At least 50 people, including police personnel, garment workers and passersby, were injured in clashes between workers and police in Savar on Wednesday morning over demands for a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000.
The clashes broke out in the Padma Mor area of Hemayetpur around 8:15am and later spread to Ulail, where confrontations took place in front of the Al-Muslim Group factory around 9am.
During the violence, workers threw bricks and stones at police, who responded with tear gas shells, sound grenades and rubber bullets. A police vehicle belonging to the officer-in-charge of Savar Model Police Station was also set on fire.
The injured included OC Saiful Alam, who sustained serious injuries, according to Dhaka District Superintendent of Police Shamima Parveen. The injured received initial medical treatment.
According to police and local sources, workers gathered near Padma Mor in the morning to press for their wage demands. Tensions escalated when police attempted to clear the road after workers occupied it.
The workers later split into several groups and took positions at different locations, including Padma Mor and Hemayetpur bus stand.
Around 9:10am, protesters blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway, halting traffic in both directions and causing severe congestion.
Industrial Police said workers threw bricks and stones at law enforcement personnel, prompting police to fire tear gas shells to bring the situation under control. A tense atmosphere prevailed in and around Padma Mor.
In Ulail, police also fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets after workers blocked the road and threw bricks and stones during a confrontation.
Shamima Parveen said between 30,000 and 40,000 workers had gathered from both directions in the Padma Mor area in the morning and attacked police. Law enforcement personnel took measures to resist the assault, she said, adding that the protesters set fire to the vehicle belonging to the Savar Model police station OC.
Separately, several garment factories in Hemayetpur, Ulail and nearby areas declared a general holiday amid the unrest. Some workers later returned home peacefully.
Three platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were deployed in Savar and Ashulia to strengthen security in the industrial zone.
Savar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) said around 9:30am that workers had occupied the road and the administration was taking steps to restore normal traffic movement.
Lieutenant Colonel Taimun, commander of the BGB Dhaka Battalion deployed in the area, said around three platoons had been stationed at different locations in Savar and Ashulia.
He said BGB personnel were working to disperse people involved in creating disorder and causing public hardship. He also claimed that many of those involved were not actual workers, but people creating unrest.
