Published : 05 May 2025, 02:25 PM
Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat and Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Sena have blocked different roads in Chattogram to protest the murder of Mohammad Rois Uddin, former president of the Dhaka Metropolitan Area unit of the Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Sena.
Protests have been held from 9am to noon on Monday in the port city and different parts of the district.
Islami Chhatra Sena is the student affiliate of Islamic political party Bangladesh Islami Front, which was founded in the 1990s.
Islami Front Secretary General SUM Abdus Samad alleges that police attacked protesters in the city’s Muradpur, on Kaptai Road, and Banshkhali Upazila and also detained several people.
Since the morning, blockades have been held in various parts of the city's Bahaddarhat, Muradpur, Sholshahar, GEC, Saltgola Crossing, Hatahazari, Banshkhali, Chandanaish, Nazirhat areas. Leaders and activists of different organisations belonging to Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat also took part in the programme.
Chattogram City Police Assistant Commissioner (Port) Mahmudul Hasan told bdnews24.com, "Some people stood on the side of Ishan Mistry Ghat road and raised peaceful slogans. The police were present. None of them came onto the main road, due to which there was no disruption in traffic."
Around 12:30pm, police engaged in a back and forth chase with the protesters in the Muradpur Railgate area.
The protesters set fire to the Chattogram-Dohazari railway line and the police chased them. Brickbats were thrown and police retaliated with sound grenades.
The police chased the protesters onto Sunni Madrasa Road. Several people were seen being detained.
Islamic Front leader Samad told bdnews24.com, "We were conducting a peaceful blockade programme since 9am. After 11am, the police lobbed sound grenades at our programme in the Muradpur area. They attacked our activists and took several people away."
He also alleged that leaders and activists were attacked and detained in other places, including Banshkhali.
Although there was a road blockade in Hathazari as well, it ended peacefully.
Chattogram District Additional Superintendent of Police (Hathazari Circle) Kazi Md Tarek Aziz said that blockades took place in the Bora Dighi Par, University Gate No. 1, Hathazari Bus Stand and Katirhat areas.
“They stayed there for a while and left. There was no disturbance anywhere.”
On Apr 27, a group of people tied Rois Uddin, the imam and khatib of a mosque in the Hyderabad area of Gazipur, to a tree and beat him over allegations of “child rape”. Later, they handed him over to the police. He died in jail the next morning.
Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat have since held protests in different parts of the country, including Chattogram, claiming Rois’s death was a “planned” murder.