In response to the recent seven murders on a ship on the Meghna River in Chandpur, river vessel workers have initiated an indefinite strike, demanding the uncovering of the truth behind the killings and justice.
The strike began at midnight on Thursday and is being observed nationwide, including in Chandpur.
Following the incident, workers reported a sense of insecurity on all types of vessels operating on the Chandpur waterway route.
They said the strike, along with a halt on cargo ships, will continue until the government meets their demand of providing Tk20 lakh in compensation per victim.
Meanwhile, the River Police in Chandpur announced that efforts to gather further information from Akash Mondol (alias Irfan), arrested in connection with the incident and currently on a seven-day remand, are ongoing.
Earlier, the president and general secretary of the workers' federation, Shah Alam and Chowdhury Ashikul Alam, issued a joint statement calling for the success of the strike.
Their statement highlighted that following the killings of the seven workers, including the master, on the MV Al Bakhera ship in Haimchar, Chandpur, the workers demand the following: the discovery of the true cause of the killings, the identification and arrest of the perpetrators, the announcement of government compensation of Tk20 lakh for each victim's family, and effective measures to end terrorism, extortion and piracy on all waterways.
They said as the government has not taken "any action" in response to these demands, the workers have vowed to continue the strike, including halting all types of cargo vessels, including oil, gas, and sand transport, starting from midnight.
The strike will continue until their demands are met, and the maritime workers have urged all to support the movement to make it successful.
