Payra Power Plant: 500 sued for killing Chinese national

Over 1,000 unidentified people have been sued in two cases filed with Patuakhali’s Kalapara Police Station over the death of a Chinese engineer and vandalism at Payra power plant.

Wang Le Jhing, security director of Payra power plant, filed the cases on Thursday night accusing 500 to 600 unidentified people in each, Monirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Kalapara police station, confirmed.

A clash broke out between the Bangladeshi and Chinese workers in the power plant as Swabindra Das, 32, a Bangladeshi worker, lost his life after falling from the plant’s terrace on Wednesday.

The agitating Bangladeshi workers attacked the Chinese workers and vandalised the power plant as rumors spread that Chinese workers mistakenly killed Swabindra and were trying to hide his body.

During the clash, seven workers, including five Chinese, were seriously injured.

Of the five Chinese workers, Zang Jon Seng, 26, an electrician at the power plant, died at Barishal Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital on Thursday.

Meanwhile, police arrested 16 people in connection with the two cases.

Of the 16, four -- Sujon Talukder, Sajib Sharif, Abdul Jalil, Mamun Talukder -- were arrested in Modhupur village Thursday night in connection with the case filed over vandalism in the power plant.

They were sent to jail yesterday after the law enforcers placed them before court.

Twelve other arrestees are Nasir Uddin, Sujon, Abdul Latif, Atiqur Rahman, Imam Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Rasel Ali, Shamim Mia, Mamun, Iub Ali, Faruq and Bellal Hossain. They were all accused in the Zang Jon Seng murder case and arrested by Dakshin Karaniganj Police Station in Dhaka.

Police also claimed to have recovered four laptops from the arrestees that were snatched from Chinese workers during the attack.

Mozammel Haq, sub-inspector of Kalapara Police Station, was investigating the murder case while Shawkat Jahan, another SI of the same police station, was investigating case filed over vandalism.