Transport workers paralyse Sylhet in strike

Transport workers have paralysed Sylhet in strike over a seven-point charter that includes safe passage for a driver accused in a student murder case.

Sylhet divisional unit of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation (BRTWF) clamped their strike since 6:00am, reports our Sylhet correspondent.

Photo: Star/ Sheikh Nasir

All long-haul buses were restricted. No other vehicles but a few CNG-run auto rickshaws and rickshaws were seen plying inside the city since morning.

In Sylhet city, transport workers were seen guarding various entry points and barring vehicles from entering – not sparing even the private vehicles.

Such was seen through Humayun Rashid Chattar, Kodomtoli, Kumargaon, Ambarkhana, Tilagoruntil the filing of the report around 12:15pm.

People were seen suffering from the lack of transport in Sylhet on April 29, 2019. Photo: Star/ Sheikh Nasir

BACKGROUND OF THE STRIKE

Sylhet Agriculture University student Wasim Afnan was crushed under the wheels of a running bus on Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Moulvibazar after he was allegedly pushed off by the helper.

The bus driver Jewel Ahmed and helper Masuk Ali were detained in connection with the murder. Later, they confessed the crime before a court.

The transport workers, however, demanded that the case over Wasim’s killing must be filed under section-304 (culpable homicide) instead of section-302 (murder) of the Penal Code.

Transport leaders say, this strike is “for the betterment of the transport workers.”

The six other demands of the workers are: reducing fine from Tk 5 lakh to Tk 50,000 under section-105 of newly proposed Road Transport Act 2018; making the section-84, -98 and -105 of the act bailable; reducing fine from Tk 3 lakh to Tk 30,000 under section-84 and -98 of the act; adjoining Penal Code section after investigation and a worker representative must be included into the investigation team for sensitive accidents; no vehicle can be taken under requisition in other district and the driver will get DA and fuel cost for the requisition duty; stopping police harassment in the highways by checking vehicles anywhere except some specific places; and no toll collection at any bridges on the highways.