A female cleaner of Dhaka North City Corporation has died after being hit by a soil-laden pick-up van near Gabtoli Bus Terminal in the capital.
Around 1,500 cleaners, who are employed under the city corporation, have blocked the Dhaka-Aricha Highway following the incident, which took place around 5:45am this morning.
The victim, Amena Begum, 45, hailing from the Badda area of the city, resided in a rented house in the city corporation's Natun Mohalla area for the convenience of her work.
Mafizur Rahman, assistant commissioner for the Darus Salam Zone of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), said Amena Begum was walking along a slope on Gabtoli-Dwipnagar road in the Mohammadpur area at dawn when the pick-up, moving at a high speed, veered onto the footpath and struck her, hurling her into a nearby pit.
She succumbed to her injuries at the scene, said Mafizur.
In protest of her death, cleaners employed by the Dhaka North City Corporation have staged a blockade on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway, causing gridlock since this morning.
Senior police officials have been dispatched to the scene to restore order. However, the protesting cleaners have declared that they will not lift the blockade until their demands for risk allowance and other concessions are met.
Meanwhile, additional police personnel have been deployed in Gabtoli area to prevent any further untoward incidents.