Constituency cuts trigger protests across Bangladesh

In Bagerhat, leaders and activists under the all-party combined committee staged sit-ins in front of the deputy commissioner’s office and the district election office, demanding that the district’s four parliamentary constituencies be retained.

Defying heavy rain, demonstrators gathered early at the main gate of the DC office before marching to the election office, locking its main entrance and chanting slogans in support of their demand.

Later, they also laid siege to the DC office gate.

Parallel demonstrations erupted across all nine upazila-level election and UNO offices, as well as other government establishments. The sit-ins continued until noon, reports leading newspaper, The Daily Star.

In Faridpur’s Bhanga upazila, residents began a three-day road and rail blockade on Sunday morning to protest the transfer of Algi and Hamirdi unions into the Faridpur-2 constituency from Faridpur-4.

The blockade will be enforced daily at multiple key points, including Hospital Gate, Rail Line, Puliya Bus Stand, Pukuria Rail Crossing, Pukuria Bus Stand, Mansurabad Bus Stand, Hamirdi Bus Stand, Madhabpur Bus Stand, and Suyadi Bus Stand, according to the reports.

Meanwhile, a dawn-to-dusk protest kicked off in Pabna’s Bera upazila, enforcing both road and river route blockades against the removal of Bera upazila from the Pabna-1 constituency.

The Shorbodolio Songram Committee, a movement platform backed by local BNP leaders, called the hartal demanding that Pabna-1 remain unchanged, according to The Daily Star.

Agitators erected barricades at various points in the Bera Bus Stand area, halting vehicular traffic along the Dhaka-Pabna highway.

Shops and businesses also remained shuttered, while protesters staged demonstrations across the highway, voicing anger over the Election Commission’s move.