One person was shot dead during a day-long clash on Friday between police and transport workers at one of Dhaka’s major entry points, the Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge, better known as the Postogola Bridge, in Keraniganj.
At least nine others, all transport workers, were hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
Locals identified the dead man as Sohel, 30. His dead body has been kept at the Mitford Hospital morgue for autopsy. The injured are Akash, 25, Masud, 30, Al-Amin, 20, Siddique, 40, Sabuj, 30, Liton, 39, Billal, 23, Manik, 40, and another unknown person.
According to workers and local eyewitnesses, arguments broke out between truck workers and toll plaza officials on the Postogola Bridge around 8am, over a recent increase in the toll. The arguments escalated to a scuffle at one point. Police soon arrived at the scene to stop the clash but the workers engaged them as well.
South Keraniganj police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Shahjaman confirmed the death of a person, but denied that he died in police firing. He said police only fired blank shots and tear-gas shells.
OC Shahjaman said that workers attacked the police and started throwing bricks and stones at them.
“They blocked the road with two trucks laden with bricks. When we were trying to remove the workers from the road, they attacked us and vandalized a police vehicle. When the policemen took shelter in a Bangladesh Road Transport Authority building, workers attacked it and tried to set it on fire,” he said.
Police decided to deploy additional force after one policeman was injured. More than 50 policemen were injured in this incident, Shahjaman claimed.
Later police shot rubber bullets and tear-gas shells. According to workers at least 50 people including policemen were injured.
Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) police outpost Sub-Inspector Bachchu Mia said two of the injured workers were at the DMCH.
Sohel’s brother-in-law Tanjil said that Sohel was a truck helper. He died in the police fire in the morning after having left his house, where he lived with his family in the Hasnabad area.
A transport worker speaking to the Dhaka Tribune said that the bridge truck toll had been raised from Tk30 to Tk240 on October 22.
“Transport workers have been protesting for the last few days to reduce the toll; today it turned into a clash,” he said.
Dhaka district Superintendent of Police Shah Migan Shafiur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune in the evening that the situation is now calm in Postogola.
“We have talked to the workers and resolved the problem. The toll collection will continue as before,” he said.
“When policemen took shelter in a roadside building, a truck hit the building and some people brought gas cylinders and tried to set fire to them.Workers’ leaders are saying they did not do it. So we suspect that other vested quarters may be involved. We are investigating the matter to find out what actually happened,” he added.