Bus services between Barishal and the rest of the country have remained suspended since Sunday morning (November 16) following a violent clash between transport workers and students over bus fare at Nathullabad Central Bus Terminal on Saturday (November 15).
Students allegedly vandalised more than a hundred buses during the incident.
Although no formal strike or work stoppage has been announced, transport owners and workers in Barishal have halted operations on all routes.
Operators in Dhaka and other districts have also suspended services on Barishal-bound and other southern routes, effectively severing bus connections across the region.
Witnesses said an argument erupted between transport workers and a BM College student over paying a half fare on a bus travelling from Muladi to Barishal on Saturday evening.
Read more: Dhaka-bound bus services from Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Natore halt
Several hundred students rushed to the terminal after being informed and clashed with transport workers, they said.
The students allegedly vandalised over 100 buses, damaged the terminal building and looted money from ticket counters. One bus was set on fire, but Fire Service personnel managed to douse the flames before they spread.
Transport workers claimed that 20–25 workers were injured in the attack and that ticket counters were completely destroyed.
Students, however, denied the allegations, accusing transport workers of damaging buses and setting fire to one of them to shift blame onto students.
A visit to the terminal on Sunday morning showed rows of shattered buses, with not a single one left intact.
Leaders of the Bus Owners’ Group said the association operates 190 buses, of which about 40 were outside the terminal during the attack. The remaining 150 were vandalised.
“Not a single piece of glass is untouched,” said one owner, adding that none of the damaged buses can return to service without major repairs.
The suspension of bus services has caused severe suffering for passengers.
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Ahsan Mohammad, a government employee who came to the terminal to travel to Kushtia after learning of his mother’s illness, said that for such a long journey no alternative mode of transport was viable.
Mosharraf Hossain, president of the Barishal District Bus Owners’ Group, said, “We didn’t call any strike. There isn’t a single bus left intact; what will we operate?”
He said the owners of long-distance buses may also have stopped operations due to safety concerns. The estimated losses amount to Tk several crore.