Bhanga Thana and Upazila Parishad Attacked in Protest of Separation of Two Unions

 Md. Sakhawat Hossain, Faridpur District Correspondent:

In Bhanga, Faridpur, protesters, in response to the call for a day-long blockade by the All-Party Struggle Council against the separation of two unions, simultaneously attacked the Bhanga Thana and the Upazila Parishad.

On Monday (September 15) afternoon, the protesters first attacked the Bhanga Thana, vandalizing several vehicles. Police personnel inside the station were trapped. The attackers set fire to an ambulance that was being held for recovery at the Thana. The attackers wreaked havoc for about half an hour before fleeing. At the same time, they also attacked the Bhanga Upazila Parishad building, including the UNO's office, ransacking and vandalizing various rooms.

According to eyewitnesses, the All-Party Struggle Council had called for a three-day day-long blockade of highways and railways, starting from Sunday, to demand the cancellation of the new boundaries for the Faridpur-4 constituency.

While the situation was normal in the morning, tensions escalated in the Upazila Parishad area as the day progressed. Announcements were made through village microphones, urging people to join the blockade with local weapons.

Around 11 a.m., protesters took up positions on the highway in the Algi area of Bhanga and started a demonstration by burning tires, which stopped traffic on the Faridpur-Barisal highway.

Around noon, the protesters took up a position in front of the Thana, but law enforcement agencies repelled them. Afterward, announcements were again made in the villages to join the blockade with shields and spears.

In the morning, protesters held demonstrations in one or two places on the highway, but there was little obstruction to traffic. However, the situation deteriorated before noon.

A large number of people from Algi, Hamirdi, and other unions of Bhanga participated in the road blockade. To avoid unpleasant incidents, law enforcement agencies took a position at a safe distance.

Earlier, a case was filed with Bhanga Thana regarding the blockade of the railway and highways. SI Habibur Rahman of the Thana filed the case against 90 named individuals and 100 to 150 unnamed people. The complaint alleges that the accused obstructed vehicle movement by felling trees on the road, setting tires on fire, and intimidating people in the Shuadi area. It was also reported that several local journalists were injured while gathering information today.

Md. Rokibuzzaman, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bhanga Highway Thana, told journalists, "Members of law enforcement are working to normalize vehicle movement."

As of the time of this report, the situation has returned to normal.

It is worth noting that the gazette regarding the reorganization of national parliamentary seats connected the Algi and Hamirdi unions of Bhanga from the Faridpur-4 constituency to the Faridpur-2 constituency. In protest of this, locals have been blocking the highways and railways for five days since the gazette was published. This has disrupted traffic to at least 23 districts in the southwestern part of the country, including on the Dhaka-Khulna and Faridpur-Barisal highways and the railway line.