Published : 30 Jul 2026, 05:57 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:28 AM
The district administration has withdrawn Section 144, which bans public gatherings, from the Habiganj municipal area.
District Magistrate GM Sharfaraz signed the order on Thursday, saying the situation had returned to normal, according to the latest report from law-enforcing agencies.
The restriction had been imposed on Jul 29 to prevent a deterioration in law and order, control public gatherings and avert any untoward incident.
It followed an alleged attack on Tuesday evening by local Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal activists on a vehicle carrying National Citizen Party (NCP) leaders, as they returned from a march in Habiganj town.
Tension gripped the town from Wednesday morning as NCP and Jubo Dal-Chhatra Dal announced rival programmes in protest and counter-protest.
The deputy commissioner imposed Section 144 after 10am, with police deployed at key intersections and three platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on duty to reinforce security.
NCP's central leaders, including Convenor Nahid Islam, Member Secretary Akhtar Hossen, Chief Organiser Sarjis Alam, Hasnat Abdullah, Sarwar Tushar and Jatiya Nari Shakti Member Secretary Mahmuda Mitu, later tried to enter Habiganj that afternoon, defying the restriction.
Police blocked their convoy at Rashidpur on the old Dhaka-Sylhet Highway in Bahubal Upazila, sparking an argument and scuffle, followed by over two hours of tense negotiations.
NCP eventually suspended its protest programme.
Police denied the party's request to send a delegation to Habiganj Sadar Police Station over Tuesday's attack, citing security concerns, so a five-member NCP delegation led by Nahid instead filed a written complaint at Kamaichhara Police Camp.
Police Superintendent Tarek Mahmud said the handwritten complaint would be forwarded to Habiganj Sadar Police Station for verification before legal action is taken.
