Clashes between transport workers and police in Chattogram, two roads blocked

Clashes and chases between transport workers and police took place in Chattogram over elections to the Inter-District Road Transport Workers' Union. Four police personnel, including the Officer-in-Charge of Halishahar Police Station, and several workers were injured. Following the clashes, workers blocked roads and held protests in the Kadamtali and Alankar areas of the city.

The clashes took place on Tuesday afternoon, August 25, around 3:30pm during voting at the Dulhan Community Centre in the Halishahar Eidgah area of the city.

Police said voting was underway there from the morning. Some workers raised objections over delays in voting due to mismanagement at the polling centre and allegations of fake voting. This led to arguments between two factions of workers. When police tried to separate the two sides to bring the situation under control, at one point, chases began between workers and police.

Later, workers hurled brickbats at police. Police fired tear gas shells to control the situation. Four police personnel, including Halishahar Police Station OC Kazi Muhammad Sultan Ahsan Uddin, were injured in the clashes. They are undergoing treatment at Dampara Police Hospital.

Monwar Hossain, secretary of Chattogram Inter-District Bus Owners' Association, said several members of their observer team were also injured in the clashes.

After the clashes, agitated workers took positions on the roads in the Kadamtali and Alankar areas of the city. They set fire on the roads and created barricades with bamboo, halting vehicular movement. As a result, bus services on various routes, including Chattogram-Dhaka, came to a halt, causing traffic congestion on two major roads.

Police are working to control the situation regarding the workers' allegations and the clashes. Police said the incident stemmed from mismanagement at the polling centre.