United News of Bangladesh

A dawn-to-dusk road blockade is  Khagrachhari district in protest against the alleged gang rape of a schoolgirl and the oppression of hill women. Vehicular movement came to a halt due to the blockade enforced by protesters under the banner of Jumma Chhatra-Janata. Witnesses said supporters of the blockade have been picketing throughout the district. Protesters have set tires on fire and placed tree branches on the roads to obstruct traffic in different areas in the district town  including Chingiskar, Jiromail, Balpai, and Adam, as well as on the Khagrachhari-Chattogram, Panchhari, Dighinala, and Mahalchhari roads. The suspension in vehicular movement caused suffering to  people, particularly tourists visiting the area. Army raid in Khagrachari leaves MLP commander dead However, no untoward incidents have been reported so far. Khagrachhari Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Baten Mridha said they are working to remove the barricades and restore normalcy. Additional police have been deployed at key locations and security measures across the district have been strengthened. A Marma schoolgirl on the evening of September 23 was  gang raped while returning from private tuition. The victim’s father filed a case with Khagrachhari Sadar Police Station naming three unknown people as suspects. OC Abdul Baten said a suspect, Shoyon Shil, was arrested with the assistance of the army and a court put him on remand.

Vehicular movement on Kuril Biswa Road and its adjacent areas remained suspended since Wednesday noon as workers of a readymade garment factory blocked the road demanding payment of their dues. Witnesses said several hundred workers of the Eurozone factory took to the street around 12:30 pm and blocked the road, bringing traffic movement to a complete halt between Kuril-Badda and Badda-Kuril. A long tailback  has been created in and around the area following the blockade, causing immense suffering to the commuters. To ease congestion, traffic authorities have been diverting vehicles through alternative routes. Vehicles from Khilkhet were asked to divert towards Mohakhali and Banani without using the flyover. Vehicles coming from Rampura towards Kuril are being diverted via Badda Link Road–Gulshan 1–Gulshan 2 towards Uttara. Besides, Vehicles from Rampura can go via Natun Bazar–Gulshan 2 to head north. Those heading towards Rampura have been asked to use the reverse routes through Kuratoli–Mohakhali via Kakali, Amtali or Tejgaon. Assistant Commissioner of Traffic (Badda Zone) under Gulshan Division  Sohel Rana said suspension of vehicular movement created severe traffic jam in the surrounding areas as well as other parts of the city.  

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has requested all to refrain from blocking roads as such activities under the pretext of protests, demonstrations, and demands cause severe traffic congestion in the capital.Students of schools, colleges and universities as well as office-goers face difficulties due to the traffic congestion caused by the demonstrators, said a press release of DMP. DMP bans rallies near CA’s residence, adjacent areasBesides, these blockades are also causing serious disruptions in the transportation of outbound air travelers and critically ill patients requiring emergency care, it said.Though the traffic division of DMP is making desperate efforts to reduce traffic congestion unnecessary road blockades are causing public suffering.

Polytechnic students have blocked roads in Dhaka and some districts of the country to press home their six-point demand, including cancellation of the High Court verdict on the promotion of craft instructors to junior instructors.Traffic movement at Tejgaon Saat Rasta intersection in the capital remained halted since Wednesday morning as students of polytechnic institutes blocked the road.The students took to the streets around 10:30 am, said Rafiqul Islam, deputy commissioner of Tejgaon traffic zone.The road blockade slowed traffic in Moghbazar, Karwanbazar, Shahbagh, Ramna, Shantinagar, Bangla Motor and Hatirjheel areas of the capital.Many commuters were seen using alternative routes to reach their destinations.Long tailbacks were also created on the Moghbazar and Karwanbazar flyovers.Meanwhile, a group of polytechnic students took position in front of Allah Karim Mosque in Mohammadpur, disrupting traffic movement in nearby Asadgate, Beribadh and Dhanmondi areas.The agitating students are demanding immediate transfer of all ‘controversial’ craft instructors appointed in 2021 under the Directorate of Technical Education and the continuation of the four-year Diploma in engineering course with each semester lasting a full six months.Polytechnic students block road at Tejgaon; traffic gridlock intensified  

Some victims who are undergoing treatment at NITOR with injuries sustained during the July-August uprising have been staging demonstrations by blockading Mirpur road on several demands. The blockade disrupted traffic and caused severe traffic gridlock on the road and adjacent areas on the first working day of the week. Their demands included proper medical treatment, rehabilitation, compensation, and official recognition of their sacrifices. Control battery-run rickshaw movement to avoid accidents: National Committee As of filing this report at 2:40pm, the protest was ongoing, disrupting the vehicular movement. Earlier on Saturday night, the injured vicitms took to Agargaon-Shishu Mela Link Road around 9pm, halting traffic movement. Sher-E-Bangla Nagar Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Golam Azam said additional police personnel were deployed in the area and trying to solve the issue. Anti-Discrimination Student movement condemns BNP leader's death in joint forces' custody

Vehicular movement on Rangamati-Chattogram road remained halted for three hours on Monday as the students of Rangamati Science and Technology University (RMSTU)  blocked the road demanding recruitment of a vice-chancellor. The students of RMSTU took to the street at Banrupa Bazar point around 11:30 am and staged demonstrations demanding appointment of a VC at the university. The administrative and academic activities of RMSTU have been hampered seriously due to the lack of a vice-chancellor at the university, creating complexity in the recruitment process of teachers. This has brought the university to a standstill, and as a result, the educational activities are lagging behind. The agitating students threatened to continue their movement until the education adviser announces the appointment of the VC. The protesters also threatened to go for tougher movement if their demand goes unheeded. Dismissed employees of S Alam-owned banks stage road blockade in Ctg However, the traffic movement came to normal after three hours as some political parties of the district town assured the students of appointing a VC at their university soon. The post of Vice Chancellor has been lying vacant since August 18, last year following the resignation of the previous VC.  

Prime Asia University students on Sunday staged a road blockade at the capital’s Banani Kakoli intersection for the second consecutive day on Sunday, pressing for several demands, including the construction of a permanent campus and the resignation of the chairman of the board of trustees. Md Ashikur Rahman, sub-inspector (SI) of Banani Police Station, said the demonstration, which started at 3:10 pm, caused serious traffic disruptions in the area before dispersing them at 3:45 pm. Jatrabari’s Kitchen Market: Traders block roads, cause traffic turmoil  Students expressed their grievances, alleging that promises to shift at least one department to the university’s permanent campus by December remain unfulfilled. They said that the board of trustees is attempting to sell the designated permanent campus site at Purbachal’s 300 Feet area instead of relocating academic activities there. Inquilab Mancha stages sit-in outside CA’s residence The students also accused some members of the board of trustees of embezzling university funds.  

Garment factory workers once again staged a protest by blocking the Nabinagar-Chandra Highway in Ashulia on Thursday morning, causing serious traffic congestion over a 3-kilometre stretch of the busy road. Officials and police said the workers of GAB Ltd under the Shahriar Garments section took to the streets, demanding the removal of a senior official. This protest comes just days after a previous demonstration where the workers had raised multiple demands, which the factory authorities initially agreed to meet. Unrest flares up at 10 factories in Gazipur; Dhaka-Mymensingh highway blocked However, tensions flared again as the workers accused the factory management of reneging on their promises.  

Vehicular movement on Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways remained suspended for an hour on Wednesday as local people blocked those protesting the death of a trader allegedly under police custody. However, police said he died in a road crash while returning to his home. Local people said a team of police from Bason Police Station arrested four people from Bhogra Bypass area on Saturday night on charge of gambling. Later, police released three of them except Rabiul Islam, 40, a resident of Peyara Bagan in Gazipur city. On Tuesday night, police went to the house of Rabiul and took signature of his wife on a white paper, they said. Soon after that, Rabiul’s wife came to know that Rabiul died in the night. Also read: Man dies in police custody in Tangail Enraged by the death of Rabiul, local people, equipped with sticks, put up barricades on Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways around 9:30 am, disrupting traffic movement. They also set two motorbikes on fire. On information, police rushed to the spot and lobbed tear gas shells and used rubber bullets to disperse them. Vehicular movement on both the highways came to normal at 10:30 pm after police intervention. However, Abu Torab, deputy commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police, Shamsur Rahman, said Rabiul died in a road crash while returning to his home from police lockup. “The allegation brought by the local people will be investigated,” he said. END/UNB/Corr/MAS/FH

Vehicular movement on Chattogram-Khagrachhari road, which remained suspended for the past three days due to blockade by Hefazat-e-Islami activists after a clash with police, resumed on Sunday night. Hathazari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ruhul Amin said the vehicular movement on the road resumed around 10 pm after the Hefazat men withdrew the blockade following a fruitful meeting with the local administration. Also read: Hefazat’s hartal underway; Dhaka-Chattorgam highway blocked Allama Azizul Haque Islamabadi, organising secretary of central unit of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, said “The local administration sat with us several times and after getting assurance the Madrasha student withdrew their blockade from the road after the end of our day long hartal.” The nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal, enforced by Hefajat-e-Islam, passed off on Sunday amid sporadic incidents of clashes, vandalism, arson attacks and roads blockades at different parts of the country. Hefajat called the general strike protesting the killing of its activists and the "attack on them by ruling party men" Friday during anti-Modi demonstrations in Dhaka, Chattogram and other districts. Also read: Four killed in clashes with cops in Chattogram   Road communications between the port city and other parts of the country remained suspended since Sunday noon as no long-route bus left Chattogram due to the hartal. Some students of Al Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam Madrasah cut roads and created a number of holes on Chattogram-Khagrachhari highway early Sunday, disrupting communications on the road. Also read: Hefazat activists stage demo in Chattogram; Hartal tomorrow  A clash involving Hefazat supporters and police left four people dead and at least 15 others injured at Hathazari in Chattogram on Friday. The clash took place when policed opened fire after a group of protestors attacked Hathazari thana compound and Hathazari land office and set fire to a vehicle.