In protest against the alleged assault on two labour leaders in Bogra, bus services were suspended on Wednesday.
Bogra Traffic Inspector (Administration) Salekuzzaman Khan confirmed that, since morning, bus services on all routes within Bogura have been halted, with no departures from key locations such as Satmatha, Charmatha, and Thanthania.
Workers first halted autorickshaw operations at around 8am. Later, they also stopped all buses operating on routes from Bogra, causing public suffering.
However, buses from other districts passing through Bogura were still operating, Salekuzzaman said.
He also mentioned that authorities are holding discussions with the leaders of the Bogra Motor Workers' Union.
According to reports, coconut traders operate shops near the Mitali Filling Station on Station Road in Bogra, and CNG-run autorickshaw drivers typically use the area in front of these shops as a stand for picking up and dropping off passengers, which negatively impacts the traders' businesses.
On Tuesday, around 5pm, some of these traders attempted to prevent autorickshaws from parking there.
In response, the drivers called the leaders of the Bogra Motor Workers’ Union, who then confronted the traders.
This led to a clash, during which the coconut traders united and reportedly attacked the union leaders.
As a result, Anwar Hossain Rana, assistant general secretary of the Bogra Motor Workers’ Union, and Executive Member Hazrat Ali were seriously injured and admitted to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital for treatment.
Bogra Sadar police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) SM Moinuddin informed reporters that the two labour leaders were injured while attempting to resolve the dispute between the coconut traders and the autorickshaw drivers.
Moinuddin confirmed that their condition is stable, adding that a coconut trader named Ratan has been detained over the incident.
Attempts to contact Bogra Motor Workers’ Union President Abdul Hamid Mitul and General Secretary Syed Kabir Ahmed Mithu for comments were unsuccessful, as their phones were either switched off or unanswered.
