Chittagong Port: Coordinator detained a day after strike withdrawn

Police have detained Ibrahim Khokon, a coordinator of the Chattogram Bandar Rokkha Sangram Parishad, from the Chittagong Port area on Monday evening.

The detention came right after the withdrawal of a continuous strike at the port. Ibrahim Khokon had also been serving as a coordinator of the port unit of the Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal.

Aminur Rashid, assistant commissioner (media) of the Chattogram Metropolitan Police, told Prothom Alo Monday night that a RAB team detained Ibrahim Khokon and handed him over to the port police station. Police are taking further action after verification.

The Chattogram Sramik-Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP) has strongly condemned and protested the detention of Chattogram Bandar Rokkha Sangram Parishad coordinator Ibrahim Khokon from the port area.

Port employees had been protesting with four demands, including opposition to leasing out the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT). The movement was led by two coordinators—Humayun Kabir and Ibrahim Khokon.

Initially, the protests were held under the banner of the port unit of the Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, but later they launched a tougher movement under the banner of the Chattogram Bandar Rokkha Sangram Parishad.

From 31 January, the organisation first observed eight-hour work stoppage a day for three days. This was followed by a continuous programme from last Tuesday.

After a meeting with the shipping adviser on Thursday, the programme was suspended for two days. However, alleging punitive measures against the protesters, a strike was called again from Sunday, which was finally withdrawn from 8:00 am on Monday.

The Chattogram Sramik-Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP) has protested against the detention of Ibrahim Khokon. In a statement, labour leaders said the administration was repeatedly pushing workers towards confrontation by abandoning the path of peaceful resolution.

They alleged that five port employees were arrested Sunday and that the detention of Ibrahim Khokon on Monday was a deliberate attempt by the authorities to provoke and heat up the situation.

The leaders further said that when port operations were returning to normal and stabilising after the withdrawal of the indefinite strike late last night, such a mysterious and negative step by the administration raised deep suspicion.

This, they said, clearly showed that a certain quarter was deliberately engaged in a conspiracy to destabilise the situation at the port.

The signatories to the statement were AM Nazim Uddin, president of the Chattogram divisional committee of the Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, and Kazi Sheikh Nurullah Bahar, general secretary; Tapan Dutt, member of the Labour Reform Commission and president of the TUC Chattogram district committee; SK Khoda Toton and Iftekhar Kamal Khan, SKOP coordinators  in Chattogram district; Khorshedul Alam, president of the Trade Union Sangha; Kazi Anwarul Haq, president of the BFTUC; Nurul Absar Touhid, president of the BLF; Helal Uddin, leader of the Samajtantrik Sramik Front; and Zahed Uddin, general secretary of the Bangladesh Jatiya Sramik Federation.