Protesters blocked Shahbagh intersection on Friday evening, bringing traffic from Shahbagh to Banglamotor to a complete halt for nearly two hours, as they demanded a United Nations-led investigation into the killing of Inquilab Mancha convener Sharif Osman Hadi and the trial of those responsible.
The blockade led to clashes between police and demonstrators at InterContinental intersection, where authorities used baton charges, water cannons, sound grenades, and tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. The confrontations, which began at 3:30pm., continued intermittently until 5:30pm, and as of the latest reports, protesters remain at the site.
By 6pm., observers reported scattered bricks along the road from InterContinental intersection to Banglamotor. Police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were on high alert. Crowds of onlookers gathered on the Banglamotor foot overpass and rooftops of nearby buildings. When the situation eased slightly, police removed barricades, allowing brief traffic movement, but the Shahbagh blockade halted vehicles again.
Protesters had been staging a sit-in since Thursday in front of the chief adviser’s residence at Jamuna, demanding justice for Hadi’s murder. Later in the evening, some protesters staged a sit-in in front of Hotel InterContinental, where several stayed overnight.
By Friday afternoon, crowds increased around InterContinental intersection and Banglamotor. Police set up barbed wire barricades to prevent protesters from entering the VIP zone on Minto Road.
At around 3:30pm, when demonstrators tried to break the barricades toward Jamuna, clashes escalated. Protesters threw bricks at police, who responded with water cannons, sound grenades, and baton charges, pushing groups toward Shahbagh and Banglamotor.
