Play store
Four cases have been filed over two consecutive days of protests, arson, clashes and attacks on police in Dhaka’s Mirpur, as garment workers demanded a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000.
Around 10,500 unidentified people have been accused in the cases, while police have arrested 22 people so far.
The officers-in-charge (OCs) of Mirpur Model and Pallabi police stations confirmed the information to Jago News on Monday (November 2).
Mirpur Model Police Station OC Mohammad Hafizur Rahman said a case had been filed over vandalism of a traffic police box and attacks on police, accusing 3,000 unidentified people. Six people have so far been arrested. Several others were also detained on Monday, and their identities are being verified. Police are continuing the arrest drive by examining CCTV footage, he added.
Pallabi Police Station OC Jalal Uddin said three cases had been filed over setting fire to a police vehicle, attacks on police, obstructing government duties and vandalising a traffic police box.
Police filed all three cases, each accusing between 2,000 and 2,500 unidentified people. A total of 16 people have been arrested in connection with the cases, he added.
Meanwhile, the Detective Branch (DB) of police alleged that local leaders and activists of the now-banned Awami League had planned to exploit the workers’ legitimate movement to create violence in Mirpur.
According to the DB, a section of them had organised themselves through online groups and planned major acts of sabotage under the cover of the labour protests.
Of those detained in Mirpur, 11 were identified as activists of the banned Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League. They were reportedly not workers of local garment factories but had come from different districts and gathered in Mirpur with the intention of carrying out sabotage under the guise of the workers’ movement.
The DB alleged that attempts were being made to divert the workers’ movement, spread public panic and create instability in the country.
Meanwhile, police dispersed groups of workers attempting to take to the streets in Mirpur on Monday.
At around 10:45am, workers tried to enter the road through a lane in the Senpara Parbata area of Mirpur-10. Police chased them away and fired several tear gas shells.
Workers later attempted to gather at Prashika intersection, beside the Mirpur-2 Stadium, but police dispersed them.
Eyewitnesses said groups of workers arrived separately from the Rupnagar area, moving towards Prashika intersection via the Mirpur-2 Stadium. Police stopped them from taking to the streets at around 11:00am, triggering tensions between the two sides.
Following two consecutive days of protests and clashes, police and other law enforcement agencies remained on high alert in Mirpur from Monday morning.
Police personnel were deployed around the Mirpur-10 roundabout and adjoining areas, with riot-control vehicles and water cannons kept on standby.
However, traffic remained normal on roads in and around Mirpur-10, with no major disruptions reported. Pedestrians and residents were also able to move freely, and the overall situation remained calm until 10:30am.