Internal bus and CNG-run auto-rickshaw services across five routes in Bhola remained suspended for the second consecutive day on Monday, following a violent clash among transport workers that erupted on Sunday, causing severe hardship for passengers.
According to police and locals, the conflict began at about 5:00pm Sunday near the Bangla Bazar鈥揓oynagar School area on the Bhola-Charfassion road.
The dispute reportedly started over issues related to passenger boarding and traffic congestion, eventually escalating into a physical confrontation.
Locals alleged that as tensions flared, at least 16 bus workers were assaulted. In response, bus services were suspended from Sunday evening in protest.
Mizanur Rahman, president of the Bus and Minibus Workers鈥� Union, claimed that CNG drivers launched simultaneous attacks on bus workers at five locations. Around 15 to 16 bus workers were injured, five buses were seized, and three were vandalised. They had no choice but to call a strike.
In a counterclaim, Md Zakir Hossain, president of the CNG Auto-rickshaw Owners and Workers鈥� Association, accused bus workers of retaliatory violence.
After the bus strike was announced, several CNGs [auto-rickshaw] were vandalised and one was set ablaze at the bus stand. In protest, CNG drivers later seized two buses in Lalmohon but refrained from damaging them, he added.
Amid the mutual accusations and violence, the bus workers鈥� union declared an indefinite strike Sunday evening. CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers also halted operations, citing assaults and safety concerns.
The strike has brought transportation across five key internal routes in Bhola to a standstill, severely affecting commuters, especially those travelling from Charfassion, Lalmohon, and Tajumuddin.
