Curfew Imposed in Gopalganj

The Interim Government has declared a 22-hour curfew in Gopalganj to bring the law and order situation in the district under control.

This was announced in a message sent by the Press Wing on Wednesday (July 16) evening.

The message states that the curfew has been imposed from 8 PM tonight (Wednesday) until 6 PM tomorrow (Thursday).

According to district administration sources, this stringent measure has been taken to ensure public safety in response to recent unrest and conflicts in various parts of the district.

During the curfew, public movement will be restricted, and no one will be allowed outside without special necessity. Law enforcement agencies will be on the ground, monitoring the situation.

Background to the Curfew
The National Citizens' Party (NCP) has been conducting a "July March to Build the Nation" program since July 1st. As part of this month-long initiative, the party had a rally in Gopalganj today.

Yesterday, Tuesday, the party's verified Facebook page named this program "March to Gopalganj."

Incidents Leading to the Curfew
In connection with this program, a police vehicle was set on fire in Gopalganj Sadar this morning. Around the same time, the vehicle convoy of the Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) was also attacked.

Gopalganj Police reported that local Chhatra League and Awami League activists were involved in both incidents.

Around 1:35 PM, local Awami League and Chhatra League activists attacked the NCP rally stage in Gopalganj's Pourpark area.

They vandalized sound boxes, microphones, and chairs on the stage and assaulted attending NCP activists. NCP members relocated with the help of the police.

Half an hour after this incident, the NCP held their rally at the same location under police protection. Central leaders, including Nahid Islam, Hasnat Abdullah, Sarjis Alam, and Akhtar Hossain, delivered speeches there.

After the rally concluded, as NCP leaders were preparing to depart for Madaripur in their convoy, hundreds of Chhatra League activists attacked them again.

Police also retreated at this time. NCP activists fled and took shelter at the District Police Super's office.

The attackers set fire to chairs, tables, and furniture at the NCP rally stage and various surrounding areas, causing panic in the city.

Following this, extensive clashes erupted between the police and army, and the attackers. These clashes spread to various parts of Gopalganj city.

BGB joined the police to control the situation. The army also deployed additional personnel. 

In the afternoon, there were reports of attacks and vandalism at the Gopalganj District Jail. Subsequently, the army, BGB, and police jointly launched an operation to clear out the attackers.