Highway blocked for 5hrs in Uttara

Vehicular movement on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway remained suspended for five hours as locals blocked the road in Uttara of Dhaka today following the death of a minor boy in Dakshin Khan area.

The road was cleared around 4:50pm following the intervention of law enforcers, Abdur Razzak, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Uttara West Police Station, told The Daily Star.

People suffer in the rain as vehicular movement remained suspended on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway for five hours on February 27, 2019. Photo: Palash Khan

Police fired tear shells and charged baton to bring the situation under control as the locals hurled brick chips at the law enforcers, police said.

Nearly 300-400 people took to the highway in front of Rajlokkhi market around 12:00pm and demanded justice for the boy, Rifat, 8, who was found dead at a septic tank at Dakshin Khan, the OC said.

They also demanded exemplary punishment of the killers after their arrest, the OC said.

Commuters suffered as traffic gridlocks on both east and west side of Uttara on the highway were created due to the blockade.

Momena Begum, a paternal aunt of the child, said Rifat, son of Abdur Rashid of Ajampur of Dakshin Khan, went missing on February 23.

Police recovered the body of Rifat at a septic tank of the house of Ajit Kumar Basak in the area on February 25, she said.  

She alleged that police did not take any step over the murder although a case was filed in this connection.