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The garment industry hub of Ashulia in Savar, Dhaka, witnessed fresh unrest on Monday as workers clashed with police over various demands, leaving a covered van of a garment factory set on fire.
Several rounds of chases and counter-chases broke out between workers and police on Monday morning (November 2).
Police fired tear gas shells and sound grenades to bring the situation under control. During the clashes, agitated workers allegedly set fire to a covered van belonging to a garment factory in the Narsinghpur area. Authorities subsequently declared a general holiday at most factories in the industrial zone.
The clashes began shortly after 10:00am in the Narsinghpur and Nischintapur areas along the Abdullahpur-Baipail road.
According to eyewitnesses, workers initially gathered in front of Ananta and later Ha-Meem factories. When they attempted to block the road over various demands, tensions escalated between them and law enforcement agencies, eventually leading to clashes and repeated chases and counter-chases.
Police fired a large number of tear gas shells and sound grenades in an attempt to disperse the workers. Clashes continued intermittently between the two sides.
At around 11:10am, a covered van belonging to a garment factory was set on fire in front of the Nadi Filling Station in Narsinghpur.
Earlier, at around 9:30am, workers of New Age factory in Narsinghpur staged a demonstration after ending their work stoppage, demanding, among other things, that the minimum monthly wage be set at Tk 30,000. The protest later spread to workers in front of nearby factories.
During the clashes, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shoaeb Ahmed of Industrial Police-1 was injured after being hit by bricks and stones.
ASP Shoaeb Ahmed, Additional Superintendent of Police (Operations and Intelligence) of Industrial Police-1, said police and other law enforcement personnel were working at the scene to bring the situation under control.
As of 11:30am, tensions remained high, with workers and law enforcement personnel standing face to face.
No major casualties had been reported immediately. Additional police personnel were deployed in and around the area to maintain order.