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Rezaul Karim Majumdar, Gazipur: A 50-year-old female garment worker was killed after being run over by a bus in Gazipur on Monday, triggering protests by fellow workers who blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway and set fire to another bus.
The incident occurred at around 1:15pm in the Itahata area of Gazipur City Corporation, police and witnesses said.
The deceased was identified as Mariam Begum, a worker at Diganta Sweater factory in Itahata. She was the daughter of Osman Ali of Ashulia in Dhaka.
According to police and witnesses, Mariam was crossing the Dhaka-Tangail highway when a bus of Takwa Paribahan ran her over. She sustained critical injuries and died while being taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
News of her death spread among workers at the factory, prompting her colleagues and other local workers to take to the highway in protest.
The protesters blocked the highway and set fire to a Takwa Paribahan minibus, bringing traffic to a halt for around 30 minutes.
Police and two units of the Fire Service and Civil Defence rushed to the scene and brought the situation under control after about half an hour. Traffic was subsequently restored.
Harun-or-Rashid, officer-in-charge of Basan Police Station, said police and fire service personnel were sent to the area after receiving reports of the highway blockade and the bus being set on fire.
“After about half an hour of efforts, the situation was brought under control and traffic movement was restored,” he said.
Police were trying to identify and arrest the driver of the bus involved in the fatal accident, as well as seize the vehicle, the officer added.
Mariam’s co-workers demanded justice for her death and called for measures to ensure the safety of garment workers crossing the busy highway.
They alleged that buses travelling at reckless speeds posed a serious risk to workers who have to cross the highway to reach factories and their homes.
A Fire Service official said two units responded to the fire and brought it under control quickly. As there were no passengers on the bus at the time, no additional casualties were reported.
Traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail highway is now moving normally, while additional police personnel have been deployed in the area to prevent further unrest.
Meanwhile, preparations are under way for the post-mortem examination of Mariam’s body and for filing a case over the incident.