TEJGAON TRUCK TERMINAL : Truckers confine mayor, foil evection drive
Transport workers confined Dhaka north city mayor Annisul Huq in an office at Tejgaon truck terminal for
three hours as a worker sustained bullet injury when they clashed with police during eviction of the reportedly illegal truck terminal on Sunday.
Annusul left the area with protection of police and Rapid Action Battalion after a loudspeaker announcement from transport leaders that the mayor was not for eviction of the truck terminal and he would compensate the injured vworker.
Witnesses and police officials said that the clash erupted when Dhaka North City Corporation officials, including the mayor, and railway minister Mujibul Haque went to the truck terminal to lead the eviction drive at about 1:30pm.
The minister, however, left the place at about 1:45pm amidst protests of the workers against the drive.
Police whisked away Annisul to the office of Truck and Covered-van Owners Association as agitated workers started pelting brick chips at him.
Police opened fire to disperse the workers and a worker, Jasim Uddin, 40, was injured in gunshot. He was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
The agitated workers laid seize to the office of Truck and Covered-van Owners Association confining Anisul to the office and several covered-vans were placed in front of the office at about 2:15pm following rumours that injured worker Jasim died.
The workers vandalized the city corporation vehicles and the corporation officials took shelter at the office along with the mayor.
The workers staged protests blocking the road connecting Karwan Bazaar rail gate and Satrasta intersection putting tires on fire and chanted slogans against Annisul.
Truckers hold demonstrations starting fires in the Tejgaon industrial area on Sunday in protest at a drive by the Dhaka North City Corporation to evict illegal truck terminals in the area. — Sanaul Haque
Police officials, including Tejgaon division deputy commissioner Biplab Sarkar, and RAB-2 officials tried negotiate with the worker leaders to call off the protests.
Police officials and worker leaders also talked to Annisul at the office.
At about 4:30pm, worker leaders addressed the workers through the loudspeaker of the nearby mosque and urged the workers to postpone the protests saying that the mayor agreed to stop the eviction of the truck terminal and to compensate the injured worker.
At about 4:45pm, Annisul came out of the office with protection of police and the battalion and gave a brief speech before television cameras that a modern truck terminal would be constructed on 39 acres of land there.
When reporters approached Annisul at the office during the confinement, he, however, said that the truck terminal was wreaking havoc in the area and the residents were backing him for the eviction.
‘I will not bow down to any pressure and evict illegal occupants,’ he said.
The Tejgaon police deputy commissioner Biplab Sarkar denied that police opened fire on the agitating workers.
He said that the untoward situation was created over the rumour of death of the injured worker. ‘The worker was injured by brick chips’, he claimed.
Bangladesh Truck and Covered-van Owners Association general secretary Rustom Ali Khan said that the transport workers were not against the eviction drive, but vested quarters, who were doing business occupying the truck terminal, were provoking the innocent workers into protests.
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