Local residents briefly blocked the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in the Paduar Bazar Bishwa Road area of Comilla on Thursday, demanding a permanent solution to a long-standing land dispute involving 13 villages adjacent to Comilla Airport.
The blockade began around 10:45am and lasted for about 30 minutes, causing traffic congestion on both sides of the highway and disrupting commuters and transport operators.
After withdrawing the blockade, the protesters formed a human chain beside the highway.
The demonstrators said residents of the 13 villages have long been in dispute with the authorities over land ownership, taxation and road access in the area surrounding the airport. They alleged that repeated attempts to resolve the issues had failed.
Local resident Mir Hossain claimed that ancestral land belonging to local families had been unlawfully occupied and that access roads for residents had been restricted.
"We want our rightful ownership restored. This issue has remained unresolved for years," he said.
Another resident, Mahbub Majumdar, said the land had belonged to local families since the British colonial period.
"We want a permanent and acceptable solution to this problem," he added.
Ashiq Chowdhury, president of a local organization called Nij Ghore Parbasi, said residents of the 13 villages were seeking a lasting resolution to the land-related complications.
The protesters warned that tougher programmes would be announced if the dispute is not resolved through negotiations.
Comilla Mainamati Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Momin said police personnel were working at the scene to maintain traffic flow.
Sadar South Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Rakibul Islam said residents had initially formed a human chain and later attempted to block the highway.
"We removed them from the road, and traffic movement has returned to normal," he said.
The human chain was attended by district BNP leader SA Bari Selim, Sadar South Upazila BNP President Advocate Akhter Hossain, General Secretary Faruk Chowdhury, local leader Ashiq Chowdhury, BNP leader Mahbub Majumdar and several thousand residents from the 13 villages.
