A group of miscreants vandalized the Kazi Food Industries Ltd factory in the Baron area of Ashulia in Savar, Dhaka, and threatened to shut it down.
The incident occurred at the factory in the Beron area of the upazila around 9:30am on Wednesday.
Upon visiting the site, it was observed that various building windows were broken.
Additionally, broken CCTV cameras were found in front of the security guard's room. Inside, several windows in the canteen were shattered by bricks and stones thrown by the vandals. There were countless pieces of broken glass on the floor of an office room and throughout the floor of the ice cream plant.
One of the security guards, Muksedul, said: "On Wednesday morning, some outsiders came to the gate armed with local weapons and asked us to open the gate. When we did not open it, some youths jumped over the wall and told us to move aside. Then they opened the gate, and the rest entered. After entering, they started smashing the windows and the CCTV cameras. They threatened more vandalism if the factory remained open."
Nirendu Chakraborty, deputy general manager (Factory Head) of Kazi Food Industries Ltd, said: "We usually start our production activities at 6am. Suddenly, around 9am to 9:10am, some outsiders jumped over our gate and entered. After moving our security guard aside, they opened the gate. A group of 15-20 people then entered with rods and other local weapons. As soon as they entered, they started throwing large pieces of brick, breaking some windows and our canteen. They looked for our management team and threatened us.
“They ordered us to shut down the factory, or else a more severe accident might occur. We tried to resist them. They broke our CCTV cameras. Then we had to shut down the factory and send the workers out. After the situation calmed down, as they were leaving, they said, 'As long as the country is not in order, if you operate the factory, such accidents will continue to happen.'"
He added: "Our CCTV cameras, the glass of the building, and the glass of a vehicle carrying goods were damaged. The workers had come to work. A sense of terror has spread among them; they are in a state of fear. In such a situation, the factory was given a holiday."