People without any income—who lived day-to-day before the countrywide shutdown—blocked the Dhaka-Barisal Highway in Muksudpur upazila of Gopalganj on Tuesday demanding relief materials.
Residents of Morolpara, Karikorpara and Hindupara under Dignagar union demonstrated at Rathkhola from 9am to 12pm halting movement of vehicles.
Protesters said around 800 families in the upazila—most of whom are fruit vendors, day labourers, and hawkers—have been left without any income since March 26 because of the shutdown.
They said hunger forced them to come out on the road. “We don’t have anything to eat and we didn’t receive any food aid,” one of them said.
UP Chairman Md Ali said the protesters withdrew the blockade after he along with ABM Masudur Rahman, Awami League president of Dignagar union unit and former chairman Jahidul Islam went to the spot and assured them of providing relief items soon.
A huge number of people under the poverty line have been hit the hardest during the government announced general holidays.
Similarly, poor people and people who’ve been put out of jobs during this countrywide shutdown protested in Rangpur and Gaibandha as well on Tuesday.
In Rangpur, thousands of slum dwellers shut off the main road in Lalbag rail crossing of the city demanding food relief.
They demand necessary food relief from the government as they have been forced to remain at home and without work for the past 20 days.
Rangpur City Corporation Mayor Mostafizar Rahman said: “We have distributed 10kg rice to each of 640 families living in Lalbag slum from the city corporation fund. The government has also provided 10kg rice to each family in every ward.
“We will see if we can do more for the slum dwellers in Lalbag,” he added.
In Gaibandha, locals gathered in front of the Sadullapur upazila Nirbahi office and the Gobindaganj municipal office seeking relief assistance.
Sadullapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Nabinewaz said: “We have made a list of all those day labourers without jobs who had come seeking assistance. The UP chairman has been made aware so that the people are provided assistance as soon as government relief reaches him.”
Meanwhile, during the protest in Gobindaganj, a number of ward councillors of the municipality took part in the demonstration.
Ward 5 Councillor Shahin Akand alleged that the municipal mayor had been giving away government relief rice to people of his choosing and ignoring the people most in need in his area and seven other wards.
Contacted, Gobindaganj Municipal Mayor Ataur Rahman said: “There are seven ward councillors who’ve been difficult to cooperate with in regards to the distribution of relief items among the people in need. These councillors have gathered a number of poor people and created an artificial crisis.
