Leaders and activists of NCP allegedly came under attack on Sunday while preparing to hold a press conference at Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) over what they described as excessive ambulance fares charged to patients.
The party claimed that at least two of its activists were injured in the incident, which occurred in front of the hospital’s emergency department.
According to NCP leaders, a group controlling ambulance services at the hospital has been charging patients and their families inflated fares for years.
The dispute reportedly began earlier in the day when an ambulance operator allegedly demanded Tk12,000 for transporting a patient to Noakhali, despite the usual fare being around Tk5,000.
The party also alleged that patients travelling to Feni had previously been asked to pay Tk9,000, compared with the normal fare of Tk3,500 to Tk4,000.
In protest against the alleged overcharging, NCP arranged a press conference at around 4pm outside the emergency department.
However, party leaders said they were attacked before the briefing could begin.
Among those injured were Chattogram city NCP Joint Member Secretary MA Ali Ashik and Assistant Organising Secretary Sahadat Hossain, according to the party.
Witnesses said police were present at the scene during the incident, while additional personnel were later deployed to prevent further unrest.
Arif Moinuddin, member secretary of NCP’s Chattogram city unit, alleged that a powerful syndicate has long controlled ambulance operations at CMCH, restricting the entry of outside ambulances and forcing patients to pay excessive fares.
He claimed that CMCH Director Brig Gen Taslim Uddin had also expressed helplessness in addressing the issue. He further claimed that repeated complaints had been lodged with the district administration and the city corporation, but no effective action had been taken.
Responding to the allegations, Aman Ullah, general secretary of the Chattogram Ambulance Owners’ Cooperative Association, said that any complaint regarding ambulance fares should be addressed through the appropriate administrative channels rather than through personal approaches.
He also said that no one should use the events of 5 August as a pretext to pursue personal interests.
Following the incident, NCP leaders said they were preparing to file a case with Panchlaish Police Station and submit a memorandum to the district administration. They also warned of tougher programmes if their demands were not addressed.
