The dispute between the transport owners and workers at the Rupatali bus terminal with the students of Barisal University has not been resolved permanently.
Students and transport owners in the Rupatali bus terminal area staged a sit-in protest in the university area on Saturday. As a result, direct road communication of Barisal with Bhola, Patuakhali, Barguna and tourist center Kuakata and Jhalokati, Pirojpur and Khulna districts was closed.
Students suspended the Barisal-Kuakata highway blockade till 5:30 pm on Sunday. However, the bus owners and workers continued their strike and said that they would suspend the strike for one day on Sunday on the occasion of International Mother Language Day. The distance from the city's Rupatali bus terminal to Barisal University is one and a half kilometers.
Since Saturday morning, the two sides have been holding roadblocks, demonstrations and burning tires in their respective areas with sticks in their hands.
The standoff erupted when two transport workers were arrested on Friday night in a case of beating students late last night. This situation continued till evening. Last Tuesday, BRTC bus workers beat two students and transport workers beat students at night. This led to a dispute between the two parties. In such a situation, the university administration sat down to discuss with the agitating students on Saturday afternoon.
After the discussion, Amit Hasan Raktim, one of the leaders of the movement, said that they have blocked the highway since Saturday morning after a 48-hour ultimatum demanding three points.
Their main demand was the arrest of Kawsar Hossain Shipon, the district Awami League's labor affairs secretary and general secretary of the Barisal-Patuakhali Minibus Owners' Association, who led the attack on the students. The movement will continue until he is arrested.
However, on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, they have suspended the highway blockade from 6 pm on Saturday to Sunday. If Shipon is not arrested within this period, the students will block the highway again from Monday. On the other hand, Kawshar Hossain Shipon, general secretary of Barisal-Patuakhali Minibus Owners Association, said that two of their workers have been arrested by the police. The transport strike will continue until they are released.
They will postpone the strike for one day on Sunday on the occasion of International Mother Language Day. Sultan Mollah, general secretary of Barisal Bus and Minibus Workers Union, gave the same statement. Barisal Kotwali Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Nurul Islam said the university authorities did not name any accused in the case.
Abul Bashar Rony, 25, a supervisor of MK Paribahan and a helper of South Bengal Paribahan, a resident of Rupatali residential area, were arrested on Friday night as police suspects. After a meeting with university students on Saturday evening, Barisal Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Moktar Hossain said the university administration had filed a case accusing the unidentified persons.
The two were arrested after the investigation found evidence of their involvement. The students of Barisal University blocked the highway at Rupatali bus terminal in Barisal on Tuesday afternoon to protest the beating of two students and demand the arrest of the attacking BRTC bus workers.
The students lifted the blockade two hours after the attacker Rafiq, a BRTC bus worker, was arrested and the university and police administration assured him. A group of transport workers attacked university students in a residential area adjacent to the Rupatali bus terminal late on Tuesday night.
Students blocked the Barisal-Kuakata highway all day on Wednesday to demand justice for the attackers.
In the afternoon, the students lifted the blockade with a 48-hour ultimatum on the assurance of the administration.
They also blocked the highway for two hours on Friday afternoon and held a torch procession on campus after dusk.
