At least 10 more people, including two police men, were injured on Wednesday in clashes between RMG workers and police at Pagar area of Tongi, Ashulia, in a continuing labour unrest over pay hike. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel, along with additional police and Rab members, have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order. More than 50 factories were shut down on Wednesday for fear of vandalism.
The ready-made garment workers at Ashulia, where a large number of the factories are located, have been agitating over the past two weeks for implementation of Tk 8,300 as minimum wage.
Hundreds of workers came out into the street from their factories without even reporting to work, sources said.
Police and witnesses said, workers of Ananta Garments Limited at Tongi Pagar area on Wednesday staged demonstration inside of the factory demanding implementation of minimum wage and protesting the police action on RMG workers on Tuesday. At one stage, the agitated workers vandalised several sections of the factory, left the factory and barricaded different intersection of Tongi industrial area.
Workers of Shisir Knitting industry and Surf Exel Garments limited joined with them and brought out a big procession, which was blocked by the police triggering clashes.
A chase and counter-chase took place between the workers and the police. As the workers became unruly the police lobbed teargas shells to disperse them. The workers also threw brickbats at the police.
Officer in-charge of Tongi police station Abul Kalam Azad said, the police charged baton, fired twenty rounds of teargas shells and rubber bullet to disperse the procession. During the fight at least ten people, including two constables of industrial police — Shahinur Rahman and Badsha Fahad –, were injured. They were sent to Tongi government hospital and local clinics for treatment. Mamun-Or-Rashid, emergency duty doctor of the hospital said injured police man Shahinur Rahman has been shifted to Dhaka Medical college hospital and another injured worker Mohammed Wahab Ali sent to National Eye Hospital in Dhaka.
Police said they have brought the situation under control.
-With The Independent input
