite deploying all available officers, from assistant commissioners to inspectors.
Journalist Atahe Rabbi told Times of Bangladesh, “the gridlock stretched from Banani Sainik Club area to all the way to Shahbagh. With hundreds of vehicles standing still.”
The congestion peaked near Farmgate where a traffic sergeant reported the jam extended to Shahbagh due to rally crowds.
With key arteries blocked, emergency services also faced severe access challenges.