Tension spread in Habiganj district’s Chunarughat upazila yesterday as the pro-economic zone ruling party leaders and activists and anti-economic zone tea garden workers staged demonstrations and rallies in the area.
Local Awami League and Jubo League leaders and activists brought out a procession and held a rally under the banner of Chunarughat Upazila Citizens’ Committee yesterday afternoon, our correspondent in Habiganj reported.
The rally was addressed by International Crimes Tribunal Prosecutor Syed Sayedul Haque Suman, renowned industrialist Kawsarul Gani, Awami League leader Adbul Quddus and Jubo League leader Yakub Miah, among others.
Fearing an attack by the pro-economic zone faction, tea garden workers in the upazila also gathered together and staged their own protest rally and procession.
While protesting, the tea labourers reiterated their vow to never let an economic zone be established on arable land.
They urged all tea garden workers to join and make successful their indefinite strike starting from January 21 and Dhaka-Mymensingh highway blockade on January 25.
When contacted, Chunarughat police station OC Amulya Kumar Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune that police were aware of the tense situation and were present in the area during the protests.
No violence occurred and the two opposing groups did not get involved in any clash, he added.
But Rambhajan Kairi, secretary general of the central committee of Bangladesh Tea Labourers’ Union, said two tea garden workers were assaulted by unknown miscreants later yesterday in Chunarughat. “I was informed about it later.”
However, he said, no violence occurred between the supporters and protesters of the economic zone during the demonstration despite a tense situation.
Meanwhile, the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and the Socialist Party of Bangladesh (SPB) yesterday urged the local administration to stop attacks on tea workers in Habiganj.
In a joint statement, CPB President Mujahidul Islam Selim and SPB General Secretary Khalequzzaman expressed concern over an alleged attack by a group of Awami League activists, led by its local unit leader Abu Taher, on the tea workers in Chunarughat in the morning, reported UNB.
Quoting the tea workers, CPB and SPB alleged that the attack was carried out with an aim to grab the agricultural lands in the area which have long been cultivated by the tea workers.
The tea workers have been staging demonstration over the last one month protesting a government decision to take over about 512 acres of the cultivable land in the area to set up a special economic zone.
The two left-parties also alleged that local BNP leader Seraj and local Jamaat leader Ismail were involved in the attacks.
They demanded immediate arrest and punishment of those involved in the attack.
