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Daily life in Bangladesh’s capital came to a near halt on Monday as protest marches and sit-ins blocked key intersections across Dhaka.
Escalating demonstrations triggered massive traffic congestion, leaving commuters stranded and forcing many to walk long distances to reach offices, schools and hospitals. As a result, restricted public transport added to the hardship faced by residents.
Major roads witnessed prolonged traffic snarls, further intensifying the strain on daily commuters.
Earlier on Sunday, mobile phone shop owners from across Bangladesh staged a sit-in at the busy Karwan Bazar intersection.
The protest formed part of a nationwide shutdown, with traders pressing multiple demands, including the postponement of the National Equipment Identity Register.
According to The Daily Star, the sit-in was announced a day earlier and saw participation from traders’ families as well. Additionally, protesters declared an indefinite closure of mobile phone shops nationwide, amplifying the impact of the agitation.
Soon after the protest began, police intervened and reportedly baton-charged demonstrators to clear the intersection. Later in the afternoon, some protesters regrouped and resumed demonstrations, leading to fresh clashes in nearby areas.
Subsequently, confrontations spread to Sonargaon intersection near Bashundhara City Shopping Complex, as well as Panthapath and Kathalbagan.
Reports indicated that the clashes injured more than a dozen people, including several police personnel.
Citing eyewitnesses, The Daily Star reported that police fired tear gas shells, used sound grenades and deployed a water cannon to disperse the crowd.
Several protesters were detained, while others sought refuge inside nearby buildings.
Explaining the police response, Tejgaon Division Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ibne Mizan said law enforcers had initially requested traders to vacate the area.
“As they refused, we used tear gas shells, a water cannon and sound grenades to disperse them. The protesters later regrouped and attacked the police by throwing brick chips. We chased them to the Motalib Plaza area,” he said.
Meanwhile, students from Tejgaon College blocked the Farmgate intersection. They were demanding justice for Sakibul Hasan Rana, who died days after sustaining injuries in a dormitory attack.
Traffic movement in the surrounding areas came to a complete standstill.
Expressing frustration, one of Rana’s friends said assurances from authorities had failed to deliver justice, prompting the renewed blockade.
Separately, leaders and supporters of the radical platform Inquilab Moncho gathered at Shahbagh intersection to launch their ‘March for Insaf’, demanding swift arrests in the killing of their leader, Sharif Osman Hadi.
In response to the escalating unrest, authorities later deployed members of the Bangladesh Army and the Rapid Action Battalion.
Notably, Bangladesh has seen rising protests and worsening law-and-order conditions since the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government assumed power.
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