Residents of Basudeb union blocked railway tracks and roads in Brahmanbaria on Sunday, demanding the restoration of six villages to their original union and protesting a proposal to create a new upazila by merging several unions of Sadar upazila.

The blockade at Kodda Cabin area under Sadar upazila halted train movement on the Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Chattogram routes since morning.

Due to the blockade, several trains, including Parabat Express, Parjotak Express, Mahanagar Provati and Subarna Express, got stranded at different stations.

The protesters also blocked the Akhaura-Agartala road, bringing all types of traffic, including India-bound passenger and cargo vehicles, to a halt and causing suffering for commuters.

Locals said six villages – Kodda, Baishnabpur, Shyamnagar, Korabari, Chandi and Borishol – were separated from Basudeb union in May this year to form a new union named Borishol under Akhaura upazila. A gazette notification regarding the administrative change was issued on June 4.

Residents of Basudeb union had protested the move from the beginning, but their grievances remained unresolved, they said.

Tensions escalated further after a proposal was made recently to merge three unions of Sadar upazila – Basudeb, Sultanpur and Ramrail – with Borishol union under Akhaura upazila to form a new upazila named Borishol.

Following an application, the Local Government Division recently sent an official letter seeking a feasibility study for establishing the new upazila, prompting anger among local residents.

Brahmanbaria Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Khairul Alam said police went to the spot to maintain security.