Drugstore owners of Chittagong have threatened to enforce a day-long strike on Sunday if arrested drugstores are not released from jail immediately.
The traders under the banner of the Bangladesh Chemists and Druggists Association issued the threat yesterday morning after holding a rally on Chittagong Press Club premises.
Nurul Islam, Chittagong chapter vice-president of Bangladesh Chemists and Druggists Association, came up with the declaration of enforcing strike from the rally.
“We are the servants of humanity. The administration is harassing drug traders in the name of conducting mobile courts. We will go for tougher progrmmes if our demand is not fulfilled soon,”he said.
A case was lodged against 212 people with Kotwali police station on Wednesday on charge of launching an attack on a mobile court on Tuesday afternoon. A Chittagong court on Wednesday sent 12 drugstore owners to jail.
When a mobile court led by Executive Magistrate Ruhul Amin conducted a drive at KC Dey Road adjacent to Hazari Lane under Kotwali police station, some drugstore owners allegedly hurled brickbats on the mobile court.
A chase and counter-chase took place between the traders and the Ansar members who were present during the drive.
The mobile court also fined two errant drugstores with Tk10,000 and seized two cartons of medicines meant for physician samples during the drive.
On information, a team of the police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control after charging baton on traders.
Following the attack, wholesale drug traders of Hazari Lane closed their shutters and stopped selling medicines.
There are about 450 drugstores in Hazarai Lane, major drug wholesale market in the port city.