Bus services resume in Rajshahi following 25-hour strike over union election dispute

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Bus services resumed across all routes from Rajshahi on Tuesday night, ending a 25-hour transport strike that left thousands of passengers stranded and disrupted travel throughout the region. The suspension, which began Monday evening, was triggered by an internal dispute within the Rajshahi Motor Workers Union regarding the management of upcoming elections.

The stalemate paralyzed the city’s transport terminals for an entire day, forcing commuters to seek alternative travel arrangements or cancel their plans entirely. Long-distance bus counters remained shuttered throughout Tuesday, leaving many travelers unaware of the strike until they arrived at the stations.

The friction centered on a disagreement between rival factions led by union figures Rafiqul Islam Paki and Mominul Islam Momin. The conflict escalated on Monday after workers rejected a proposal from District Administrator Kazi Shahidul Islam to form an election committee under his direct supervision. Following an argument over the committee’s composition, the transport sector was abruptly halted.

To resolve the impasse, the district administration tasked Deputy Commissioner of the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, Nur Alam Siddiqui, with mediating between the factions. Following a series of meetings on Tuesday, an agreement was reached to establish an interim convener committee comprised of three representatives from each faction and three government officials. Under the terms of the deal, the parties agreed to proceed with an election overseen by the district administration.

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Despite the breakthrough, lingering tensions surfaced shortly before the services resumed. Mominul Islam accused a third party, Liton Ali, of attempting to obstruct the resumption of bus services for political reasons. Liton Ali denied these claims, asserting that he was acting solely in the interest of the workers to ensure a fair electoral process.

While buses began departing the terminals at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, union leaders indicated that further discussions with the district administration were scheduled to finalize the details of the transition. The agreement marks a fragile end to a dispute that had effectively severed Rajshahi’s primary connection to the rest of the country.