Garment workers–police clashes in Mirpur: Police officer beaten, eyewitnesses say

Garment workers clashed with police in Kalshi, Mirpur, in the capital on Tuesday morning. Eyewitnesses said several people surrounded and beat a police officer during the incident. They also said the officer’s weapon was snatched from him and thrown onto the road.

The incident took place at around 11:00 am on Kalshi Road, in front of a supermarket operated by a private company, about 200 metres from Mirpur-11 metro station.

A woman filmed the police officer being beaten from the balcony of a nearby house. Prothom Alo spoke to her. On condition of anonymity, she said police were chasing protesters in an attempt to disperse them. At one point, several police officers chased protesters along a road in Mirpur-12. They eventually found themselves surrounded by protesters.

The woman said protesters were throwing brickbats at the police officers from all directions. The officers then stepped back and took up positions nearby. However, a group of protesters surrounded one police officer and started beating him. No other police officers were visible in the vicinity at the time.

Describing the incident, the woman said, “They threw the police officer to the ground. One person snatched his gun and threw it onto the road. Then several people joined in and beat him mercilessly. Some people among them later rescued the officer and sent him towards that way [in the direction of Mirpur-11 metro station].”

An employee at the supermarket in front of which the incident took place also said he had seen the police officer being beaten. He said several people suddenly knocked the officer to the ground and began assaulting him. The employees then lowered the shop’s shutter and went upstairs. They could not see what happened afterwards.

Asked about the incident, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Deputy Commissioner (DC) Touhidul Arif of the POM (South) Division told journalists that they were not yet aware of it. He said he would be able to comment after making enquiries.

Clashes between police and garment workers continued from 10:30 am until around 11:15 am. According to the latest information, the situation in the area is now calm, and traffic is moving normally in both directions.

Garment workers have been staging protests for several days, demanding that the minimum monthly wage be raised to Tk 30,000. On Saturday and Sunday, workers blocked roads in and around Mirpur-10, Mirpur-11 and Mirpur-12.

On Sunday, workers clashed with police in the Mirpur-10 area, with both sides chasing and throwing brickbats at each other. At one point, a police vehicle was set on fire beneath Mirpur-11 metro station. Police said several people had been arrested from different locations in connection with the incident.

Workers also tried to take to the streets at various points in Mirpur on Monday, but police stopped them. Tear gas shells were fired at several locations. Today, workers have once again taken to the streets in Mirpur to stage protests.