NEW DELHI, Apr 16: At least five people were killed in police firing and several others injured following a clash in an under-construction power plant in joint venture with two Chinese companies in Banskhali in Chittagong district in Bangladesh.
The workers in the coal-fired power plant were agitating for the last few days in protest against non-payment of their dues and demanding flexibility in the working hours to allow them to perform the religious rituals during the on-going month of Ramzan.
The eye-witness accounts said the Chinese supervisors had not only refused to concede any of their demands, a Chinese official had even kicked some of the workers on the back when they were offering “namaz” on Friday that further infuriated the workers.
The agitated workers on Saturday attacked the power plant when a meeting between their leaders and the management failed to resolve the crisis. According to the eyewitnesses, the workers set a fire inside the power plant.
Chittagong Range Deputy Inspector General Anwar Hossain said that police were attacked when they tried to intervene, compelling them to open fire on the workers. Banskhali Police Station OC (investigation) Azizul Islam confirmed that five people died in the clash, adding that six police personnel were also injured. While four people died on the spot, one succumbed to injuries after he was admitted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital.
The under-construction power plant in Banshkhali has been marred with controversy ever since the S. Alam Group, a leading Bangladeshi industrial conglomerate, signed a joint venture agreement with two Chinese companies for the 1224 MW power project. The Chinese companies are working as engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors for the plant.
In 2016, four people lost their lives during a clash after locals protested against S Alam Group’s acquisition of land in the West Boroghona area for plant’s construction. The S. Alam Group paid a penalty of 2 billion Takas to keep the controversial project alive. The plant was scheduled to start supplying electricity to the national grid from November, 2019 but has been delayed due to a series of controversies surrounding the project, official sources said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
