Six cases filed in Ashulia over worker unrest, 1,910 including outsiders accused

Ashulia Police Station chief says the factory authorities filed the separate cases between Sept 5 and 12

In the industrial area of Ashulia, Savar, Dhaka, six cases have been filed at the Ashulia Police Station following attacks, vandalism, looting, and assaults in scores of factories by unruly workers and outsiders involved in protests over different demands.

Among these cases, five name 31 individuals and list another 1,910 unidentified people as accused. In another case, the accused are unidentified, but no specific number was mentioned.

Ashulia Police Station chief Mohammad Masudur Rahman said the factory authorities filed these separate cases between Sept 5 and 12, adding, "Necessary actions will be taken following an investigation."

On Thursday, Jahangir Alam, assistant manager (administration) of Yagi Bangladesh Garments Limited in the Beron area of Ashulia, filed a case at the Ashulia Police Station.

In the case, he said at about 9am on Sept 5, around 200 outsiders launched a sudden attack on Yagi Bangladesh Garments, breaking the main gate and looting valuable items such as laptops, monitors, and CCTV cameras.

Several factory officials, including security chief Abul Kashem Thakur, were assaulted. The attackers fled when police and BGB arrived. No specific names were mentioned in this case.

On Sept 6, a group of unruly workers from Natural Denims Limited attacked the factory. Four named workers — Bullet, 23, Sujon Sardar, 21, Harun-ur-Rashid, 42, and Md Gaddafi, 24, — along with 30 unnamed individuals, were accused of stopping work and assaulting innocent workers. They threatened to burn down the factory and confined officials to a room.

On Sept 7, workers from Generation Next and Toptex factories, along with outsiders, attacked Disang Sweater Limited. The attackers, whose names were not mentioned, broke the factory gate, vandalised machinery, and looted items. Security personnel were beaten, but the attackers fled when the army patrol arrived. The number of accused was unspecified.