Leaving around 200 ticket holding passengers in Barguna high and dry,
pro-ruling party student body Chhatra League men Friday night forcibly
took five intercity buses so that they could reach Dhaka for their
council meeting.
Chhatra League, however, claimed that it had requisitioned the buses and paid in advance.
The passengers had bought the tickets in advance to return to Dhaka after Eid holidays. As they went to the bus counters Friday afternoon, they were informed that their buses were on their way to Dhaka with Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leaders and activists.
The BCL men grabbed one bus each from bus service providers Abdullah, Sakura, Hanif, Sonartori and Eagle.
Desperate passengers, who were supposed to join work yesterday, were seen engaged in heated conversations with the employees of bus service providers there.
“I work for a private organisation. I had to attend office Saturday morning but I couldn't,” said one of them.
Abdullah Paribahan, which operates four buses from Barguna to Dhaka, later arranged three buses to carry the stranded passengers. Some got refunds and returned home, said an employee of the bus service provider. The other bus service providers followed suit. They alleged that BCL leaders did not ask for the buses in advance and that they went there and just took the buses.
Seeing BCL activists grabbing buses, other service providers did not bring their buses before bus counters. They parked their buses far away and took the passengers there on pickups.
“I hired two pickups and took our passengers to Chandukhali point to avoid the Chhatra League,” Mehedi Hasan, manager of Meghna Paribahan, told The Daily Star yesterday.
Jubayer Adnan Anik, president of Barguna unit BCL, claimed that they had taken four buses through requisition and payment.
“Two days ago, we informed leaders of bus owners' association that we needed several buses to attend our council in Dhaka and the association arranged it,” he told The Daily Star last night.
Asked about the passengers who bought tickets and their sufferings, he replied, “We are not concerned about that.”
Sagir Hossain, general secretary of the association and Barguna district AL member, allegedly helped the BCL take the buses. Contacted, he denied the allegation and claimed that it was the bus operators who had sold tickets for the buses and put the passengers in trouble.
The daily Star
Chhatra League, however, claimed that it had requisitioned the buses and paid in advance.
The passengers had bought the tickets in advance to return to Dhaka after Eid holidays. As they went to the bus counters Friday afternoon, they were informed that their buses were on their way to Dhaka with Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leaders and activists.
The BCL men grabbed one bus each from bus service providers Abdullah, Sakura, Hanif, Sonartori and Eagle.
Desperate passengers, who were supposed to join work yesterday, were seen engaged in heated conversations with the employees of bus service providers there.
“I work for a private organisation. I had to attend office Saturday morning but I couldn't,” said one of them.
Abdullah Paribahan, which operates four buses from Barguna to Dhaka, later arranged three buses to carry the stranded passengers. Some got refunds and returned home, said an employee of the bus service provider. The other bus service providers followed suit. They alleged that BCL leaders did not ask for the buses in advance and that they went there and just took the buses.
Seeing BCL activists grabbing buses, other service providers did not bring their buses before bus counters. They parked their buses far away and took the passengers there on pickups.
“I hired two pickups and took our passengers to Chandukhali point to avoid the Chhatra League,” Mehedi Hasan, manager of Meghna Paribahan, told The Daily Star yesterday.
Jubayer Adnan Anik, president of Barguna unit BCL, claimed that they had taken four buses through requisition and payment.
“Two days ago, we informed leaders of bus owners' association that we needed several buses to attend our council in Dhaka and the association arranged it,” he told The Daily Star last night.
Asked about the passengers who bought tickets and their sufferings, he replied, “We are not concerned about that.”
Sagir Hossain, general secretary of the association and Barguna district AL member, allegedly helped the BCL take the buses. Contacted, he denied the allegation and claimed that it was the bus operators who had sold tickets for the buses and put the passengers in trouble.
The daily Star
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