Garment workers blocked the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in protest following the death of a colleague, causing traffic congestion across a five-kilometer stretch in the Narayanganj section and creating significant inconvenience for commuters.
The congestion persisted from Madanpur to the Signboard area on Monday afternoon.
Earlier, at around 10am, workers from a garment factory named Lariss Fashion staged a protest by obstructing the highway, leading to severe traffic buildup in the Chittagong-bound lane.
According to local sources, Rina Akter, a 30-year-old female worker at Lariss Fashion in Bandar Upazila, was unwell while on duty.
She reportedly requested leave from the management on Sunday evening, but her request was denied, forcing her to continue working.
She collapsed on the factory floor due to severe illness, and her colleagues immediately took her to a local hospital. As her condition worsened, she was transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
Following the incident, the workers protested on Monday morning, holding the factory management responsible and demanding the arrest of officials.
The protest caused extreme traffic difficulties for commuters. Akram Ali, a passenger traveling on the Dhaka-Sonargaon route with Setu Paribahan, said: “I heard workers protested this morning. I have been stuck in traffic, and I have no idea how long it will take to reach Dhaka.”
Confirming the matter, Kanchpur Highway police station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Quader Jilani: “From morning until 12:30pm, the workers blocked the highway in protest. Police and army personnel later intervened and cleared the road. However, the three-hour obstruction caused a 3–4 kilometer traffic jam from Madanpur. We are working to alleviate the congestion.”