The National Citizen Party, or NCP, called a protest in Habiganj on Wednesday over alleged attacks during Tuesday’s July march. Central leaders and party workers, led by convener Nahid Islam, set out for Habiganj but said they faced obstructions along the way. As of the latest report in the afternoon, they were staying on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway at Kamaichhara in Bahubal upazila amid heavy rain.

NCP leaders said their convoy was stopped in Sreemangal, Moulvibazar, shortly before 4 p.m. Chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary said the convoy had been blocked at three locations by 5 p.m.: first by police, then by trucks with punctured tyres, and finally by a tractor placed on the road. Nahid Islam wrote on Facebook that the group had crossed a fourth barricade and was continuing toward Habiganj.

Sreemangal police investigation inspector Abdur Razzak said the convoy had been stopped for security reasons, but did not heed police advice and passed through Sreemangal. NCP had scheduled an emergency news conference at Habiganj Circuit House after Section 144 was imposed in Sreemangal, though its leaders had not yet arrived. Police said Section 144 was also in force in Habiganj municipal area, where Border Guard Bangladesh personnel and a magistrate were deployed.