Dhaka paralysed as political rallies trigger daylong traffic congestion
Severe traffic congestion paralysed Dhaka on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, causing significant hardship for office workers, pedestrians, students, teachers, and guardians.
The situation was exacerbated by the afternoon school holidays, which intensified the suffering of students and their families. This was observed during visits to various parts of the capital.
According to traffic police, political rallies were the primary cause of the gridlock.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) officers on duty reported that political rallies frequently disrupt traffic in the capital, leading to prolonged congestion and increased public suffering.
A divisional youth rally organised by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s affiliate bodies – Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal, Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal, and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal – took place in Nayapaltan, aiming to advocate for the political rights of youth.
Although scheduled to begin at 2:00pm, large crowds of BNP leaders and activists from Dhaka, Sylhet, Mymensingh, and Faridpur, as well as surrounding districts like Gazipur, Narayanganj, Manikganj, and Comilla, gathered earlier, arriving in processions and causing widespread traffic disruptions.
DMP Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Md Sarwar told Jago News, “Today’s youth rally by Chhatra Dal and Juba Dal has drawn lakhs of people to Nayapaltan. Additionally, a rally by Jamaat-e-Islami supporters in Shahbagh, following the release of their leader ATM Azharul Islam this morning, triggered initial congestion. These two political events have caused severe traffic jams across most of the city, except for parts of Mirpur and Uttara.”
He added that DMP personnel, from deputy commissioners to inspectors, were deployed to manage the situation, but the scale of the rallies overwhelmed efforts to control traffic.
Thousands of BNP supporters, many wearing green, yellow, and red caps and T-shirts and chanting party slogans, gathered at Nayapaltan, where a stage was set up opposite the BNP’s central office.
The road in front of the stage was completely blocked, causing gridlock in adjacent areas, including Shahbagh, Kakrail, Motijheel, Moghbazar, Shantinagar, Malibagh, Bijoynagar, and Fakirapool.
Commuters, such as Ishtiaq Hossain, a private firm employee traveling from Khilgaon to Farmgate, reported being stuck for hours, missing appointments and facing significant delays.
The rally will feature a virtual address by BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, who will outline the party’s political strategy for youth empowerment, alongside senior leaders like Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Abdul Moyeen Khan. BNP leader Jilani, at a press briefing on Monday, claimed the rally would attract over 15 lakh young people, building on the success of earlier events in Chattogram, Khulna, and Bogura.
He emphasised that the rally aimed to restore voting rights for youth, who he claimed had been deprived for 17 years.
This event, part of a broader programme announced on April 28, marked the culmination of four seminars and rallies across 10 divisions to empower youth in building a just state.
The public bore the brunt of the disruptions. Students and guardians, particularly affected due to school holidays, struggled to navigate the city.
A commuter traveling from Mohammadpur to Shahbagh described the situation as chaotic, noting a lack of effective traffic management at major intersections.
Meanwhile, residents like Jasim Uddin, stuck at Shahbagh, and Billal Hossain, traveling from Badda to Gulistan, expressed frustration over the recurring impact of political rallies on daily life. The traffic chaos underscored Dhaka’s ongoing struggle with congestion, worsened by large-scale political events, leaving commuters and residents grappling with delays and financial losses.