A blockade was reportedly staged at the south toll plaza of the Padma Bridge in the Naodoba area of Jajira upazila, Shariatpur, allegedly involving activists of the banned Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League.
The incident took place around 1:00 am on Tuesday (November 10).
Videos circulated on social media show a large crowd carrying oars and blocking the road in front of the south toll plaza. The footage suggests that toll plaza operations remained suspended for nearly an hour, disrupting traffic and leaving vehicles stranded on both sides of the bridge.
Sounds resembling cocktail explosions can be heard in several livestreamed videos. Claims accompanying the footage put the number of explosions at around 25. Several vehicles were also reportedly vandalised. However, the identities of those responsible for the explosions and vandalism could not be independently confirmed immediately.
The videos show participants chanting slogans including “Joy Bangla” and “Joy Bangabandhu”, as well as slogans in the names of ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Shariatpur-1 lawmaker Iqbal Hossain Apu.
The report says the programme was livestreamed from several Facebook accounts, including one named ‘Danib Bin Iqbal’, identified as the account of former MP Iqbal Hossain Apu’s son. The footage subsequently spread widely across social media.
Meanwhile, as people reportedly began gathering around the toll plaza from different directions, police personnel took shelter inside the Padma Bridge South Police Station after closing its main gate, according to the report.
No immediate official statement was available from the police or the relevant authorities regarding the incident.
Repeated attempts to contact Padma Bridge South Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdus Salam by phone for comment were unsuccessful.
