Case filed against 70 over Ctg highway blockade after Aslam Chowdhury's candidacy annulled; 2 arrested
The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) filed the case with Sitakund Model Police Station on Wednesday (1 July).
A case has been filed against 70 people over the felling of roadside trees and the blockade of the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway in Chattogram's Sitakunda following the annulment of BNP leader Aslam Chowdhury's parliamentary candidacy.
Police have so far arrested two people in connection with the incident.
The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) filed the case with Sitakund Model Police Station on Wednesday (1 July).
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Confirming the matter to The Business Standard, the police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Mohinul Islam said two suspects had been arrested, but their identities were being withheld for the sake of the investigation.
"The case has been filed over the cutting down of government trees, creating a blockade on the highway and causing public inconvenience. Video footage from the scene is being analysed to identify the remaining accused," the OC added.
The unrest erupted on Tuesday after the Appellate Division upheld the cancellation of Aslam Chowdhury's candidacy for the Chattogram-4 (Sitakunda and part of Chattogram city) constituency in the 13th parliamentary election.
According to police and local sources, supporters of the BNP leader blocked different sections of the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway by cutting down roadside trees in the Kumira, Bhatiari, Salimpur, Barabkunda and Chhoto Darogarhat areas from afternoon until evening.
The blockade triggered severe traffic congestion stretching nearly 40 kilometres, leaving thousands of passengers stranded for hours.
Earlier that day, a four-member Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury delivered the final verdict declaring Aslam Chowdhury's candidacy invalid.
Aslam had initially been declared the unofficial winner of the Chattogram-4 seat. However, his nomination was challenged by Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Anwar Siddique, who appealed against its validity. Following the hearing, the Appellate Division declared Aslam's nomination invalid, prompting protests by his supporters that brought parts of the highway to a standstill.
