5 workers die in clash with Police in Bashkhali power plant

At least five people were killed and multiple others injured in a clash between police and workers of a power plant in Bashkhali upazila of Chittagong on Saturday. Bashkhalii Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Saiduzzaman Chowdhury confirmed the figures of fatalities to the media. The deceased are Ahmad Reza (18), Rony Hossain (22), Shuvo (24), Md Rahat (24), and Rayhan (25). The coal-fired power plant located in Gandamara area is owned by S Alam Group.

The UNO said the workers of the power plant were staging demonstrations over wages and allowances. A clash erupted there and left five people dead, he said. As local people also engaged in the clash, identities of the deceased could not be known immediately whether they were workers or villagers, he added.

Azizul Islam, officer-in-charge of Banshkhali police station, said tension has been prevailing since Friday over non-payment of workers' dues, reports UNB. On Saturday morning, the leaders of the workers' union sat in a meeting with local administration to settle the issue.

At one stage, an altercation ensued between police and power plant workers around 11:45am, triggering a chase and counter-chase. Later, police fire bullets to disperse the workers.

Five of the injured, who sustained bullet injuries, were taken to Chittagong Medical College and Hospital while the others were undergoing treatment at Banshkhali Upazila Health Complex.

The agitated workers reportedly carried out vandalism and arson attacks inside the power plant. In 2016, six people were killed in a clash with police in the same power plant.