Prime mover and trailer drivers call 12-hour strike in Chattogram protesting police torture

Prime mover and trailer drivers and workers have called a 12-hour strike in Chattogram alleging police torture. The strike began at 6:00 am today, Thursday. Humayun Kabir, executive president of the Chattogram District Prime Mover Trailer, Concrete Mixer, Flatbed, Dump Truck Workers Union, announced the program at a protest rally in the city's Saltgola crossing area on Wednesday evening.

These vehicles are primarily used to transport containers and other goods from Chattogram port to various destinations. Humayun Kabir stated that at 10:30 pm on Tuesday, Sub-Inspector (SI) Al Amin of Pahartali police station asked prime mover driver Md Liton to take an injured person to the hospital in the Alankar area. However, Liton refused due to fatigue. The police then took his identity card and driving license.

Later, Liton informed Union President Selim Khan and went to the police camp, asking the SI to speak with Selim Khan on his mobile phone. It is alleged that SI Al Amin behaved badly. Humayun Kabir claimed that when Selim Khan later went to the police camp, three workers were taken to the station and beaten. The injured had to be hospitalized. Workers stopped work on Wednesday in protest of this incident. However, union leaders said they remained calm due to the Chief Adviser's visit to Chattogram.

He warned that the strike would continue if action is not taken against the responsible police officers. When contacted regarding this matter, Pahartali police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Babul Azad did not receive the phone. However, SI Al Amin said that upon receiving a call from 999, he requested Liton to send an injured person to the hospital. While verifying his identity card, he was forced to leave the scene upon receiving news of another clash.

He admitted that he refused to speak with the union leader on the phone, stating that he was busy with another case at the time. He also stated that the workers later engaged in a verbal altercation with the police and threatened to block the road, following which the OC intervened and took them to the station for discussions. When asked about the three workers being beaten at the station, he said he was at the camp at that time, so he does not know.