Dhaka-Tangail highway blocked again by garment workers, BGB deployed

Garment workers have once again staged a protest on the Dhaka-Tangail highway in Kaliakair upazila of Gazipur, demanding that the minimum monthly wage be raised to Tk 30,000.

They blocked the highway in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area from 7:00am on Monday.

The blockade has caused traffic congestion stretching at least 10km on both sides of the highway, leaving passengers and drivers travelling to different destinations in distress.

According to police and local sources, a group of workers gathered in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area on Monday morning and took to the highway to stage a demonstration. More people later joined them, bringing traffic to a halt on both sides.

Kaliakair Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shahidul Islam said efforts were under way to resolve the situation through talks with the workers.

He claimed that a group of workers and outsiders had gathered in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area and blocked the highway before launching a demonstration demanding higher wages.

Gazipur Deputy Commissioner Md Nurul Karim Bhuiyan said 10 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel had been deployed from Monday to control the workers’ movement. Executive magistrates would also be on duty alongside them, he added.

Earlier, garment workers began protesting and blocking roads from Sunday morning in Chandra Palli Bidyut, Safipur Bazar, Mouchak and Telichala in Kaliakair.

Amid tensions throughout the day, a fabric scrap (jhut) warehouse of a garment factory and a police van were set on fire in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area around 12:30pm. The incidents spread panic in the area. Law enforcement personnel later stepped in to bring the situation under control.

At least 30 factories declared holidays amid the daylong protests, road blockades and violence. Traffic on the highway returned to normal after about six hours.

Police said allegations had also emerged that outsiders had joined the workers’ movement and instigated unrest.

On Sunday, police arrested nine members of Chhatra League, Swechchhasebak League and Sramik League in raids across different parts of Kaliakair. Police claimed they were arrested on charges of directly participating in and instigating the workers' protests.

Gazipur district and metropolitan police have also arrested a total of 30 people, police said.