Several hundred temporary level crossing gatekeepers of Bangladesh Railway locked the Rail Bhaban on Sunday keeping officials and employees inside the building for about four hours demanding nationalisation of their jobs.
Later, they withdrew the blockade after the railways authorities assured them of considering their demand in the next 40 days.
They, under the banner of Bangladesh Railway鈥檚 Gatekeeper Unity Council, took position in the bhaban area since Sunday morning as per a pre-scheduled programme with their one-point demand.
The council leaders said that the railway appointed a total of 1,505 gatekeepers in 2018 under two projects to rehabilitate and improve level crossings under the railway鈥檚 east and west zones.
Earlier, the gatekeepers also held protests demanding job nationalisation.
On Sunday, they locked the main entrance to the bhaban and two other entrances to the main building at about 4:30pm.
Following the incidents, the railway officials and employees got locked inside the bhaban.
Tareq Aziz, one of the leaders, alleged that they were forced to do this as they were being denied time and again.
Md Al Mamun Sheikh, the coordinator of the council, said that in the evening some聽 army personnel came to the bhaban.
With their mediation, an eight-representative team of the council met the railways ministry new secretary MA Akmal Hossain Azad, Bangladesh Railway鈥檚 director general Sardar Shahdat Ali and other senior officials of the ministry and the railway.
At the meeting, the authorities seek 40 days鈥� time to review their demand for nationalisation of their jobs, said Bangladesh Railway鈥檚 director for public relations Nahid Hasan Khan.
He also said that at around 8:00pm the protesters withdrew their blockade from the bhaban.
