Power Tariff Hike
Police disperse protesters
Activists of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports run for cover after police lobbed teargas shells on their procession, protesting power tariff hike, in front of Jatiya Press Club in the capital yesterday.Photo: STAR
Around 20 activists of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports were injured as police charged batons and lobbed teargas shells on their procession, protesting power tariff hike, in the capital yesterday. The committee declared to hold demonstrations across the country today protesting the attack and to declare future programmes, including hartal, said the committee convenor Sheikh Mohammad Shahidullah. Hundreds of the committee's leaders and activists brought out the procession from before Jatiya Press Club, aiming to lay siege to the energy ministry, inside Bangladesh Secretariat. They were obstructed by metal barricades placed by police in the road connecting Topekhana Road and Abdul Gani Road. A scuffle ensued between the committee's activists and police, leading to the attack. The agitators set pieces of wood on fire before Jatiya Press Club, halting vehicular movement on the road for nearly 20 minutes. Earlier, the activists held a rally before Jatiya Press Club around 11:30am to press home their demands. The demands include shutting down rental and quick rental power plants and scrapping related deals, rehabilitating and repairing state-owned power plants, installing more gas-based power plants, cancelling anti-state foreign companies' deal in power sector and providing a permanent solution to the power crisis. In separate statements, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal, Gonotantrik Biplobi Party, Workers Party of Bangladesh, Gonotantrik Bam Morcha, Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Communist League condemned the attack and demanded exemplary punishment to the accused.
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