Chittagong, Nov 9: A 50-km tailback was created on Dhaka-Chittagong highway on Saturday following road blockade and vandalism by opposition activists in Sitakundu upazila protesting the arrest of five BNP leaders, reports UNB.
Thousands of commuters faced immense sufferings as they got struck in the gridlock stretching from city gate of the port city to Nizampur, Mirsarai.
Earlier, on Friday’s night, plainclothes police arrested BNP standing committee members Barrister Moudud Ahmed, MK Anwar and Barrister Rafiqul Islam Miah from the city’s Karwanbazar area as they came out of Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel around 8:15pm.
Later, BNP Chairperson’s adviser Abdul Awal Mintoo and Khaleda’s special assistant Shimul Biswas were arrested in front of her Gulshan residence at about 1am.
Sources said BNP-led 18 party activists vandalized and torched 8-10 vehicles on Dhaka-Chitagong highway in different areas of Sitakunda upazila on Friday midnight in protest against the arrest of the BNP central leaders.
Resisted by police, the opposition men locked into clash with the law enforcers.
Later, the protesters blocked the highway keeping vehicles haphazardly on it.
Following the incident, vehicular movement on the highway remained suspended till Saturday’s morning.
High way police sources as the protesters left the road early in the morning, highway police started work to free the road.
Though vehicular movement resumed early in the morning, traffic were seen moving at snail’s pace till this afternoon.
-With UNB/The News Today input
