Thursday, October 3, 2024

Violence stops RMG hubs

Production suspended for a day in 350 factories; 150 business establishments vandalised
At least 350 garment factories in Savar, Ashulia and Fatulla suspended production yesterday after RMG workers clashed with police injuring over 100 people.
The angry labourers damaged nearly 150 business establishments and vandalised more than 50 vehicles.
The factories called off production after the workers demonstrated against the new wage structure for the second consecutive day demanding a minimum wage of Tk 5,000. Three other factories in Ashulia were shut down indefinitely.
Witnesses said the labourers put barricades on the main roads in Savar, Ashulia and Fatullah bringing vehicular movement to a halt for several hours.
Police fired more than 100 rubber bullets and lobbed over 30 teargas canisters. They also used water cannons and charged baton on the agitating workers to disperse them.
Tension prevailed in the areas prompting the authorities to deploy Rab and police personnel there.
Several hundred workers attacked Irish Fashion at Kathgora in Ashulia shortly after 8:30am and put barricades on the road in front of the factory. The authorities of 150 factories at Kathgora announced holiday following the incident.
Labourers of the closed factories joined the agitators and attacked other factories at Jamgora and Jirabo. They barricaded the Dhaka-Tangail Road using huge logs and burning tyres.
They clashed with police after the law enforcers charged baton on them. Police fired rubber bullets and used water cannon to disperse the workers, who retaliated by pelting them with brickbats.
The labourers rampaged through the streets damaging factories and vehicles.
The authorities of the factories at Narasinghapur, Nischintapur, Jamgora, Beron, Ghoshbagh, Bypile, Palashbari and adjacent areas hung holiday notices at about 10:30am.
Shed Fashion Ltd, Shed Fashion International Ltd, and P&O Attires Ltd at Beron were shut indefinitely.
Clashes between labourers and police broke out in Shimultola area at about 11:30am after several thousand workers of factories at Jamgora brought out a procession from Bypile.
When police tried to stop them by charging baton and firing rubber bullets, the workers attacked the law enforcers with sticks and hurled brickbats at police.
About 75 people, including 20 policemen, were injured the clash that ended at around 12:00noon.
The clash prompted the authorities of at least 150 factories to suspend production yesterday.
Mahbubur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Savar Police Station, said vehicular movement on the Dhaka-Tangail highway remained suspended for nearly half an hour.
On Saturday, police filed a case against 3,060 workers for attacking law enforcers, obstructing law enforcers from performing duties, vandalising vehicles and setting them on fire the same day in Ashulia.
Mohammad Shahidullah, deputy director of Shed Fashion, filed another case against 646 workers for attacking the factory and damaging property.
CLASHES IN FATULLA
At least 50 people including three policemen were injured after RMG workers clashed with locals and law enforcers.
Production of most factories in the area were suspended following the clashes.
Witnesses said the workers took to the streets in the morning demanding a hike in wage and release of Montu Ghosh, adviser of Garment Sramik Trade Union Kendra.
Workers of Pall Mall, Microfiber, Liberty, Mitsuwear and Cadtrex in Katherpul area demonstrated inside the factories in the morning. Their attempt to take to the streets was frustrated by the armed policemen deployed in the factories.
Labourers of Metro Garments came out of the factory around midday and pelted the law enforcers with stones.
When they tried to block the Dhaka-Narayanganj link road, policemen charged baton to disperse them. Locals joined the police and clashed with the agitators.
Locals accused the workers of attacking their houses.
The workers of Sinha and Opex in Sonargaon also demonstrated inside the factories, sources said.
Jibon Kanti Sarkar, officer-in-charge of Fatulla Model Police Station, said police dispersed the protesters when they tried to block the highway.
Police and Rab personnel were deployed in the area to ward off further clash.
PORT CITY VIOLENCE
RMG workers went berserk at Kalurghat in Chittagong yesterday demanding a pay hike. Workers from at least eight garment factories demonstrated on city streets.
Some agitators reportedly damaged windowpanes and doors of Orchid Garments, Azim Mannan Garments and Legacy Garments.
HOME MINISTRY MEETING
The core committee of home ministry in a meeting last night decided to take stern action against those who will indulge in vandalism and damaging property following the RMG wage issue.
With Home Minister Sahara Khatun in chair, the meet was also attended by State Minister for Home affairs Shamsul Alam Tuku and senior officials from law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

Courtesy of The Daily Star

Related News

Motorcycle sales tumble to seven-year low

Mahfuz Ullah Babu Rising costs, consumers’ weakening purchasing capacity, and adverse policy treatments blamed The hope of manufacturers for a scaled-up motorcycle market – to reach a million units a year by 2027 – now seems to be fading away. The economic slowdown, coupled with a sharp rise in costs and selling prices, has instead ... Read more

Metro rail to begin operations on Fridays too

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) is set to launch metro rail services on Fridays soon. Currently, the services are closed on Fridays. MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, told media on Monday that the company started preparatory work on the day to start services on ... Read more

Academic activities in all public universities in Bangladesh remain stalled

Shahin Akhter Amid the academic activities coming to a near halt in most public universities triggered by a wave of resignation from top officials, the Secondary and Higher Education Division on Thursday in an order asked the universities tackling the situation to allow a senior teacher to carry out the administrative and finance related tasks ... Read more

Sundarbans to reopen for fishers, tourists from Sept 1

News Desk : dhakamirror.com After nearly three months of closure, the Forest Department will reopen the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO world heritage site from September 1 (Sunday). From that day, fishermen and tourists will be able to enter the world’s largest mangrove forest after obtaining a permit from the Department ... Read more

Govt decreases fuel prices

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government reduced octane and petrol prices by Tk6 per litre, according to a press release by the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources issued today (31 August). Meanwhile, the price of diesel has been reduced by Tk1.25 per litre. Starting tomorrow (1 September), the new price for octane will ... Read more

All educational institutions to reopen on 18 August

News Desk : dhakamirror.com All educational institutions under the education ministry have been instructed to resume academic activities from Sunday, August 18, 2024. The announcement was made through an office order issued by the ministry on Thursday. The order said that following the approval of the chief adviser the educational institutions were instructed to take ... Read more

Interim govt led by Dr Yunus sworn in

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Nobel Peace Prize winner and globally acclaimed economist Professor Muhammad Yunus was sworn-in as the chief adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh Thursday evening (8 August). President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to the 17-member interim government. Leaders of various political parties including BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jatiyo Party, Krishak ... Read more

Dr Yunus to lead the interim government

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus will be the chief adviser of the interim government, said a press release of Bangabhaban yesterday. The decision came after a meeting on the formation of the interim government between key organisers of the anti-discriminatory movement and President Mohammed Shahabuddin. The heads of the three armed ... Read more

Mainul Islam made new IGP

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government on Tuesday appointed Traffic and Driving School commandant Md Moinul Islam as the new inspector general of police. Public Security Division of the home ministry issued a gazette notification in this regard on Tuesday. The decision came a day after the fall of Sheikh Hasina government amid mass uprising ... Read more

Curfew to end on Tuesday morning; all offices, educational institutions set to open

News Desk : dhakamirror.com An ongoing curfew will be in effect from Monday midnight until 6am on Tuesday, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate. Starting Tuesday morning, all government, semi-government, autonomous, semi-autonomous, private institutions, factories, schools, colleges, madrasas, universities and all educational institutions in Bangladesh will remain open, a press release of the ISPR ... Read more

Internet likely to face disruption for 12 hours today

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Internet connectivity in Bangladesh will face partial disruption for 12 hours from this morning because of maintenance of 1st submarine cable, said Bangladesh Submarine Cables PLC (BSCPLC) in a press release. The statement said from 6:01 am to 6:00 pm, the consortium has scheduled maintenance for a land cable fault near ... Read more

Chess Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman passes away

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman passed away at a hospital in the city after suffering a heart attack during the 12th round game of the ongoing National Chess Championship at the Chess Federation on Friday. Zia bhai is no more. He breathed his last at around 6:00pm at Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital,’ confirmed ... Read more

Ending GPA-5 era, SSC results to be published with English letter grades

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams will no longer be evaluated under the Grade Point Average 1-5 scale but rather be graded with English letters. A meeting of the National Curriculum Coordination Committee with the Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury approved the new evaluation framework on Monday (1 July). “There are ... Read more

Over 1.04 crore animals sacrificed on Eid-ul-Adha this year

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A total of 1,04,08,918 animals were sacrificed across the country on the occasion of the holy Eid-ul-Azha this year. As many as 3, 67, 106 more animals were slaughtered this year compared to previous year, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock said in a press release on Tuesday. This year the ... Read more

9am-5pm office time to resume from Wednesday

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The public offices across Bangladesh are set to go back to old office timing from 9:00am to 5:00pm with Fridays and Saturdays being the weekly holidays as usual from Wednesday. The cabinet in its weekly meeting on June 3 decided restoring the old office timing between 9:00am and 5:00pm on weekdays ... Read more

5 magnitude earthquake jolts parts of Bangladesh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A magnitude 5 earthquake jolted a large part of the country on Sunday (2 June) afternoon., including Dhaka. The quake struck at 2:44pm from a depth of about 110km, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, and was centred in the Mawlaik area of Myanmar, 441 km southeast of Dhaka. The quake ... Read more

Over 2cr to be fed as daylong Vitamin ‘A’ plus campaign begins

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The National Vitamin A-plus campaign is being conducted with a target to feed the capsules to over 2.22 crore children, aged between six months and 59 months. The campaign started at 8am on Saturday (June 1) and will continue till 4pm. Feeding Vitamin A capsules prevents blindness in children, ensures normal ... Read more

Postponed notice fake, HSC exams on June 30 as per schedule

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exams will be held on time as per previous announcement, beginning on 30 June. The routine deferring the exams for a month that is making rounds in social media, is fake, the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dhaka said on Saturday. A circular ... Read more

3 month-long ban on fishing, tourism in Sundarbans begins

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The forest department has imposed this three-month ban on fishing and tourism in the Sundarbans. Local communities, including fishermen, wood and honey collectors, who depend on the Sundarbans for their livelihoods, are concerned about a three-month ban on all activities in the forest starting Saturday. The restriction applies to visitors, including ... Read more

Appellate Division upholds HC verdict on DU teacher Samia’s demotion

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Appellate Division today (26 May) upheld the judgement of the High Court which declared illegal the demotion order of Dhaka University faculty Samia Rahman on charges of plagiarism. A four-member appellate bench headed by senior judge M Enayetur Rahim of the Appellate Division rejected the appeal of DU as invalid. ... Read more