Death, strikes, long queues: Fuel chaos continues across Bangladesh
Truck driver arrested after fatally running over filling station manager in Narail over fuel dispute.
Chaos over fuel continued in several areas today (29 March), with reports of hoarding, transport shortages, rising fares, pump closures, and even the death of a filling station manager in Narail over a dispute.
In Narail Sadar, Nahid Sardar, 35, manager of Tanvir Filling Station, was killed after being run over by a truck on the Kalna-Jessore highway. His colleague, Jihadul Molla, 29, was critically injured in the incident.
According to filling station employees, the truck driver, Sujat Ali, arrived late on Saturday night seeking fuel. A dispute over supply escalated into threats against Nahid. Around 2:10am, Nahid and Jihadul left the station on a motorcycle, only to be chased and struck by the truck.
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Officer-in-Charge of Tularampur Highway Police Station, Sheikh Sekendar Ali, confirmed that Nahid's body had been sent to the district hospital morgue.
Law enforcers later arrested Sujat Ali from Jashore. RAB-6 commanding officer Major ATM Fazle Rabbi said the arrest followed a tip-off and a coordinated operation.
All filling stations in Narail were shut indefinitely as owners protested Nahid's death. Saiful Islam Hitru, joint convener of the Narail Pump Owners Association, said 10 pumps in the district had been closed.
Regarding the incident, Syed Sajjadul Karim Kabul, convener of the Bangladesh Petrol Pump Dealers, Distributors, Agents and Petrol Pump Owners Association, warned that disorder was escalating. He cited queue-breaking, political influence, and aggressive public behaviour as major concerns.
Kabul added that the government's deployment of "tag officers" and BGB personnel at depots might take time to show effectiveness, but said increased oversight would ultimately help owners.
Closed pumps, long queues in Dhaka
In Dhaka, some pumps remained closed while others had long queues of cars and motorcycles. At Trust Filling Station in Tejgaon, vehicles stretched nearly a kilometre from Jahangir Gate by 3pm. Drivers reported waiting since 10am, while bikers queued in light drizzle.
In Paribagh, one pump was shut and the other crowded, and Rahman and Co at Kataban on Elephant Road had 50–60 cars waiting, with fuel unavailable until the next supply arrived.
Mohammad Nazmul Haque, president of Bangladesh Petroleum Dealers, Distributors, Agents and Petrol Pump Owners Association, said the problem lies with consumers trying to buy more out of panic.
He said the government's supply volumes mirrored last year's allocations and alleged that some pump owners and social media content creators were fuelling the panic.
Fare hikes in Chattogram
Transport woes worsened in Chattogram, with passengers reporting fare hikes and vehicle shortages. CNG-run auto-rickshaws and buses charged higher fares across several upazilas.
On Kaptai Road, fares rose from Tk30-40 to Tk70-100, while routes from Karnaphuli to Anwara Chatori Chowmuhani doubled from Tk100 to Tk200.
Some drivers cited long queues at fuel pumps as the cause, though union leaders insisted there was no actual shortage of vehicles.
Md Khorshed Alam, general secretary of the Chattogram-Rangamati Bus-Minibus Workers Union, said higher passenger pressure at the start of the week was the likely reason for delays.
Mohammad Shahjahan, joint general secretary of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, said bus operations had fallen by about 30% due to fuel challenges.
At Fossil Petrol Pump in Muradpur, daily octane sales have doubled from 2,500–3,000 litres to around 6,000 litres since the Middle East conflict began.
Despite normal monthly allocations, the stock ran out on Saturday, forcing pumps to ration supply and leaving many customers empty-handed. Rural stations faced a sharper crisis, with daily demand surging fourfold.
Mohammad Moin Uddin, member secretary of the Chattogram division of the Bangladesh Petroleum Dealers, Distributors, Agents and Petrol Pump Owners Association, said most pumps now have tag officers monitoring operations.
He questioned where the fuel was going, noting that some customers return to queues within hours of purchasing fuel. "With hundreds of vehicles in line, it is impossible for staff to track everyone," he said, adding that workers also face public anger when unable to supply fuel.
Indefinite strikes in 8 northern districts
Satkhira's pumps also struggled. Many were closed, while others had long queues. Authorities said fuel would be supplied only after arrival from the depot.
Tajul Islam, additional deputy commissioner, said Upazila Nirbahi Officers were working to appoint officers at all pumps to manage the situation.
Northern districts faced additional disruption after workers' unions in eight districts of Rangpur division launched an indefinite strike, protesting mobile court fines and jail terms imposed on three workers.
Fuel supply to these districts has been halted since morning, affecting deliveries from the Parbatipur railway oil depot in Dinajpur.
In Faridpur, authorities found around 54,000 litres of fuel at two filling stations that had suspended sales, displaying "No fuel" signs during a mobile court drive. The mobile court fined one of the establishments Tk50,000 for the offence.
Meanwhile, law enforcement seized 12,613 litres of illegally hoarded diesel from a Mongla depot in Khulna early Sunday. The joint operation involved the Coast Guard, Navy, police, and local administration.
Coast Guard media officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujon said the diesel, stored without proper documentation at Jamuna Petroleum Limited's Mongla Oil Installation, had a market value of Tk12.10 lakh. Authorities are investigating the reasons behind the unauthorised stockpiling.
