Businessmen begin agitation May 21

The businessmen, particularly the owners of transports, demanded introduction of highway patrol on Dhaka-Chittagong and other long distant routes and formation of a special squad like Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in this regard.

Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) at a meeting on May 14 decided to form a human chain wearing black badges in front of the chamber building at Agrabad at 3:00pm on May 21. CCCI President Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabhed presided.

The trade bodies, including transport organisations, will participate in the human chain.

The CCCI leaders told the meeting that the hijacking and highway robbery also claimed invaluable lives at different occasions side by side with having adverse impact in the business sector.

The meeting also formed a monitoring cell with its President Saifuzzaman Chowdhury and Vice-president MA Latif as advisor and convenor.

The rod traders observed a six-day strike early this month demanding introduction of the highway patrol.

They withdrew the strike when the administration at a meeting on May 3 with transport businessmen and chamber leaders assured of taking an initiative to introduce highway patrol on Dhaka-Chittagong highway in a month.

The police officials told the meeting at the CCCI auditorium that some highway police outposts would also be set up.

The businessmen at the meeting (May 3) with CCCI president in the chair said police hardly come to help during the robbery. Even, police do not register cases without bribes and rather, in some cases, harass the victims.

They said they would go for greater agitation programmes, including laying siege to the office of the Divisional Inspector General (DIG) of police and hunger strike, if measures are not taken in this regard.

Meanwhile, CCCI President Saifuzzaman at a meeting on May 14 with the transport owners said that they got only an assurance without any action when they met state minister for home and other high officials.

The businessmen also called for intervention of the prime minister into the matter and initiative by the state minister to take measures in this regard.

Latif said "We do not want only introduction of highway patrolling or highway police. We seek PM's intervention in formation of a special squad like Rab to root out the syndicates involved in the transport hijacking and highway robbery."

Apart from Dhaka-Chittagong route, such incidents are also taking place in other long distant routes, he said.

Trucks are being hijacked and passenger buses are falling victim to highway robbery almost every day. But, the incidents mostly remain unreported as the concerned police stations are reluctant to accept cases or remain inactive after a case is filed, he said.

Moreover, the bus owners try to hide such incidents not to scare passengers away and avoid police harassment, he added. Besides police, in many cases, suspect the transport owners and make them accused in the incidents, he said.

The robbers have well-organised syndicates based at several points of Sitakunda, Chouddagram and Daudkandi Meghnaghat along Dhaka-Chittagong Road, said Latif. " It would not have been so difficult to identify the syndicates and root them out to check the incidents, if the law enforcers are sincere," he added.

Iron and Steel Traders' Association General Secretary Amanul Haq Iqbal said apart from highway robbery, 15 trucks were also hijacked only in the last one month.

"The last incident of truck hijacking took place last week and we had to suffer a lot to file a case in this connection on Wednesday," Iqbal said.