Police have deployed additional personnel in the capital’s Mirpur and Uttara areas as garment workers continue protests demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000.
In Pallabi, police dispersed workers who had gathered in front of several garment factories, while law enforcement agencies remained on high alert in Uttara.
The heightened security measures have been in place since Wednesday morning.
Md Hafizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Mirpur Model Police Station, said there had been no major incidents related to the workers’ protests in the area.
Of the eight garment factories under the police station’s jurisdiction, seven remained operational. Workers at one factory had initially stopped working but resumed operations after being persuaded to do so, he said.
Additional police personnel had been deployed since the morning and remained on high alert, the OC added.
Earlier on Wednesday, police dispersed workers who had gathered outside several garment factories in an alley near Purabi Cinema Hall in Mirpur-11. Tension arose between workers and police, but no untoward incidents were reported.
In Uttara, police and other law enforcement personnel were also on high alert. Police took positions along the stretch from Rajlokkhi to the airport to prevent any untoward incidents. Water cannons and police vans were stationed in the area.
On November 1, garment workers blocked roads in Mirpur, demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000. Clashes and chases between workers and police continued from morning until afternoon. At one point, a police vehicle was set on fire beneath the Mirpur-11 metro rail station.
Police have since detained several people from different parts of Mirpur on suspicion of involvement in the incidents.
Garment workers also staged protests in Mirpur on Monday and Tuesday. Workers in Gazipur, Savar, Ashulia and Narayanganj have also been demonstrating over the wage demand. The protests have led to clashes, disrupted production at several factories and forced some to suspend operations.
Taufiq Sheikh, a garment worker injured during the protests in Gazipur, died on Tuesday afternoon while undergoing treatment at Shin-Shin Japan Hospital in Uttara, Dhaka.