The traffic nightmare was exacerbated by thousands of people attending a rally organized by Ulama Mashayekh Bangladesh at Suhrawardy Udyan. Many attendees, traveling from outside Dhaka by bus, left their vehicles parked along roads, further clogging the city’s streets.
Afzal, a bus driver from Gabtoli, described the chaos, noting, “It took me an hour to get from Asad Avenue to Bangla Motor, a route that usually takes just 20 minutes.”
A senior Dhaka Metropolitan Police official explained that the influx of vehicles from outside the city, combined with poorly managed parking, has spread congestion throughout Dhaka, making travel across the city increasingly difficult.