Drivers of unregistered 3-wheelers beaten, vehicles vandalise

A patient with spinal cord injury got hurt when pickets vandalised the vehicle he was in during yesterday's strike called by Chittagong Metropolitan CNG-run Auto-rickshaw Chalok Malik Oikya Parishad, as he was unable to move without anyone's help.

Dilip Das, an expatriate who lives in Oman, with his wife Chumki Das Gupta, was going to visit a doctor. But they were attacked as soon as the CNG-run auto-rickshaw carrying them reached the port city's Dewanhat intersection. Chumki managed to get off the vehicle, but Dilip's health condition did not allow him to move.

He informed the pickets of his condition and pleaded with them let him go but the group did not bother to listen, and instead they slapped and punched the driver Khalil as he also requested they let Dilip go. Khalil's nose was bleeding, while he was talking to this correspondent.

The strike has been called for an indefinite period to realise eight-point demands, including a ban on plying of unregistered CNG-run auto-rickshaws in the city and suspension of filing parking cases against the vehicles until parking spots are arranged for them, said  Haider Azam Choowdhury, president of the organisation.

On the first day of the strike yesterday, hundreds of commuters were forced to get off their auto-rickshaws and were seen running for alternative vehicles in different areas of the city like Dewanhat, Bahaddarhat, Badurtala, Colonelhat, Kotwali and Tigerpass.  

An employee was seen looking for a vehicle desperately at Dewanhat around 10:00am as the strikers forced him to get down from an auto-rickshaw.

Passers-by help a sick man board a rickshaw after demonstrators vandalised the auto-rickshaw he was travelling in. Photo: Star

Md Masuk Mia, a CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver, sitting inside his vehicle with the front glass broken at Bahaddarhat intersection around noon, said his family depends on his daily income and therefore he brought his vehicle on the road but has incurred even a greater loss.

However, the parishad's President Azam claimed that the strike was observed peacefully and no incident like vandalising or beating drivers occurred.

Meanwhile, Greater Chattagram Auto-Tempo-Auto-Rickshaw Sramik Samannoy Parishad, yesterday evening in a statement, said few owners and leaders called the strike to thwart the ongoing movement of the Samannoy Parishad and mislead the drivers.

The parishad of greater Chittagong has been demonstrating for withdrawal of the ban on plying of auto-rickshaws on highways and cancellation of the decision of paying Tk 900 instead of Tk 600 to the owners.

Member secretary of the parishad, Md Harunur Rashid, alleged that strikers vandalised at least 20 auto-rickshaws and beat up some 12 drivers. They demanded arrest and punishment for the perpetrators, the statement added.

Contacted, Masud Ul Hasan, deputy commissioner (Traffic North) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, said they did not hear about any incidents of vandalism or violence.