Expressway Blocked in Front of Padma Bridge, Truck Set on Fire, Traffic Halted

In connection with the Awami League’s online “lockdown” program, the Dhaka–Bhanga Expressway in front of the Padma Bridge at Jajira in Shariatpur has been blocked.

At around 6 a.m. on Thursday, Awami League leaders and activists gathered in the Naodoba area. During this time, a truck was set on fire in the Naodoba Tastarkandi area.

Due to the blockade, traffic movement through the Padma Bridge was suspended from 6 a.m. Later, after around 8:30 a.m., a few vehicles began to cross the bridge, but movement on the expressway remains halted.

According to sources at the Jajira Padma Bridge South Police Station and local residents, as part of the “lockdown” program, Awami League activists blocked the Dhaka–Bhanga Expressway on the Jajira end of the bridge early in the morning. They took positions at several points in the Naodoba area. Around 7 a.m., a truck was set ablaze in the Tastarkandi area. Fire service personnel rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control. During the incident, two passenger buses were vandalized. To create panic, the protesters lit tires on the road and staged a procession, during which several crude bomb (cocktail) explosions occurred.

The blockade caused a traffic jam stretching at least half a kilometer at Jamaddar Mor in Jajira. Police from the Padma Bridge South Station and local residents ensured the security of stranded vehicles. Meanwhile, no vehicles were seen operating on Shariatpur roads since the morning.

Faruk Ahmed Talukdar, president of the Shariatpur Bus Owners Association, told the media that two Shariatpur buses were set on fire yesterday in Dhaka’s Dholairpar area. Today, a blockade is underway near the Padma Bridge. In fear, bus owners and workers have suspended vehicle movement. Operations will resume once the situation returns to normal.

Golam Rasul, officer-in-charge (OC) of Jajira Padma Bridge South Police Station, told the media that protesters gathered on the road about one kilometer west of the bridge since morning. When police tried to disperse them, miscreants set fire to a truck. Later, police helped clear the stranded vehicles near the southern side of the bridge. After 8:30 a.m., some vehicles from Shariatpur started crossing the bridge, though traffic on the expressway remains suspended.

Khaborwala/TSN