At least 30 people, including police officers and garment workers, were injured in clashes and chases between workers and police in Gazipur on Tuesday as workers demanded a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000.
Industrial police arrested seven people accused of sabotage.
The clashes took place from around 9:30am until noon in Bhogra, Naojor, Mouchak and Palli Bidyut areas.
According to workers and industrial police, employees of Panacea Limited in Naojor left the factory around 9:30am and gathered on the western side of the Dhaka-Tangail Highway flyover. They later blocked the highway, bringing traffic to a halt in both directions.
At the same time, workers from Bay Footwear in Konabari, Purbani in Mouchak, and Logos Apparels and ATS Apparels in Telirchala stopped work and came out of their factories to stage demonstrations along the highway.
Police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members, led by Gazipur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Crime and Operations) Mohammad Belayet Hossain, fired tear shells and sound grenades to disperse the protesters. The situation later came under control and traffic resumed.
Meanwhile, workers from several factories blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway in the Bhogra area from around 9:30am, setting tyres on fire.
Industrial police, BGB, district police and metropolitan police rushed to the spot and tried to persuade the workers to clear the road. However, protesters suddenly hurled bricks and stones at police, injuring several officers. Police then fired tear gas and charged batons to disperse them.
Since Saturday, garment workers have been demonstrating over wage increases in several areas, including Chandra, Palli Bidyut, Mouchak, Safipur and Konabari in Kaliakair. The protests have involved highway blockades, vehicle vandalism and arson attacks on police boxes and vehicles. Several police officers and journalists have also been injured, while a factory warehouse was set on fire.
Additional law enforcement personnel have been deployed at key points across the industrial areas. Police have filed three cases with Konabari, Basan and Kaliakair police stations in connection with the incidents, naming several thousand workers as accused. Several people have also been arrested on allegations of participating in or instigating the protests.
Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Amzad Hossain said at least 60 factories had declared a holiday for the day after 11am because of the unrest. The seven people arrested on sabotage charges were not factory workers, he added.
He said the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway was blocked from 9:30am and the Dhaka-Tangail Highway from 11am, causing severe disruption for commuters.
Workers were cleared from the Dhaka-Tangail Highway around 11:30am, restoring traffic after about half an hour. The Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway reopened around 12:30pm, following a three-hour blockade.
Hossain said some workers had tried to block the Dhaka-Tangail Highway in Mouchak around 7:45am, but law enforcement personnel persuaded them to leave without any confrontation. A similar attempt was made at Palli Bidyut intersection in Kaliakair, where police and BGB members intervened.
Security stepped up
The administration has reinforced security across Gazipur amid the ongoing garment workers’ movement over wage increases and other demands.
One additional platoon of BGB has been deployed, taking the total number of platoons in the district to 11. The number of executive magistrates has also been increased from 21 to 25.
Arif Hossain, assistant commissioner (media) at the Gazipur Deputy Commissioner’s Office, confirmed the deployment.
He said 10 BGB platoons had earlier been deployed, but the number was increased to 11 in view of the situation. The additional executive magistrates are also coordinating operations with BGB personnel.
He added that law enforcement agencies were on alert to prevent damage to public property and threats to public safety in the name of protests.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Belayet Hossain said he had visited several points along the highways since morning and held talks with protesting workers.
“Workers had gathered in Naojor. I spoke to them, and they all left. Protests by garment workers have taken place at different times, but this time the pattern is somewhat different. After we arrived, everything seemed to be in order. Suddenly, stones started being thrown during what had been a constructive discussion,” he said.
He suggested that some people might be trying to exploit the situation to create an issue.
He also said barricades at Naojor and the Bhogra bypass had been removed.