Mongla port still tense as dockers continue protest: BDR, riot police eployed; cement importers planning to move clinker-laden ships to Chittagong
KHULNA, Dec 6: Tension gripped Mongla port today with the dock workers continuing protest against the death of four people in police firing on Tuesday. Most of the shops and business establishments in Mongla township remained closed today. Loading and unloading at the port remained suspended.
The sudden formation of a new committee by four categories of dock workers, including “Rulaiya” labourers, to exert pressure on the leaders of the Mongla Bandar Sramik Sangha (the CBA) for joining their on-going movement to realise their demands has complicated the process of finding a solution to the problems.
The new committee headed by Moazzem Hossain and Enamul Kabir has recently been launched under the nomenclature of Four-Category Mongla Bandar Sramik Unnayan Sangram Committee.
The leaders of the Mongla Bandar Sramik Sangha led by its president Shahjahan Shikari and secretary Mustafizur Rahman did not extend their support to the strike of the dockers. The strike, which began on Friday (December 1), was initially confined to the “Rulaiya” workers who obstructed others from joining work. Later, other categories of workers also joined the strike.
Meanwhile, the Namaz-e-Janaza of three Muslims killed in the police firing was held near the office of the Sramik Sangha in Mongla township this afternoon after post-mortem at the Bagerhat Hospital.
UNB adds: The striking workers who lost four of their colleagues in the fierce gunfight with the law-enforcers handed over the bodies to their relations, on Tuesday night, nine hours after the bloody clash.
While handing over the bodies, they told Mongla Port Poura Chairman Abdul Hye that one woman, one middle-aged man and a child were also killed in Tuesday’s firing by the riot police.
The police denied the claim, saying the death toll was four.
The police, however, assured them of conducting an inquiry. DIG (Khulna) Lutful Kabir said that a one-member inquiry committee had been formed with additional DIG M Enayet Hossain Dewan as its chief. Two state ministers who came here also assured the striking workers that action would be taken against the persons responsible for the killings after proper inquiry.
State Minister for Relief Talukdar Abdul Khaleq and State Minister for Social Welfare Dr Mozammel Hossain gave the assurances while addressing a rally at the Sramik Sangha ground.
Some 5,000 workers and their families joined the rally to protest the killings. They chanted slogans demanding punishment for the “culprit police”.
“I want trial of the police who killed my son,” said Aleya Begum, mother of Ripon, killed in Tuesday’s gunbattle along with three others. Additional SP Shahidul Alam Chowdhury said the police used 40 teargas canisters,40 rifle bullets and 101 rounds of shotgun bullets after the unruly workers fired at least 50 shots and blasted an unspecified number of bombs and crackers during the clash.
From the rally, the workers also announced no-confidence in Mongla Port Sramik Sangha President Shahjahan Shikari and General Secretary Mustafizur Rahman. Declaring them “people of the ship owners,” they demanded CBA elections within one month. Port sources said the workers remained on strike since Friday demanding recruitment of more workers of gang booking, disrupting export-import trade.
The situation deteriorated when Mongla police arrested a striking worker at 1 pm on Tuesday while he was trying to drum up support for the port strike and general shutdown in the area.
The police said he was held in a case filed by the port authority under the Public Safety Act.
Deputy Commissioner M Nurul Islam and SP Abdus Salam claimed that the situation in Mongla was now normal. Two platoons of BDR personnel, two platoons of riot police and four platoons of police are now guarding the tense port area.
Meanwhile, cement importers are planning to move out their clinkers-laden ships as the three ships have been waiting at Mongla port for unloading since Friday.
“We will be compelled to move the ships to Chittagong if the loading-unloading work is not resumed today,” said M Habibur Rahman, the Chief Engineer of Meghna Cement Ltd. The trouble erupted, in fact, over deploying workers for unloading the clinker-carrying ships.
Vice-Chairman of the Dock Workers Conducting Board M Saidul Islam said as per an agreement signed on July 15,1999 some 12 workers are supposed to make a gang for one clinker ship. But the workers have been demanding 18-member gang which is a violation of the agreement. ( The Independent )
