Tabligh factions' clash spells misery for commuters

Yesterday's clash between two factions of Tabligh Jamaat not just brought sufferings to commuters, but also ended up claiming lives of two commuters, who died as a train ran them over in Khilkhet area while they were walking on the tracks to avoid the road blockade.

Besides, following the clash near Uttara that claimed a life and left scores injured, thousands of city commuters suffered due to the nearly seven hours of traffic congestion on Airport Road.

The deceased are Ishak Mia, 25, and Atik Hosen Chowdhury, 43, Rezaul Islam, sub-inspector of Dhaka Railway Police Station, told The Daily Star. The Netrakona-bound train ran them over around 2:50pm, he said.

They used work as marketing officials and were heading towards Uttara for work purposes.

Meanwhile, many citizens, including children and elderly women, had to take long walks to reach their destinations as buses and other means of transportation could barely move on the road after a group blockaded the road around 9:00am near the airport intersection.

Amid the severe gridlock, passengers of some domestic and international flights failed to reach the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on time, said staffers of the airport.

Some passengers were seen riding on ridesharing motorbikes to reach the airport, carrying heavy luggage.

Vehicular movement on the road returned to normal around 3:45pm when the blockade was lifted following intervention by the law enforcers.

The clash ensured after Fazr prayers, when followers of Tabligh Jamaat leader Saad Kandhalvi tried to enter the Ijtema grounds in Tongi, where supporters of Moulana Jubair Hassan had taken position since Wednesday, police said.

Additional contingent of law enforcers with armored vehicles and water cannons was deployed to avert further clashes.

After the incident, a section of Tabligh Jamaat followers blocked the airport road, said locals.

Meanwhile, the blockade created gridlocks at adjacent Khilkhet, Kuril Biswa Road, Badda, Banani and Mohakhali areas, they said.

Many commuters on Kuril-Biswa Road got down from vehicles and started walking.

Airport-bound passengers were seen walking with luggage at Banani, Mohakhali and as far as Farmgate areas in the afternoon.

Akhtar Hossain, 41, who was walking all the way to the airport from Mohakhali, said he needed to catch a flight bound for Chattogram at 3:00pm.

“I started walking from Mohakhali as my car got stuck in traffic jam there around 12:30pm. I started from Dhanmondi-27 around 11:30am,” he told this newspaper around 1:30pm at Khilkhet.

Shamsunnahar, 52, started from Sadarghat area in the morning to go to Gazipur. Carrying with her a huge luggage, she had to get down from a bus at Khilkhet around 11:00am.

She could only reach the airport intersection after a one-and-a-half-hour walk from there. “I am feeling sick. I don't know how I will reach my destination,” said a helpless Shamsunnahar.