Bangladesh bidi workers staged a human chain protest in Pabna on May 24, opposing proposals to raise bidi prices and increase supplementary duty in the country’s 2026–27 national budget. Members of the Pabna District Bidi Workers Union objected to recommendations from Atma-Pragya and Ahsania Mission to increase bidi prices from Tk 18 to Tk 30 ($0.15 to $0.24) and raise supplementary duty from 30% to 50%.
During the demonstration, workers presented a five-point demand that included maintaining current bidi tax rates, increasing working days for bidi workers, enforcing bandroll use only for licensed factories, raising prices on low-tier cigarette packs, and cracking down on counterfeit bidi production and sales. Leaders from the Bangladesh Bidi Workers Federation participated in the protest and warned that higher taxes could further pressure workers employed in the sector.