Section 144 imposed in Companiganj’s Basurhat

Upazila administration has imposed Section 144 in Noakhali's Companiganj upazila's Basurhat Municipality after Mayor Abdul Quader Mirza and his arch rival former upazila chairman Mizanur Rahman Badal declared separate protest programmes at the same venue.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ziaul Haque Mir confirmed the matter to The Business Standard last night.

He said the order would be effective from 6am to 6pm on Monday in Basurhat municipal area of the upazila. 

Section 144 prohibits political parties, mass gatherings, meetings, rallies, rallies, processions, any kind of programme and political propaganda in the municipal area. 

Meanwhile, miscreants placed wood logs on several roads of the upazila including Kabirhat-Busarhat, Chaprashirhat-Basurhat and Daganbhuna-Basurhat roads after 10 pm.

Several vehicles were vandalised and roads have become empty which has brought over eerie dead silence in the municipality.

Journalist Burhan Uddin Muzakkir, who suffered bullet wounds during a clash, died while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital at 10:45pm on Saturday, after which supporters of Quader Mirza declared they would organise a mourning programme at Basurhat Rupali Chattar at 2:30pm on Monday.

However, Badal and his supporters announced a protest rally at the same place at the same time at a press conference on Saturday afternoon.

Earlier on Friday night, during a Facebook Live programme, Badal claimed that journalist Muzakkir was his supporter.

Although Mirza's supporters claimed the deceased journalist as their supporter, the mayor himself did not do so.