At least 35 people including 15 policemen were injured during a clash between auto-rickshaw workers and police at Nasratpur in Sayestaganj upazila of Habiganj yesterday.
According to locals, on Thursday, police barred auto-rickshaw drivers from plying their vehicles on Dhaka-Sylhet highway as there is a government ban on three-wheelers and slow-moving vehicles on highways.
In protest, the workers took to the street around 10:00am, blocking the highway. As police tried to foil the demonstration, a clash broke out between the two.
On Thursday, police seized five auto-rickshaws while plying the highway. Auto-rickshaw owners and workers yesterday blocked the highway in protest. “When we tried to disperse them, they swooped on us,” said Md Jasimuddin, officer-in-charge of Shayestaganj Highway Police Station.
“They threw brickbats at us, and burned tyres,” he added. At least 15 cops were injured. “We brought the situation under control around 12:30pm,” he said.
According to witnesses, police also charged baton on the workers. Around 20 workers were injured.
The injured police personnel are being treated at local hospitals, said Delwar Hosain, sub-inspector of Sayestaganj Police Station.
