Monday's Violent Clash In Ctg

Police arrest six unionists, look for 'instigator'

29 April 2009, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Ctg

Police yesterday arrested six leaders and members of Chittagong Metropolitan Auto-rickshaw and Auto-tempo Workers Welfare Union for their alleged involvement in violent activities during wildcat strike on Monday. Over 6,000 auto-rickshaw and auto-tempo drivers went on a wildcat strike in the port city on Monday demanding an end to what they said police harassment. At one stage of their demonstration, several hundred drivers went on the rampage and vandalised more than 50 vehicles. They also beat up policemen, clashed with the automobile traders at Sheikh Mujib Road, leaving at least 30 people injured. A team of Detective Branch (DB) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) raided the city's Sadarghat area at around 3:30pm and arrested six leaders and members of the union. The arrestees are union President Kamal Uddin, General Secretary Harun-ur-Rashid, and members Solaiman, Golam Mostafa, Bashir and Motaleb. Police are looking also for Abu Taher Khan, general secretary of Jamaat-backed Bangladesh Workers Welfare Federation, suspecting his role in instigating the agitating workers to go on rampage on Monday. Abu Taher is one of the advisers of the union of auto-rickshaw drivers. They law enforcers are also trying to identify the persons directly involved in damaging vehicles and attacking police, examining the video footages of the Monday's incident, said sources in the CMP. Most of the CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers kept their vehicles off the road in the port for the third consecutive day yesterday while a few number of the three-wheelers were seen plying the city streets. Police have so far arrested as many as 33 people in seven cases filed with Kotwali, Double Mooring, Khulshi and Pahartali police stations in connection with Monday's violence.