Workers and police chase each other in Fatullah, tear gas fired

Clashes involving garment workers and police broke out in Fatullah, Narayanganj, as workers took to the streets demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000.

The incidents of repeated chases between the two sides occurred on Wednesday morning in the Kath-erpool area of Sadar upazila.

When workers attempted to block the Hajiganj–Post Office Road by setting fires, police fired tear gas shells and sound grenades at them.

Police detained several workers in connection with the incident. The clashes and chases heightened tensions in the area.

According to eyewitnesses and police sources, workers from several garment factories in the Kath-erpool area of Fatullah, including Microfiber and Liberties, left their workplaces and gathered on the streets on Wednesday morning, demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000.

At one point, they threw bricks and stones to force workers at nearby factories to come out and join the protest.

They later staged demonstrations by setting fires at several locations along the Hajiganj–Post Office Road in the Kath-erpool area.

At one stage, the agitated workers gathered and attempted to march towards the Shibu Market area of the Dhaka–Narayanganj Link Road. Industrial police and local police then tried to stop them.

When police attempted to clear the road, clashes and chases broke out between the two sides.

To bring the situation under control, police fired tear gas shells and sound grenades in an attempt to disperse the workers. The incident sparked tension in the Kath-erpool area.

Abdullah Al Mahmud, superintendent of police of Industrial Police-4, told Prothom Alo that workers of the Microfiber factory had left their workplace and tried to bring workers from nearby factories out onto the streets as well.

Police dispersed them and detained several people in connection with the incident. “We will not allow workers to block the roads under any circumstances,” he said.

The situation was brought under control at 12:30pm, although members of law enforcement agencies remained at the scene.

For the past two days, workers had blocked roads in the Shibu Market and Jalkuri areas along the Dhaka–Narayanganj Link Road, demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000.

During the protests, clashes and chases broke out between the workers and police, disrupting traffic on the link road for four hours. Police later brought the situation under control.

At around 12:30pm, police fired tear gas shells and chased the workers to disperse them. The situation is now calm.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Operations) Tarek Al Mehdi said six people had been detained in connection with the incident.