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Published : 19 Dec 2025, 11:11 AM
The Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover has reopened to traffic after being blocked for four and a half hours overnight due to student protests and road blockades.
Students took to the streets in the area to protest around 11pm as news spread of the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a convener for the Inqilab Moncho who had intended to contest the Dhaka-8 parliamentary seat in the upcoming general election.
A protesting crowd took up positions at the Jatrabari intersection, lit fires, and stood in a circle chanting slogans.
The protest blocked the only economic corridor between Dhaka and Chattogram. Traffic on the Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover and the roads below was brought to a standstill, with heavy-duty buses, covered vans, and trucks loaded with goods caught in gridlock.
The container track headed towards Chittagong Port was also blocked.
The Jatrabari road is the only route that travels from Dhaka to 16 southern districts.
As the weekend falls on Friday and Saturday, traffic on this route is usually heavy on Thursdays as people return home.
The sudden protest caused tailbacks that stretched from the outskirts of Dhaka city to the Gulistan entrance of the elevated road in a matter of moments.
Jasim Uddin, a covered van driver who was stuck at the Sayedabad Dayaganj intersection at 1am, told bdnews24.com, "Brother, we left Dhaka at night. We reached the Dayaganj intersection at midnight and could not proceed further."
Protests were also held at Shonir Akhra and Chittagong Road in Dhaka, leading to vehicles leaving Dhaka getting stuck on the road between Jatrabari and Chittagong Road.
Student Nazmul Hasan, who took part in the protest, told bdnews24.com: "Hadi Bhai's killer was able to escape due to the administration's failure. We want the resignation of Home Affairs Advisor Jahangir [Alam Chowdhury], Law Advisor Asif Nazrul and the IG (inspector general) of police. Killing a single Hadi will not stop the July [Uprising].”
Traffic began to move again around 4am, after the agitated protesters cleared the road.
Ashraful Islam, a toll collector at the Kazla toll plaza on the Jatrabari-Gulistan Flyover, told bdnews24.com: "Vehicles crossed the toll plaza at Kazla point at 4:12 am. They were stuck in front of the counter since 11:30pm."
A number of the vehicles on the flyover could have proceeded through the Demra Point toll plaza. Those leaving Dhaka along the route did not face any issues.
However, the road to Jatrabari along the opposite lane was blocked by traffic.
It took until 8:30am on Friday for the traffic jams to clear and for traffic to move at a regular pace through the area.
Even then, long queues of vehicles leaving Dhaka could be seen moving slowly along the road.
