Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Unity Council, Sylhet unit is enforcing an indefinite strike protesting an attack on an auto-rickshaw worker and police torture of transport workers.
The strike is underway since Saturday morning. No long-run bus left the district that caused immense sufferings for commuters in Sylhet city.
Transport workers are picketing on the streets including the district central bus terminal, Humayun Rashid Chattar, Tetli and Lalabazar area on Dhaka-Sylhet Highway and Gopal of Sadar upazila in support of strike.
Witnesses said workers took position at key points of the city and on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway to prevent vehicular movement.
A small number of rickshaws and auto-rickshaws were seen plying in Sylhet city.
They blocked the Dhaka-Sylhet highway with burning tyres to protest the incident.
Mohammad Zakaria, general secretary of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Unity Council, said: “Our strike is going on peacefully. We will talk over the matter if the administration will arrest the attackers.”
“We are not informed about the strike. We have instructed the concerned officials to keep the vehicular movement normal on the streets,” Md Shahidul Islam, Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet, told the Dhaka Tribune.
However, in a query, he said: “We are trying to communicate with the transport workers’ leaders.”
A pick-up van driver was injured at Lalabazar in Sylhet city on Friday morning. Protesting the incident, workers put barricade on Lalabazar that triggered a clash between workers and police. Some 10 people including police were injured in the incident.
Later, Bangladesh Road Transport Workers’ Unity Council, Sylhet unit called for the indefinite strike from Saturday, protesting torture on them.
