Brahmanbaria, Feb 21 (V7N) — Rumin Farhana, Member of Parliament from Brahmanbaria-2 constituency, has alleged that she was obstructed from paying tribute at the Shaheed Minar by leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), leading to tension and a brief highway blockade by her supporters.

Incident at Midnight

The incident occurred around 12:15 am on Friday at the Sarail Central Shaheed Minar in Sarail upazila, where Rumin Farhana arrived with wreaths to mark International Mother Language and Martyrs’ Day.

Eyewitnesses said that while she and her supporters were waiting to place the wreath, a group of BNP leaders and activists allegedly led by former Sarail BNP general secretary Anwar Hossain arrived and began chanting slogans, creating a tense situation.

At one stage, the wreath brought by Rumin Farhana was reportedly torn, after which police intervened to bring the situation under control. She later left the area without laying flowers, escorted by supporters.

Allegations and Reactions

Rumin Farhana claimed the incident was a pre-planned attack and urged the BNP leadership to take action against those involved. She warned that failure to control such incidents could harm both the party and the government’s image.

Brahmanbaria Police Superintendent Shah Mohammad Abdur Rouf said police received complaints of a scuffle and sloganeering between two groups and are reviewing video footage before taking legal steps.

Highway Blockade

Following the incident, supporters of Rumin Farhana blocked the Shahbazpur First Gate area of the Dhaka–Sylhet highway for about an hour, demanding the arrest of those responsible. Traffic movement was disrupted during the protest before the situation normalized.

The episode has added to political tensions at the local level during observances of Language Martyrs’ Day, a time traditionally marked by solemn tributes across the country.

END/SMA/AJ