At least two garment workers were injured in clashes with police in Dhaka's Ashulia on Tuesday as protests demanding higher minimum wages resumed after a break of several days.
Workers blocked a road in the Jamgora area, prompting police to fire tear gas shells and sound grenades to disperse them.
After a break of several days, including government holidays, workers resumed protests in the industrial area on Tuesday.
Sources said workers at all factories in the industrial area joined their workplaces at the scheduled time in the morning. However, workers at several factories went on work stoppages to press home their demands.
At around 10:30am, workers blocked the road in the Jamgora area of the Baipail-Abdullahpur Road and began demonstrating. Police initially tried to persuade them to leave the road, but the protesters began throwing bricks and stones at police, triggering clashes and chases between the two sides.
Police then fired tear gas shells and sound grenades to disperse the protesters.
The injured were identified as Alamgir Hossain and Rafia Begum, both employees of Sterling Style.
Harun-or-Rashid, operations manager of Ashulia Women and Children Hospital, said two garment workers had come to the hospital seeking treatment for injuries reportedly caused by rubber bullets.
Rafia Begum, who sustained a head injury, was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, while Alamgir received primary treatment and returned home, he said.
Hospital authorities said the workers had sustained rubber bullet injuries. However, it could not be independently verified whether police had actually fired rubber bullets during the clashes.
Despite repeated attempts, no comment could be obtained from any Industrial Police officials.
Meanwhile, several platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed in the industrial area, alongside additional police personnel stationed in front of factories and at key locations to prevent further unrest and ensure security.
Separately, authorities have announced the indefinite closure of all factories operated by New Age Group in Ashulia from November 10, 2026, under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, citing the ongoing labour unrest.
