Bus services in Faridpur resumed on Wednesday after being suspended since Tuesday following an assault on a CNG-run auto rickshaw driver by the bus drivers in Faridpur city on Monday.
After the assault, the Faridpur Transport Owners and Workers Association started a bus strike, demanding a ban on three-wheeler vehicles on highways. The strike began on Monday at 6:00 pm. On Tuesday, bus services on all routes, except Dhaka-Faridpur, were halted. The suspension of bus services on inter-district routes from Faridpur to Gopalganj, Madaripur, Barisal, Shariatpur, Magura, Kushtia, and Rajbari has caused significant inconvenience to passengers.
On the other hand, the CNG-run auto rickshaw drivers and Mahindra minibus drivers blocked the Faridpur-Barishal road in protest of the assault.
The bus service resumed with intervention of the administration as the two clashing sides, CNG-run auto rickshaw drivers and bus drivers, failed to come to an understanding.
The president of the district Bus Owners Group, Md. Kamrul Islam Siddique, stated that the administration held a meeting with both parties at the Kotwali Thana on Tuesday night. It was decided that no three-wheelers would operate on the highways. They can only run on regional roads and must adhere to the law. In light of this decision, bus services resumed on all routes from this morning.
However, Sirajul Sheikh, general secretary of district CNG-run auto rickshaw Owners Association, said that the decision was made unilaterally. ‘We do not accept this decision. We will discuss and formulate our next course of action,’ he said.
Following two attacks and assaults by Faridpur bus workers on CNG and Mahindra drivers, protesters blocked the Munshi Bazar area of the Faridpur-Barisal highway on Tuesday by placing tree trunks on the road. As a result, all types of vehicles were halted on this road, causing difficulties for goods transport drivers and ordinary passengers. Simultaneously, all forms of transport, including minibuses, were suspended from the Faridpur district bus counter, and CNG-Mahindra services were also halted from the Bhanga Road intersection, leading to severe inconvenience for travelers.
During the protests, Faridpur bus workers launched an unexpected attack on the demonstrators, injuring Md. Ripon, the president of the Faridpur District CNG-run auto rickshaw Owners Association. Additionally, three to four CNG-run auto rickshaws were vandalized.
Later, in protest against the attack, CNG-run auto rickshaw drivers began demonstrating again around 1:30pm, blocking the Faridpur-Barisal highway at the Munshi Bazar area by placing tree trunks on the road.
Earlier, on Monday afternoon, a CNG-run auto rickshaw driver was assaulted in Faridpur city. Following this incident, tensions escalated between the two parties, leading the bus workers to announce the suspension of local bus services starting at 6 PM. Meanwhile, no long-distance transport or local buses operated from the bus counter.
CNG-run auto rickshaw Drivers’ Association leaders Matiur Sheikh, Jasim, and Billal Munsi stated that CNG drivers are being oppressed by the Faridpur Bus Owners Association. They mentioned that when they go to Faridpur, their drivers are frequently assaulted. Furthermore, because of the bus owners' association, they are unable to obtain road permits for their CNGs, Mahindras, and other small vehicles.
Md. Bazlu, general secretary of the Bus Owners Association, said that CNG-run auto rickshaws and Mahindra vehicles are illegal and do not have permission to operate on the roads. "We will not allow them to run," he said, avoiding the issue of the assault on the CNG driver.
