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KURIGRAM: Farmers blocked a road in Nageshwari, Kurigram, by placing tree trunks on it to protest a shortage of fertilizer, disrupting traffic on the Madarganj-Kachakata road. They also kept an agriculture official confined inside a dealer’s warehouse for nearly four hours.
The incident took place around 8am Friday at Gabtala Bazar in Ballaverkhas Union.
The blockade was lifted after the upazila administration assured the farmers that they would be provided with fertilizer soon. The official, Rafiqul Islam, was later escorted out of the warehouse under police protection.
Farmers said fertilizer was scheduled to be distributed from 8am at the Bhai Bhai Machinery dealer point in Gabtala Bazar. However, when they arrived in the morning, they were told that the fertilizer had already been distributed earlier in the day. Angry over the situation, they blocked the road by placing tree trunks on it.
The farmers also prevented Rafiqul Islam, a sub-assistant agriculture officer of Nageshwari Upazila, from leaving the dealer’s warehouse. They said he would have to remain there until fertilizer was supplied.
Nageshwari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mohammad Alauddin arrived at the scene around noon and spoke with the farmers, assuring them that fertilizer would be supplied soon. The farmers then withdrew the blockade.
Rafiqul Islam was brought out of the warehouse under police protection and taken away from the scene in the UNO’s vehicle.
UNO Mohammad Alauddin said the farmers had been assured of fertilizer and that the sub-assistant agriculture officer had also been rescued.
