4 cops, workers hurt in Ctg union poll clash

At least four police personnel and several transport workers were injured in clashes between transport workers and police in Chattogram on Tuesday afternoon during an election for the Inter-District Road Transport Workers’ Union. The officer-in-charge of Halishahar Police Station was among the injured.

The incident took place around 3:30pm at Dulhan Community Centre in the Halishahar Eidgah area, where voting had been underway since the morning.

According to police, some workers raised objections over delays in voting, alleging mismanagement at the polling centre and irregularities in the voting process. An argument subsequently broke out between two groups of workers.

Police attempted to separate the groups and restore order, but the situation escalated into clashes involving workers and police. Workers allegedly hurled brickbats at police, prompting officers to use tear gas to disperse them.

Kazi Muhammad Sultan Ahsan Uddin, officer-in-charge of Halishahar Police Station, said four police personnel, including himself, were injured. They were receiving treatment at Dampara Police Hospital and were reported to be in improving condition.

Monwar Hossain, secretary of the Chattogram Inter-District Bus Owners’ Association, said several members of the election observer team were also injured.

Following the clashes, agitated transport workers took to the streets in the Kadamtali and Alankar areas. They reportedly set fire to roads and erected bamboo barricades, disrupting traffic.

Bus services on several routes, including the Chattogram-Dhaka route, were suspended, causing severe congestion on two major roads.

Police said the situation was later brought under control and the overall situation in the area had returned to normal.

Authorities said the violence appeared to have been triggered by alleged mismanagement at the polling centre, while further details of the incident and the election-related allegations are being investigated.