After nearly five hours of blockade, workers of Kohinoor Chemical Company cleared the Mohakhali-Satrasta road in Dhaka on Tuesday night, following a joint operation by the police and army, confirmed Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tejgaon Industrial Area police station Gazi Shamimur Rahman.
Earlier in the day, workers took position on the main road in front of Kohinoor Chemical Company in the Tibbet area of Tejgaon, alleging that a senior official of the company had made derogatory comments about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), prompting them to initiate the blockade and protest, the OC said.
OC Shamimur continued: "The workers demanded that the accused official be sentenced to death, stating they would not leave the road until then. At one point during the protest, workers tried to break the main gate of Kohinoor Chemical Company and enter the premises. Law enforcement officials, including members of the police and army, attempted to calm the situation through discussion.
"However, as the workers refused to leave the road, the security forces launched a joint operation around 7:45pm, using batons to disperse the protesters."
OC Shamimur said that the accused official from Kohinoor Chemical Company has been dismissed, and legal proceedings are underway against him.
He added that the blockade had halted traffic on the Mohakhali-Satrasta road, but the situation has since returned to normal and vehicular movement has resumed.
According to police sources, a preliminary investigation is underway to verify the allegations.
Additional police have been deployed in the Tejgaon industrial area to prevent any further unrest.
