At least 50 people, including seven policemen, were injured, several with bullets, in a clash between police and transport workers in the district town on Friday. The injured were admitted to different hospitals. Locals said a policeman in civil dress signalled a Dhaka-bound bus coming from Gaital inter-district bus terminal around 11:30am to stop in front of the District Police Lines, but its driver ignored the policeman. Later, some policemen allegedly got into the bus when it stopped at nearby Biswa Road intersection and beat its driver Masum and his assistant, and vandalised the bus. As the news spread around, a number of transport workers from the bus terminal rushed to the spot. Additional policemen from the Police Lines also reached. At one stage, both groups locked into the clash, leaving 50 people injured. Later, outraged transport workers put up barricade on Dhaka-Kishoreganj highway keeping some buses and tractors haphazardly on the highway, halting vehicular movement. Transport leaders alleged that police fired 20 rounds of bullets and teargas shells targeting them which left 50 workers injured. They also charged the policemen with vandalising several buses on the highway. Additional police super Liton Kumar Saha said several policemen, including SI Shafiqul Islam, suffered injuries in the clash. Meanwhile, local Motorised Transport Workers’ Union suspended bus services on all routes from the district protesting police torture on the workers. Following the incident, a tense situation was prevailing in the area. To avert further clash, additional police have remained deployed in the area. – UNB
