12 vehicles torched, transport strike for Nov 20, 21
Traffic on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway was disrupted again Monday morning for several hours as the activists of Jamaat-e-Islam and its student front Islami Chhatra Shibir set fire to 12 vehicles after putting up barricade in Sitakunda upazila. Meanwhile, the inter-district bus owners’ association has called a transport strike for two days in protest at frequent arson attacks on their vehicles.Kafil Uddin, general secretary of the association, said that they would enforce the strike on November 20 and 21 to press home their demands.
Witnesses said that a group of Jamaat-Shibir activists torched two trucks on the bypass road in the upazila headquarters Monday morning.
Earlier on Sunday night, unruly Jamaat-Shibir men vandalised at least 10 vehicles and later torched them in protest at the arrest of Aminul Islam Amin, union unit Jamaat secretary in Sitakunda upazila.
Police arrested him from Chauddagram upazila in Comilla district Sunday afternoon.
A 35-kilometre tailback was created on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway after two vehicles were set on fire Monday morning.
Officer-in-charge of Baro Awalia highway police station Sayeed Zakir Hossain said that traffic resumed at 1:00pm.
Traffic also remained suspended from around 4:00pm on Saturday to 10:00am on Sunday, causing immense sufferings to passengers.
Around 25,000 vehicles, mostly buses and trucks, ply the highway everyday, Sitakunda highway traffic police sources said.
-With New Age input
