Published : 01 Nov 2026, 07:59 PM
Updated : 01 Nov 2026, 07:59 PM
Garment workers’ protests over minimum wages have unsettled industrial areas in Mirpur, Savar, Ashulia and Gazipur, with clashes, vandalism and arson reported in a fresh wave of unrest across the region.
Workers demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000 stopped work and took to the streets, blocking roads in several areas on Sunday.
Clashes broke out between workers and police in Mirpur and Kaliakair Upazila of Gazipur.
Police used batons, tear gas and sound grenades to disperse protesters.
Authorities declared holidays at more than 300 factories in the four industrial areas.
Industrial Police said 177 factories in Savar and Ashulia and more than 100 in Gazipur were closed for the day.
Police said 29 people were arrested in Mirpur and 20 in Gazipur.
Road blockades disrupted traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Aricha highways.
In Gazipur, workers had been on the streets since morning in Konabari, Shafipur, Palli Bidyut and nearby areas, witnesses said.
Clashes erupted repeatedly, with the areas turning into battlegrounds by noon.
Workers set fire to a police box beneath the Konabari Flyover and vandalised several vehicles, police said.
Traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail Highway remained suspended for nearly six hours.
Factories in Chandra, Palli Bidyut, Shafipur, Mouchak, Konabari and Kashimpur declared holidays.
Passengers and drivers were stranded. Police, Border Guard Bangladesh and other law-enforcing personnel later used tear gas and sound grenades to clear protesters, allowing traffic to resume.
Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Mohammad Amzad Hossain said vehicles began moving after workers left the highway around 3pm.
The surrounding situation was calm, he said, adding that law-enforcing personnel remained alert and legal action was under way.
Separately, workers from several factories blocked the Dhaka-Aricha Highway at Hemayetpur in the afternoon, disrupting traffic.
In Mirpur, protests that began at Mirpur 10 roundabout spread to Mirpur 11, Mirpur 12 and adjoining areas.
Clashes with police began around 11:30am and continued until about 2pm, halting traffic and disrupting commuters, students and parents.
As tensions escalated, the Mirpur 10, Mirpur 11 and Pallabi metro rail stations were temporarily closed around noon, disrupting road and rail links.
