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Published : 14 Sep 2025, 02:28 PM
Protesters have held a third round of blockades in Faridpur’s Bhanga demanding the reinstatement of two unions and protesting redrawing of parliamentary constituencies.
Meanwhile, protesters forced passengers out of the trains while blocking the railway, reports say.
The protesters blockaded at least 10 areas along two highways and railway lines during a pre-planned demonstration from 6am on Sunday.
Detective Police (DB) arrested one coordinator of the movement on Saturday night, said Bhanga Police Station OC Md Ashraf Hossain.
Visits to several areas, including Pukhuria, at 10am on Sunday showed locals staging protests by setting fire to tree trunks and tyres on the road.
At 9am, protesters blocked the Nakshi Kantha Commuter train at Hamirdi rail crossing in Bhanga Upazila on the Rajbari-Faridpur-Dhaka route, said Bhanga Railway Station official Sakibur Rahman.
He said Nakshi Kantha left Rajbari for Dhaka and, as the line was blocked, service on the Rajbari=bound Sundarban Express has been suspended.
However, a train to Khulna, the Jahanabad Express, reached Dhaka after crossing Bhanga before the protesters blocked the railway route, said Bhanga Rail Station Officer Sakibur.
Some passengers alleged they were forced out of their trains.
Bacchu Matobber, 52, from Faridpur’s Saltha Upazila, was going to visit his daughter in Dhaka, carrying some onions. He was seen walking to Pukhuria Bus Stand with a sack full of onions on his head.
He expressed his frustration saying- “I tried to go to my daughter's house in Dhaka by train after I missed the bus. After passing that location (Hamirdi rail crossing), we saw a huge fire burning on the road, many people were standing in front of the train. Then the train stopped and we had to get off.”
Monir Hossain, a native of Rangpur was walking as well. He said he went to visit a relative in Madaripur. “I’ll go to Rangpur. I’ve already walked 6km but haven’t found any transport. I don’t understand what could these protests are doing causing difficulties for people.”
Earlier on Saturday, Algi Union Council Chairman M M Siddique Mia called for a three-day dawn to dusk blockade programme through a press briefing under the banner of “Algi and Hamirdi Union and Bhanga Upazila All-Party Unity Council”.
Then DB arrested him from his home on the same day. He has been a coordinator of the protest movement.
Bhanga Police Station OC Md Ashraf Hossain said the DB arrested him and took him to Faridpur. He has yet to be handed over to the police.
On Sept 4, the EC published the revised boundaries for all 300 constituencies. Under the new plan, the Algi and Hamirdi unions of Bhanga Upazila, previously part of the Faridpur-4 constituency, were shifted into Faridpur-2, which includes the Nagarkanda and Saltha Upazilas.
The changes sparked anger among locals, who demand that Faridpur’s constituencies remain unchanged. Protesters said they would not accept the inclusion of their areas in a different constituency.
The next day, they began blocking two highways (Dhaka-Khulna and Dhaka-Barisal) and the expressway. That evening, the protesters lifted the blockade after receiving assurances from the local administration and gave a three-day ultimatum.
However, as their demands were not fulfilled, a three-day dawn to dusk blockade programme was imposed from Tuesday to Thursday. This caused severe suffering to the people of the 21 districts in the southern part of the country.
The blockade programme was halted for Friday and Saturday and resumed for a third round of protests with a three-day blockade programme on Sunday.
Bhanga Upazila Executive Officer Md Mizanur Rahman said, “Adequate law enforcement forces are ready to ensure that people do not suffer and also to keep the traffic flow normal. We are talking to the aggrieved people.”
