PDB engineer allegedly assaulted while trying to protect female colleague in Ctg office

A Power Development Board (PDB) engineer was allegedly assaulted after he intervened when a group of Collective Bargaining Agent (CBA) leaders and activists confronted a female executive engineer at the utility's Chattogram office, officials said.

The incident took place around noon on Tuesday on the fifth floor of the PDB office in Agrabad. A video of the incident circulated on social media yesterday.

According to PDB officials, around 35 to 40 people gathered outside the office of Nilufarin Akter, a system analyst and executive engineer. They were protesting the recruitment of a worker on a "no work, no pay" basis.

Nilufarin alleged that 20 to 25 people entered her office and began speaking aggressively.

"I was alone in the room. I asked them to calm down and speak properly," she told reporters.

Hearing the commotion, Assistant Engineer Mehedi Haque entered the room.

According to Nilufarin, Mehedi questioned why the group was speaking to a female officer in that manner.

"After that, they pulled him out of the room and assaulted him," she alleged.

Following the incident, Nilufarin submitted a written complaint to the chief engineer. She said CCTV footage had also been collected.

An executive engineer later filed a general diary (GD) with Double Mooring Police Station over the alleged assault on Mehedi.

The PDB headquarters subsequently ordered the transfer of four employees -- plant operator Md Hafizur Rahman, lineman Md Nurunnabi, electrician Md Shafiqul Islam, and driver Md Ayub.

CBA leaders, however, denied the allegation.

Nazrul Islam, joint general secretary of the PDB CBA in Chattogram, said the organisation had protested the recruitment, claiming that a vacant master-roll position had been filled without consultation.

"An engineer came and created a disturbance. There was some pushing and shoving," he said.

He added that the organisation would hold a protest meeting today against the transfer orders.

PDB Chattogram Chief Engineer Kamal Uddin Ahmed said both sides had submitted complaints.

"CBA members behaved improperly with an executive engineer and an assistant engineer. We have also received allegations of assault. The CBA leaders have submitted counter-allegations as well," he said.

The matter has been reported to the PDB headquarters, and an investigation is underway, he added.