Dhaka has been virtually disconnected from other parts of the country as transport workers have brought road communications to a grinding halt protesting their fellow bus driver Jamir Hossain’s life sentence.
Jamir was handed the sentence in a case filed over the deaths of five people including acclaimed filmmaker Tareque Masud and cinematographer and journalist Mishuk Munier in a road accident in 2011.
However, the indefinite strike, enforced from early Tuesday by the pro-government Bangladesh Transport Workers' Federation (BTWF), caused immense sufferings to people as no buses moved out of Dhaka’s three main terminals - Gabtoli, Mohakhali and Sayedabad.
Many of them said they were not even aware of the strike.
The organisation announced the countrywide strike from a meeting held at its Motijheel office Monday night.
On Sunday, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, also executive president of the BTWF, backed the strike, saying that the transport workers had the right to protest against the sentence.
President of Inter-district Bus Owners’ Association Abul Kalam Azad told the Dhaka tribune said the BTWF barred them from running their vehicles during the strike.
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