Sylhet, April 22 -- Local residents in Golapganj upazila blocked a regional highway on Tuesday evening, protesting prolonged power outages that they claimed have left many areas nearly 16-17 hours a day without electricity.

The demonstration on the Sylhet-Zakiganj-Beanibazar regional highway, organised by the residents of Fulbari union, lasted for around two hours and caused severe traffic congestion.

Locals said they have been facing acute suffering for days due to erratic electricity supply, with Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinees forced to study under candlelight.

The blockade began around 7:00pm, halting vehicular movement on the highway.

Tension escalated during the protest, prompting deployment of the army. A team of a...