Police fired tear gas shells and sound grenades to disperse garment workers after they threw bricks and stones at law enforcement personnel on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway near the Signboard area under Gazipur’s Gacha police station on Wednesday morning.
Traffic came to a standstill around 9:30am after workers occupied the highway, bringing vehicles to a halt.
Mohammad Amjad Hossain, superintendent of the Gazipur Industrial Police, said the situation had been calm earlier in the morning.
Around 9:30am, between 2,000 and 4,000 workers took to the streets in the Gacha police station area. A standoff followed, with workers throwing bricks and stones at police, prompting law enforcement personnel to fire tear gas shells and sound grenades to disperse them, he said.
Earlier, around 8:30am, another group of workers had gathered near Joydebpur but was also dispersed.
Amjad said the situation remained stable in Salna, Rajendrapur, Shafipur and Palli Bidyut, while tension persisted near Kashimpur. Police remained on high alert, he added.