Dhaka: Commuters suffered a lot in the capital due to crisis of public transport on Monday as bus and minibus workers of various routes went on a strike protesting punishment given by a BRTA mobile court to a bus driver at Mirpur on Sunday.

Sources at the transport owners association of Mirpur said a mobile court of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) sentenced one month jail to Monir, an employee of a bus of Himachal paribahan, when passengers of the bus complained to the mobile court set up at Taltola on Begum Rokeya Sharani against the bus employees for charging extra fare.

As the driver of another bus protested it, the on-duty police physically assaulted him, they claimed.

Protesting the incident, employees of buses and mini buses of Mirpur area went on a strike at about 12:00pm and continued it till 5:00pm, said Mirpur bus-minibus owners’ association Joint Secretary Akkas Ali.

He said employees of bus and minibus withdrew their strike at 5:00pm as the leaders of Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity assured that they will look into the matter.

Contacted, general secretary of Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity Khandaker Enayet said he already talked to the chairman of BRTA and requested him not to give jail term as maximum punishment to the transport workers.

In response, the BRTA chairman assured that he will look into the matter, he said.