Passenger bus services on the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar route have been halted without prior notice, sparking widespread disruption after the assault of transport workers.
No buses have departed from Chittagong towards Cox's Bazar or southern Chittagong since Sunday morning, leaving commuters stranded and frustrated.
According to transport officials, the suspension follows an incident on Saturday night when a driver from Eagle Transport was beaten near Dohazari Kasai Para on the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar highway.
The strike was initiated in protest against the assault, leaving thousands of passengers in distress.
Sources suggest the altercation was triggered by a dispute over bus line management on the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar route, which escalated into the attack.
As public transport remains unavailable, passengers bound for South Chittagong are struggling to reach their destinations. Many commuters were seen walking or using alternative transport, such as three-wheelers, often paying inflated fares.
"I’ve been waiting at the Notun Bridge counter since 8am, and it's now 12:30pm. This is unbearable. How can they stop buses without any notice?" said a passenger, Rashed Alam.
An official from the Arakan Road Transport Workers' Union said: "Our secretary, Musa, has exploited us for 17 years without holding an election. Now, he's attempting to impose further illegal extortion. We will not tolerate this any longer. Due to these abuses, around 8,000 workers have left the profession in recent years. We refuse to accept this dictatorship."
Workers allege that the general secretary of the transport organization, Md Musa, labeled legitimate workers as illegal when they protested against the extortion.
The protest intensified after one senior driver was reportedly beaten. Workers have since mobilized in response to the attack.