Protests over constituency demarcation sever Dhaka’s road connections with 21 districts

Several thousand people blocked highways and railway tracks in Faridpur’s Bhanga upazila on Tuesday, severing road links between Dhaka and 21 southern districts in protest against the Election Commission’s constituency boundary demarcation.

The unrest erupted after a gazette notification placed Algi and Hamirdi unions of Bhanga under Nagarkanda upazila.

From 8:00am, residents felled trees and set tyres ablaze at Hamirdi bus stand, Suyadi bus stand in Algi union, and other points, bringing traffic to a standstill and causing tailbacks stretching for kilometres.

“We will not accept any conspiracy to divide our two unions. They must remain under Bhanga,” protester Tafsir Alam Mithu said.

Bhanga Highway Police OC Md Rokibuzzaman confirmed that locals blocked roads by cutting trees and burning tyres in response to the decision.

As tensions gripped Faridpur, demonstrators shut down both the Dhaka–Khulna and Faridpur–Bhanga highways. While long queues of vehicles remained stranded, ambulances and emergency services were allowed to pass.