Students of Islamic University and local people have blocked Kushtia-Jhenaidah national highway on Saturday, protesting the decision to relocate the IU police station to Jhaudia.
The blockade was not removed till filing of this report, causing a traffic jam stretching nearly five kilometers on both sides of the highway.
Residents from nearby areas including Bittipara, Horinarayanpur, Lakshmipur, Madhupur, Abdalpur, and Shantidanga, marched to the university campus and staged protest around 12 pm.
Abu Bakar Siddique, general secretary of Islamic University Police Station Implementation Committee, said, “We intended to hold a peaceful demonstration but the agitated locals refused to clear the road. They will lift the blockade only if the police superintendent or deputy commissioner officially announces the cancellation of the relocation decision.”
Earlier, hundreds of residents from Madhupur, Lakshmipur, and Bittipara marched to the university campus chanting slogans rejecting the "unjust decision" to relocate the police station.
Upon reaching the campus, they blocked the highway.
On February 4, locals had staged a similar blockade on the same highway demanding the immediate relocation of the police station to Jhaudia.
Kushtia Superintendent of Police Mizanur Rahman said no final decision has been made yet and the matter will be resolved through discussions.