At least 30 people were injured in a clash yesterday between garment workers and police at Tongi industrial belt of Gazipur.
The clash took place when police tried to control the workers who had gone berserk while staging demonstrations in front of Jaber and Jubair Fabrics Ltd, demanding festival allowances and due salaries ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
Witnesses and police said around 15,000 workers took to the streets around 7am, vandalising and torching the factory storehouses.
Police rushed there and tried to bring the situation under control but the workers attacked them, resulting in a series of chases and counter chases between them.
During the clash, the workers used brick chips and police used at least 20 rounds of tear gas canisters and charged with batons.
Movement of transportation on Tongi-Pagar road came to a halt for around three and a half hours.
Agitating workers said authorities had assured them that all the due wages and festival allowances would be paid, and it was almost mid July but they had yet to keep their word.
Assistant Superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police Abdul Khaleque said at least 15,000 workers had gone berserk while gathering in front of the factory because they had not been paid their due wages and festival allowances.
He said the agitating workers had hurled brick chips at the factory, breaking glass windows, had vandalised furniture on the ground floor and had torched a chemical warehouse of the factory.
Regarding the injuries, he said some workers might have received minor injuries when they were chased in retaliation for attacking the police. However, workers said their fellows were mostly injured because police had charged at them with batons.
Senior Officer at Tongi Fire Service and Civil Defence Selim Mia said the go-down was set on fire around 9am and could not be doused immediately since the agitated workers were blocking the way.
He said the firefighters managed to douse the blaze at 11am. The extent of the damage could not be estimated immediately.
ASP (Industrial) Khalque said the situation was now under control and additional police had been deployed in the area.
