Police blocked demonstrators this afternoon (17 December) at Rampura Bridge, preventing them from crossing to the Badda side following an announcement of a march to the Indian High Commission by a platform named July Oikya.
AKM Nasrut Hasan, assistant commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said the demonstrators were not allowed to move beyond Rampura Bridge towards Badda and were stopped with barricades.
He added that vehicular movement on Pragati Sarani and the Badda–Gulshan Link Road remains suspended due to the situation.
The demonstrators blocked the Rampura-Badda road during their march, demanding the extradition of those allegedly involved in the attempted killing of Osman Hadi, Inqilab Mancha spokesperson and a prospective independent candidate for Dhaka-8, reports UNB.
The march, led by Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) Social Welfare Secretary AB Zubair, started at Rampura Bridge at about 3pm and advanced towards North Badda.
However, after facing police resistance, the demonstrators sat on the road in front of Hossain Market in North Badda, chanting slogans.
Addressing the demonstrators, Zubair said they have no intention of moving further with the procession and only want to send a message that no one will be allowed to impose dominance over Bangladesh at will.
"We are not afraid, and we will not attack the Indian High Commission. Our protest is a peaceful one. But if anyone tries to maintain hegemonic control over Bangladesh, they will not be spared," UNB quoted him as saying.
The blockade triggered severe traffic congestion across the area.
Earlier in the day, security measures were tightened in Dhaka's diplomatic zone following the announcement of the march.
Nur-e-Alam Siddique, deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Diplomatic Security Division, said police personnel from the Gulshan Division and the Diplomatic Security Division were deployed in the Rampura Bridge area as well as the Gulshan-1 intersection to prevent any untoward incident.
The march also aimed to protest what July Oikya described as "conspiracies by Indian proxy political parties, media and government officials."
It also demanded the return of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and fugitive Awami League leaders currently in India.