The Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) organized a human chain in front of the Chittagong Press Club on Saturday (April 11) to protest price manipulation and artificial shortages of edible oil, fuel, and essential commodities.
Speakers at the rally accused unscrupulous traders of holding the public hostage by hoarding supplies and creating "artificial crises" to justify price hikes. CAB leaders also expressed deep concern over the "anarchic situation" regarding fuel supplies, specifically noting that despite domestic octane production, depots and petrol pump owners have created a shortage that has paralyzed public life.
SM Nazer Hossain, Vice President of the CAB Central Committee, chaired the event. He criticized the silence of market regulators, stating that traders are "fooling the government" and smuggling profits abroad while common citizens suffer.
Kazi Iqbal Bahar Chhaberi, General Secretary of the CAB Chittagong Divisional Committee, warned that a syndicate is providing the government with misleading information to prevent crackdowns on hoarders. He called on the administration and law enforcement to stop protecting business interests at the expense of the public.
CAB leaders vowed to continue street protests until the "market syndicate" is dismantled and prices are stabilized.
