Bus services on Sylhet-Zakiganj road remain suspended for two days

The indefinite work abstention by transport workers in protest against the vandalism of buses centring the death of a boy in a road accident continued for the second consecutive day on Tuesday on Sylhet-Zakiganj route.

The strike left hundreds of commuters disrupted for the past couple of days.

Sylhet District Bus, Minibus, Coach, and Microbus Workers’ Union called for the strike on Sunday afternoon and enforced it from Monday morning.

On Monday afternoon, the union also announced to observe the strike in the entire district from Tuesday morning. But later they reversed the decision and observed the strike only on the Sylhet-Zakiganj route on Tuesday.

As the strike gripped the entire district, commuters heading to Zakiganj and Beanibazar from Sylhet faced serious disruptions.

At the Kadamtali Bus Terminal in Sylhet on Tuesday morning, this correspondent found that no buses were leaving for Zakiganj or Beanibazar. Similarly, no buses arrived from Zakiganj towards Sylhet.

Many passengers were seen sitting at the terminal, waiting for buses that they had been informed would not be running. Despite knowing this, they waited, hoping the strike would be called off.

On Sunday morning, a group of children was playing football near Kamalganj Abdul Matin Community Center in Zakiganj upazila. A speeding bus ran over a boy named Abir Ahmed who went to the Sylhet-Zakiganj road to fetch the ball after it had gone there.

The accident left him critically injured and he was rushed to a local hospital where physicians declared him dead.

Enraged by it, locals and others vandalised three buses, prompting the transport workers to suspend bus services.

Transport workers claimed that, in addition to the bus involved in the accident, at least three other buses were also damaged during the protests.

Abdul Muhit, general secretary to the Sylhet District Bus, Minibus, Coach, and Microbus Workers’ Union, said, "If our bus driver is at fault, the law will take its course. But taking the law into one's own hands by vandalizing and setting buses on fire is an act of terrorism. We demand justice for this."

The driver of one of the affected buses lodged an application to Zakiganj police station to file a case.

Zakiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman said the matter has been reported to Sylhet Deputy Commissioner and necessary actions would be taken soon.