Workers call off road blockade in Gabtoli, traffic starts to move

Traffic began to move through the area around 12:30pm after a 2-hour blockade eased following discussions between police and protesters

Transport workers have eased a road blockade in Dhaka’s Gabtoli area over an incident of alleged harassment by traffic police.

The workers blocked the road through Gabtoli, cutting off a key entry route to the capital around 10:30am on Thursday. They eased their protest around 12:30pm.

The protest triggered traffic congestion throughout a large section of Dhaka.

The incident that sparked the protest allegedly occurred around 10:30am on Thursday.

Transport worker Al Amin said a traffic policeman had unnecessarily harassed a driver, saying that his vehicle’s windshield was damaged even after checking his documents and finding them to be in order.

“At one point in the argument, the police officer beat the driver. Later both sides got into a scuffle."

All on-duty police personnel in Gabtoli later left the area as the situation deteriorated. The workers then blocked the road with their vehicles.

Assistant Commissioner (Traffic) Bimal Chandra Barman said, that a driver refused to cooperate when a case was being filed against a pick-up truck that had a defect.

“It led to an argument and then a scuffle. Four of our police personnel were injured. A sergeant named Rana was seriously injured and admitted to the Neuro Science Hospital.”

After discussions, traffic has been allowed to move through the area, Bimal said.

Traffic began to move again around 12:30pm.