Unrest in Savar

At least 20 garment workers were injured in clashes with police who tried to clear a blockade on the Dhaka-Aricha highway in Savar on Monday.

The workers had started the blockade demanding, among others, that their factories be reopened.

Police later ‘cleared’ them off the road to resume traffic on the highway.

Workers of three ‘Dynasty Group’ factories, now closed indefinitely, set up a blockade on the highway asking managements to reopen their factories and hike their wages, Industrial Police Sub Inspector Omar Faroque said.

Hundreds of workers of Dynasty Sweater (BD), Dynasty Knit Fashion and Millenium Sweater Limited blocked traffic on the highway in Aukhpara area around 10:00am causing long tailbacks, bdnews24.com Savar Correspondent reported.

Industrial Police and Savar Police tried to ‘talk’ them into lifting the blockade, witnesses said. When that failed, police resorted to a baton charge and the workers started pelting stones.

SI Omar Faroque said one policeman was slightly hurt.

Traffic returned to normal after 11:00am.

Workers say at least 20 of them were injured.

Some of them, seeking anonymity, complained that authorities promised them wages on Monday, but police moved them away when they approached their factories.

“Later we brought out a procession but police baton-charged us at the C&B bus-stand area. We pelted stones, police lobbed teargas shells.”

However, police denied lobbing teargas shells.

The three RMG units closed down indefinitely on May 28 in wake of relentless protests from workers. Some 3,500 workers work in these factories.