This Thursday morning at around 6 am, in Shariatpur’s Jajira, Awami League leaders and activists blocked the Dhaka-Bhanga Expressway at the Padma Bridge as part of their online-announced ‘lockdown’ programme. Activists staged demonstrations in the Naodoba area and set fire to a truck at Tostarkandi. Fire service personnel promptly arrived and brought the blaze under control. During the incident, two passenger buses were also vandalised.
Due to the blockade, vehicle movement across Padma Bridge was suspended from 6 am. Some vehicles began crossing after 8:30 am, but traffic on the expressway remains disrupted. A traffic jam of at least half a kilometre developed around Jamaddar Mor. Police and local residents ensured the safety of vehicles in the area.
Faruk Ahmed Talukdar, President of the Shariatpur Bus Owners’ Association, stated that yesterday two Shariatpur buses were set on fire in Dhaka’s Dholai Para. Today, due to the Padma Bridge blockade, bus operators and workers are hesitant to operate on the roads. Services are expected to resume once the situation stabilises.
Golam Rasul, Officer-in-Charge of Jajira Padma Bridge South Police Station, said that activists had gathered about one kilometre west of the bridge since morning. When police tried to disperse them, the agitators set fire to a truck. Police later assisted vehicles stranded near the southern end of the bridge to cross safely.
GLIVE/TSN