Pabna Correspondent:

Residents of Bera upazila blocked the Dhaka-Pabna highway on Sunday to protest the recent redrawing of Pabna-1 and Pabna-2 constituency boundaries.

The program was organized by the BNP and its allied organizations on Sunday from 10am to 12pm.

Locals gathered at the C&B bus stand in Bera on Sunday morning, blocking the Dhaka-Pabna highway by burning tyres and demanding cancellation of the new constituency boundary. Shops in the area remained closed and traffic was halted during the protest.

Speakers said Bera upazila has been merged with Sujanagar under Pabna-2 despite having stronger social and business ties with Santhia. They termed the change “illogical,” noting that Bera is only eight kilometres from Santhia but nearly 40 kilometres from Sujanagar. They also pointed out that voter numbers in Pabna-2 are now almost double those in Pabna-1.

Officer-in-charge of Bera Model police station Oliur Rahman said: “The police remained on alert during the rally. No untoward incident occurred. The program ended peacefully. The highway blockage caused traffic congestion, which later returned to normal.”