Dhaka metro rail staff withdraw work stoppage, ticket sales resume

Sales of single journey tickets were suspended for 2.5 hours, but resume at 9:30am

Dhaka metro rail workers have agreed to call off a work stoppage after disciplinary action was taken against Mass Rapid Transit Police personnel over an assault.

Sales of single journey tickets for the metro rail resumed at 9:30am after a two-and-a-half-hour suspension.

Faruque Ahmed, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, or DMTCL, said: “A committee has been formed by the ministry to look into the matter. Those responsible for this incident will be disciplined. The MRT Police have already taken action. I have already spoken to those who conducting the work stoppage. They will return to work.”

Workers at the Mirpur-10 Metro Rail Station were seen selling tickets.

One of them told bdnews24.com: “Our MD sir came. He said that action will be taken against those involved in the incident. That is why we have resumed work.”

Workers had stopped issuing one-way tickets for train journeys from Monday morning over allegations that officers on duty at the Secretariat Station were beaten by the police on Sunday.

A notice had been hung at the Mirpur-10 Metro Rail Station that said service had been temporarily halted.

A guard at the station said only rapid pass travellers were allowed to use the trains.

MRT Police members assaulted four staff members of the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited verbally and physically around 5:15pm on Sunday, the metro rail staff alleged.

A press statement was circulated at midnight under the banner of ‘Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited Officers and Staff Members’ announcing the work stoppage.

The statement said that around 5:15pm on Sunday, two women were travelling in plainclothes without train tickets and without showing any identity cards. They tried to exit the paid zone using the swing gate beside the Excess Fare Collection Office. They were not wearing specific uniforms and their identities could not be determined. Under the circumstances, the on-duty customer relations assistant asked them the reason for using the swing gate to exit.

This agitated the police officers and an altercation broke out. At one point, they went to the MRT Police Control Room. After a while, two APBn members used the swing gate and went outside without closing it. When asked why, they engaged in an altercation citing the previous incident.

The press statement said that more police came from the control room and started an altercation with the on-duty CRA at the EFO. While leaving the office, they hit the CRA with their rifles and grabbed another worker by his collar, took them to the MRT Police box, and beat them. They also pointed their guns at the metro rail officials. The station staff and passengers later rescued the workers from the MRT Police.

The injured CRA has been admitted to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, the press statement said, adding that overall situation was a threat to the work environment at the metro rail.

The metro rail staff presented a six-point list of demands.

These are:

• The policeman directly involved in the incident should be permanently dismissed within a single working day
• Other police personnel should be punished and they should apologise in public
• Security forces should be developed to ensure the safety of metro rail, metro staff and passengers
• MRT Police should be abolished immediately and the security of the CRAs, TMOs, station controllers and other staff should be confirmed 100 percent
• Ensure that only official ID holders and people with permission can enter the paid zone of the station
• The authorities must take the responsibility of the injured staff’s medical treatment.

MRT Police DIG Siddiqui Tanzilur Rahman told bdnews24.com, “An OC [officer-in-charge] of the MRT Police has been removed over the incident and another SI [sub-inspector] has been suspended. Since they committed an offence, we’ll take action against them.”