On the fifth day of the movement of garment workers, including the minimum wage of 30 thousand rupees, the industrial zones of Savar and Ashulia are heated. Since Monday morning, hundreds of factory workers have taken to the streets and blocked roads.
At that time, there were clashes with the police and chased by the workers. Police fired tear-gas and sound grenades to control the situation. More than a hundred workers were injured in the clashes. Several police officers were also injured.
A covered van of a garment factory in Narsinghpur area of Ashulia was set on fire. Meanwhile, a general holiday has been declared in more than two hundred factories in the industrial zone considering the situation. A total of twenty-three garment factories have been given leave in Savar and Ashulia in the last few days.
Workers of the New Age factory in Narsinghpur started protesting after a break from the factory on Monday morning. Later, police clashed with the workers in Narsinghpur and Nishantpur areas of Abdullahpur-Bipail road.
According to eyewitnesses, the workers first gathered in front of the factory of Anant Group in the morning and then in front of the Ha-Mim Group factory. They clashed with the police when they tried to block the road. At one point, it turned into a chase and a fight. Later, the workers in different areas of Savar took to the streets and traffic was stopped. Police resorted to lathicharge and teargas and sound grenades to control the situation.
A covered van of a garment factory was set on fire in front of the river filling station in Narsinghpur. After the incident, the authorities declared a general holiday in most of the factories on the side of the road.
Shoaib Ahmed, ASP (Operations and Intelligence) of Industrial Police, sustained minor injuries after being hit by brick-and-mortar bricks fired by the workers. He said police and law enforcement agencies are working to control the situation. Several members were also injured.
The situation was tense in different parts of the country till noon. Workers and law enforcement agencies were in a standoff. Additional police have been deployed at the spot and surrounding areas to keep the situation normal.
Meanwhile, Ashulia police station officer-in-charge Tariqul Islam has arrested two people in connection with the incident. He told Jugantor that they were arrested from the bypil area around noon on Monday. However, it has not yet been verified whether the two detainees were arrested or outsiders.
A member of parliament from the Savar administration has expressed concern over the incident. Dewan Mohammad Salahuddin Babu. During the traffic congestion caused by the Aricha highway due to the road blockade of the workers, he alleged that the fallen government’s dossers were trying to destabilise the garment industries of Savar and Ashulia. He also said that outsiders are creating sabotage by joining the programme of the workers.
On the other hand, the industrial police have also complained that outsiders are forcing workers to leave the factory and come to the highway. Police said that the peace-loving workers are also being forced to leave the factory.