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Published : 01 Jun 2025, 04:52 PM
Police have removed the Tottho Apa protesters seeking job security from the Kakrail Mosque Intersection, dragging them away into a prison van, saying the workers have not been arrested, simply withdrawn from the area.
Workers of the Tottho Apa, a project run by the women and children affairs ministry, were carried off in a prison van around 4pm on Sunday.
Abdullah Al Mamun, assistant commissioner of Ramna police, said: "They [protesters] were not detained or arrested, they were removed. They will be released."
A police officer said that the protesters were requested to move away earlier, but they did not comply. The police then brought in a prison van and took them in to “intimidate” them.
The protesters launched the procession from the National Press Club around 10:30am on Sunday.
After moving out of the Press Club area, they averted a police barricade once but were later halted at the Kakrail Mosque intersection.
Bystanders said the workers engaged in a scuffle with police, who resorted to baton charges to disperse them.
“A delegation of [Tottho Apa workers] has been sent to Jamuna. They said they would submit a memorandum to the chief advisor. Let us see if they return with the memorandum.
“And the rest are staying on one side of the road. Traffic is normal.”
Police said they forced the protesters into the prison van when they insisted on continuing demonstrations even after the delegation returned with the memorandum.
The workers of the project have been holding a sit-in in front of the National Press Club since Wednesday with two demands.
Their two demands are -- everyone working on the project should be transferred to the revenue sector by creating posts in all grades and paying the deducted salaries and allowances as soon as possible.
The protesters said that the project has about 2,000 women working at the field level. The project will expire at the end of this month, so they are holding a sit-in seeking a long-term solution for their employment.
