Leaders of Sarak Poribahan Shramik Federation, Rajshahi region and Transport Owners Association, in an emergency meeting at a restaurant in Natore on Sunday declared to start an indefinite transport strike in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions from September 4.
They declared the strike demanding the shifting of the section from 302 to section 304 of the case filed against truck driver Shahjahan Ali.
The emergency meeting of transport leaders was held with the organisations consisting of owners of 28 Transport groups of eight districts of Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions.
Ansar Ali, General Secretary of Rajshahi Regional Transport committee, said that the President has not yet signed the new transport law enacted recently that is why the section 302 cannot be applied. Police was using the law against driver Shahjahan Ali maliciously.
He also said that transport leaders had already discussed the issue with the Superintendent of Police of Mymensingh and with the committee members of various transport leaders and owners. The transport owners have also expressed solidarity with the demand of transport leaders in this connection. Both the transport owners and the transport labourers organisations demanded the case should be filed under 304 section instead of section 302 otherwise, they threatened to start a country wide transport strike.
The meeting was attended, among others, by Abdul Mannan, Vice-President of Rajshahi Regional Poribahan Shramik Federation, Rafiqul Islam, Abdul Mannan Mondal, Feroze Khan, Dhahidullah Sheikh, President of Natore district truck and tank lorry Shramik Union Mostarul Islam Alam.
On August 17, constable of traffic police Robi Chowdhury of Mymensingh traffic division was killed in a road accident in Mymensingh. Police arrested truck driver Shahajahan of Natore and field a case against him under section 302. Transport owners and leaders were demanding to change the section of the case filed under 302 to 304 by September-3. They said that in such incident of accident, case under section 304 (kha) is always filed but police, by being motivated and malicious, filed the case under 302 section which they claimed as conspiratorial.
