NEW DELHI, January 13 (RIA Novosti) - Women in the Bangladesh town of Pirojpur are being physically prevented from walking down a road where a mosque is located, regional media said on Tuesday.

Graffiti on Bara Masjid Road in Mathbaria says "women are forbidden on this road" and a retired soldier and self-styled "cleric" - one Abdus Sattar - has been guarding the area with a stick for a month.

"There is a mosque on this road. Use of this road by women is najayez [illegal in Islam]," he said.

There is also a post office on the road which many women usually use to receive money from relatives abroad.

Residents also use the road to get to a hospital and college. Restaurant owners on the road said the ban has led to a drop in revenues.

While police and local officials have yet to act, devotees from the mosque in question have reportedly pledged to take action against the "holy man" and his stick.