Case filed over baby’s death during strike

Transport workers have been sued in Moulvibazar over death of a seven-day-old baby, who died as a victim of the transport strike earlier this week.

Victim's uncle Akbar Ali filed the murder case with the Baralekha Police Station last night against about 170 unidentified people.

The baby died in an ambulance at Chandgram, Moulvibazar, after transport workers held an ambulance up for around half-an-hour on October 28.

Two other infants also died during the 48-hour strike enforced by Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation.

WHY THE STRIKE?

The 48-hour strike from 6:00am on October 28 was enforced to force the government to bring amendments to the recently passed Road Transport Act-2018.

The demands include making all offences under the Road Transport Act “bailable”, cancellation of the provision that allows a worker to be fined Tk 5 lakh for involvement in a road accident, changing the minimum educational qualification required to obtain driving licences from class-VIII to class-V, and ending harassment by police on roads.

HOW DID THE PEOPLE SUFFER?

For two consecutive days, the transport workers blocked all forms of transports – public buses, long haul buses, private cars, motorcycles and auto-rickshaws.

Several reported incidents took place where passengers were forced to get down from vehicles and walk to their destinations.

Harassments were also reported from all corners. Drivers who dared to defy the strike were physically assaulted. Some of them were also smeared in black oil.

Passengers were also not spared from harassment. Even schoolgirls in uniforms were smeared in black oil by the agitators in Narayanganj yesterday.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE ROAD TRANSPORT ACT?

On September 19, the parliament passed the much-anticipated Road Transport Act-2018 amid criticisms over lenient punishments for deaths caused by reckless driving.

According to the law, if anybody causes an accident by reckless and negligent driving, and kills or injures someone seriously, such person would face a maximum sentence of five years in jail or a fine of Tk 5 lakh or both.

However, if it is found that a driver has deliberately killed anyone or not averted a killing in a road accident, the matter would fall under either section 302 (murder) or 304 (culpable homicide) of the Penal Code, according to the explanation of the proposed act by the law minister.

The maximum punishment under section 302 of the Penal Code is the death penalty while it is life imprisonment under section 304.

Asked about the public suffering caused due to the strike, the general secretary of the federation said that they are not responsible for the suffering, rather it is government who is responsible.

Source: thedailystar