Police-workers clash in Gazipur

At least 50 persons, including police, were injured when a few thousand garment workers in Gazipur clashed with law enforcers while trying to set up a road blockade on Saturday demanding higher salaries.

Gazipur Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 13 July 2013, 07:17 AM
Updated : 13 July 2013, 07:17 AM

Workers of at least seven garment factories held demonstration at the district’s Panishail area for a wage hike. The trouble started when police tried to disperse the demonstrators.

Police said that workers hurled brickbats and vandalised the factories during the clashes.

Following the incident, eight to ten ready-made garment factories in the area have stopped operation for the day.

A critically injured policeman was sent to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital for treatment. The others were given first aid.

Witnesses said a few thousand workers of Machhihata Sweater Factory started vandalising other factories in the area around 9am.

Then they gathered workers of other nearby factories and blockaded the Kaliakoit-Nabinagar road around 10:30am.

Gazipur Industrial Police Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Shah Mohammad said 12,000 workers from at least seven factories had blockaded the road and started hurling brickbats at police.

Police lobbed 70 rounds of teargas shells to disperse the workers and later fired 90 rounds of rubber bullets to bring the situation under control.

The protesters fled the scene around 12:30pm when the Industrial Police, Gazipur District Police and Chakrabarty Police Outpost launched a joint action.

Traffic returned to normal around 1pm.

ASI Shah Mohammad said that at least 12 policemen, including two from Industrial Police, were injured in the clash.

Workers of the Machihata Sweater Factory, seeking anonymity, said they have been demanding higher wages for the last three weeks. Instead of meeting the demands, they were threatened to be fired and assaulted by hired henchmen of the management.

Agitated workers had beaten one of the factory staff on Thursday over the wage dispute. Factory staff had also manhandled one worker. Following the brawl, the factory authorities on Thursday announced a shut down.