Highway and Rail Line Blocked in Bhanga, Faridpur, Causing Severe Hardship for Travelers

 Md. Sakhawat Hossain, Faridpur District Correspondent:

In Bhanga, Faridpur, locals have blocked the highway for the fourth consecutive day, and today, they have also halted train services.

The protest began on Thursday (September 11) with protesters placing barricades by felling trees at the Kaidubi railway crossing near the Bhanga hospital. As a result, the Jahnabad Express train bound for Dhaka was unable to pass the local railway crossing. The locals have been carrying out a peaceful blockade of the highway for four days.

Protesters have taken up positions on the Dhaka-Khulna, Dhaka-Barisal, and Faridpur-Barisal highways since the morning. The protest has seen participation from leaders of all local political parties, freedom fighters, and people of all ages, including men, women, and children.

The protesters stated that this is the fourth day of their movement and that they have blocked the railway line as of Thursday morning. They added that the protest will continue until their demands are met.

Sakib Hossain, the station master of the Bhanga Junction, confirmed the matter to journalists, stating that the train is stuck between Muksudpur and Nagarkanda due to the absence of a green signal. Passengers are facing extreme inconvenience as a result.

Ashraf Hossain, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bhanga Thana, told journalists that the protesters are blocking the roads and railway to press their demands. He added that the law and order situation is currently peaceful.

It is worth noting that on September 4, the Election Commission published the list of the new boundaries for the parliamentary constituencies. The list proposed separating two large unions, Algi and Hamirdi, from Bhanga Upazila (Faridpur-4 constituency) and including them in the Faridpur-2 constituency, which comprises the Nagarkanda and Saltha upazilas. In protest of this decision, locals began a highway blockade in Bhanga the very next day. Today marks the fourth day of their protest, with the addition of a railway blockade. It has also been reported that students from a higher secondary school in Algi Union boycotted classes and took to the streets today.