Transport workers and owners’ association of Sirajganj are demanding the removal of a sergeant of Hatikumrul Highway police station of the district, due to his never-ceasing demand for bribes.
Transports workers and association sources said the agitating transport workers are planning to stage demonstrations including taking out processions, holding rallies, strike and siege programmes, demanding the removal of the corrupt sergeant.
Bus and truck drivers said Sokti Das Hawlader, Sergeant of Hatikumrul Highway police station, in collaboration with some traffic constables of the area, has been taking illegal toll from the drivers and bus owners for a long time.
They said failure to fulfil Sokti Das’s demand, meant one was harassed, beaten and sometimes may even have to contend with a false case filed against him.
Leaders of Bus, Minibus and Truck Workers Association of Sirajganj said Sokti’s demand for toll money had now become unbearable.
They had informed Sokti Das’s seniors in the highway police department about his behaviour, but no action was taken against Sokti, they added.
Hatikumrul is considered as the gateway and key point of the northern region since the opening of Bangabandhu Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge on Jamuna river.
About 20,000 different types of vehicles including buses, trucks, cars, microbus, Nasimon, Karimon (locally made improvised three wheelers) and Bhotbhuti ply via the Hatikumrul intersection every day to commute between Dhaka and the northern region.
Realizing its importance, the government set up a highway police station in the Hatikumrul area to ensure the security of commuters and transport workers.
But drivers, helpers and transport owners claim that instead of providing security, Sokti himself, had become a source of menace to the drivers and owners.
Sources among the transport workers said Sokti extorted Tk500 from each truck, Tk300 from each bus and Tk100 from each auto-rickshaw as monthly toll money.
Besides this he took Tk10 to Tk50 from each Nasimon, Karimon and Bhotbhuti daily and Tk500 to Tk600 as bribe from motorbike owners, on the pretext of checking their papers.
Sohrab Hossain, a truck driver in the area, said sergeant Sokti collected Tk500 from him as toll money in the first week of every month.
Didarul Alam, a leader of Sirajganj Trucks Workers Association, said some transport workers, through no fault of theirs, had to contend with cases filed against them for failing to pay money to the sergeant.
He added that many vehicles are plying on the same highways without any fitness certificates and without the drivers possessing any valid driving licenses because they pay extortion money regularly.
Sergeant Sokti Das Hawlder, on being questioned, at first denied the allegations against him and then added the authorities would never take any action against him because he pays Tk15,000 to Highway Superintendent of Police (SP) and Tk5,000 to additional SP per month as honorarium.
On the other hand, Israil Hawlader, Superintendent of Police of Highway, declined to comment on the matter, saying no written complaint was submitted to him against Sokti.