30 hurt as transport workers, cops clash
At least 30 people, including five policemen, were injured in clashes between transport workers and the law enforcers in Sylhet city on Thursday night.
Police and locals said the clashes ensued when some transport workers swooped on some traffic policemen in Ambarkhana area as they did not allow trucks to enter the city around 7:00pm.
Police said trucks are not allowed to enter the city before 8:00pm. But the truckers tried to enter the city with their vehicles ignoring traffic rules, and beat three traffic policemen, they added.
Later, the transport workers blocked the Ambarkhana highway by putting vehicles haphazardly while police charged baton on them and cleared the road around 8:00pm.
Police arrested 20 transports workers, including Sylhet Zila Truck Sramik Union President Abu Sarker and General Secretary Abdul Gafur, after the incident.
About 1,000 transport workers took to streets at different points in the city protesting the arrests around 11:00pm.
They lifted the blockades as Sylhet City Corporation Mayor Badruddin Ahmed Kamran and police officials went to the spot and assured them of releasing the arrestees.
Khairul Fazal, officer-in-charge at Airport Police Station, said they freed all the arrestees following an instruction by the police commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP).
Contacted, SMP Commissioner AB Barua said the mayor requested him to release the arrestees.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments