Protesters attacked the Upazila Parishad and a police station in Bhanga, Faridpur, in response to the recent parliamentary seat reorganization. The incident occurred at approximately 1:00 pm on Monday, September 15. Traffic on the Faridpur-Barishal and Dhaka-Khulna corridors was halted, and the area remained tense. Eyewitnesses say thousands of protesters surged into the Upazila Parishad, damaged government offices, and set several structures ablaze. The mob also attacked the police station, damaging at least three police vehicles and multiple other vehicles, including motorcycles. Firefighters arrived and managed to control the blazes.
Attempts to contact Bhanga Police Station OC Ashraf Hossain were unsuccessful, as he did not answer repeated calls. Bhanga Highway Police OC Rokibuzzaman confirmed to Jago News that the situation had been normal earlier in the day but deteriorated when thousands of protesters suddenly attacked the Upazila Parishad and police station, causing property damage and fires. He added that more details would follow.
The Election Commission recently released a gazette notification reorganizing national parliamentary seats, merging the Algi and Hamirdi unions of Bhanga into Faridpur-2 from Faridpur-4. Since the gazette’s publication, locals have blocked highways and railways for five days in protest, disrupting traffic on the Dhaka-Khulna and Faridpur-Barishal routes and affecting 21 districts in the southwestern region.
