July Oikya lifts road blockade in North Badda

Protesters lifted their blockade on the Pragati Sharani in North Badda on Wednesday evening, around an hour after they enforced the move demanding that India extradite fugitive death-row convict Sheikh Hasina, and the alleged perpetrators behind attack on Osman Hadi.

They warned of tougher movement in the near future, if the attackers of Hadi, a key figure in the July Uprising, are not repatriated from their suspected hiding place in India.

Earlier around 3:15pm, the protesters, led by a group named “July Oikya,” launched a march from the Rampura Bridge towards the Indian High Commission in Gulshan. However, were blocked by police mid-way in North Badda.

Facing stiff police resistance, hundreds of protesters sat down on the road around 4:15pm.

Addressing the sit-in, DUCSU Social Welfare Secretary AB Zubair said they had no intention of advancing further and only wanted to send a message to India and others concerned that “no one would be allowed to impose dominance over Bangladesh.”

“There is no fear. We will not attack the Indian High Commission. Our protest is a non-violent one. But if anyone tries to maintain hegemony over Bangladesh, they will not be spared,” he said.

The protesters used loudspeakers to chant different slogans against what they alleged “Indian expansionist policies” and “anti-Bangladesh conspiracies.

Due to the blockade, severe traffic congestion gripped the Badda-Gulshan 2-Notun Bazar area. With police barricades on both sides of the road and protesters occupying one side, all types of vehicles remained halted from Natun Bazar to Rampura for nearly two hours.

Vehicular movement on the Gulshan–Badda link road was also suspended during the blockade, causing immense suffering to commuters.

Around 5pm, July Oikya announced the end of its programme. Although traffic resumed on the Rampura-Natun Bazar road after police removed the barricades, heavy congestion persisted across the area due to pressure from stranded vehicles.