Residents of Bera upazila blocked the Dhaka-Pabna highway on Sunday demanding restoration of the previous Pabna-1 parliamentary constituency demarcation.
Hundreds of protesters, including leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its affiliated organisations, joined the demonstration at the C&B intersection in Bera.
From 10:30am to 12pm, they set fire to tyres on the highway, chanting slogans against Jamaat-e-Islami and Nizami’s son Najibur Rahman Momen.
The blockade caused heavy traffic congestion on both sides of the highway, leaving passengers and transport workers stranded for hours.
Protesters alleged that Sathia upazila was unjustly divided from Pabna-1, while Bera was separated and joined with Pabna-2. They argued that Bera’s economy and social life are deeply connected with Sathia, and demanded the constituency boundary be restored.
Bera Police Station Officer-in-Charge AKM Habibul Islam said the demonstration was under control, with additional police deployed to prevent further escalation.
Chanting slogans such as “No boundary change, restore people’s rights” and “Pabna-1 belongs to the people, not individuals,” protesters vowed to launch a larger movement if their demand was ignored.
The demonstration was led by Bera Municipal BNP President Fazlur Rahman Fakir, Senior Vice-President Sazedul Islam Bipu, General Secretary Salauddin Iqbal, Organising Secretary Akshed Ali and Joint General Secretary Moin Uddin Khaja, among others.
