Workers and police chase each other in Ashulia, 70 factories shut, Gazipur calm

Workers staged a demonstration in Savar's Ashulia, blocking roads to demand a minimum wage of Tk 30,000.

During this time, a clash occurred between the workers and police, resulting in the vandalism of a police vehicle.

This incident took place on Thursday morning in the Jamgora area of Abdullahpur-Baipail road in Ashulia.

In response to the incident, holidays were declared in 70 factories in Ashulia to prevent any unstable situation.

Meanwhile, the Gazipur industrial area remains calm, with no reports of worker protests until 3 PM today. Law enforcement, along with other security forces, are patrolling different areas of the district to maintain peace.

Talking to witnesses and factory workers, it was found that workers gathered at various factories around the Abdullahpur-Baipail road in Ashulia in the morning.

They stopped work and stayed inside the factories. Later, when holidays were announced at the factories, they blocked roads in the Jamgora area around 8:30 AM.

When the police attempted to clear the road, a chase ensued between them. A police vehicle was damaged by projectiles thrown by protesters. Subsequently, the police dispersed the workers with tear gas and sound grenades.

Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, the Superintendent of Police of Industrial Police-1, told Prothom Alo that the situation in Savar and Ashulia is much better today. However, due to concerns about potential unrest and some existing instability, authorities have declared holidays in 70 out of 1,863 factories in these areas. After the factory holiday was announced in the morning in the Jamgora area, some miscreants threw projectiles at the factory. After apprehending a few of them, they vandalised a police vehicle.

According to several witnesses, workers in various factories in the Doshaid area of Ashulia were working peacefully since the morning. Around 9:30 AM, 400 to 500 protesters gathered in front of the ''Fabrica Knit Composite'' factory and broke two gates. In this situation, the factory authorities declared a holiday. Subsequently, holidays were announced in several nearby factories.

Preferring not to be named, an factory official told Prothom Alo, "We were smoothly working here for the past few days without any trouble. Yesterday, Wednesday, 150 people came, and we managed to drive them away from the gate. But today, they came prepared with about 500 people and broke two gates. When the factory holiday was announced, the workers left, following which holidays were also declared in nearby factories."

Several workers who were targeted said they were beaten for refusing to join the protesters gathered outside their factories after the factories had closed.

A worker at a factory in the Jamgora area, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “We all started work in the morning. Then some young men came from outside and started throwing stones, so the owner declared a holiday.”

He added, “After the factory closed, those who did not join them were beaten. They tried to beat me up yesterday too. I eventually joined them, but after a while, I slipped away and went home.”

On Thursday, around 10:30 AM, police and BGB members were seen performing their duties in areas like Radio Colony, Hemayetpur in Savar. Additionally, BNP leaders and activists were noticed in front of and around various factories. Around 1 PM, BGB members were seen patrolling the Dhaka-Aricha highway near Jorpul in Savar.

Lieutenant Colonel Taimur Hasan Khan, Commander of the Dhaka Battalion of BGB (5 BGB), told Prothom Alo that the situation today is better compared to other days. So far, there have been no incidents of sabotage. Traffic flow on various roads is normal. Five platoons of BGB have been deployed to control the situation in Savar and Ashulia.

After five consecutive days of worker protests, road blockades, and clashes, the situation in Gazipur's industrial zone is now normal. Until 3 PM today, there have been no reports of worker protests. Traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways is normal.

To maintain normalcy, police and executive magistrates from the district administration, along with the law enforcement and security forces, are seen patrolling.

Additionally, BNP leaders and activists are also present in various areas. According to sources from the industrial police, increased surveillance is being maintained in areas of the Gazipur industrial zone where incidents of worker unrest and clashes occurred. It is not known how many factories are closed in Gazipur today. However, factories where holidays were declared earlier are closed.

Superintendent of Police of Gazipur Industrial Police, Mohammad Amzad Hossain, told Prothom Alo that police are active to keep the highway situation normal. Many factories in the district that had holidays declared earlier are closed today.

To maintain law and order, 10 platoons of Ansar have been deployed in Gazipur. Among them, six platoons were deployed on Wednesday and four more were deployed today from Narayanganj, as informed by Major General Abdul Motaleb Sajjad Mahmud, the Director General of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party.

At a briefing with journalists after the concluding parade of an Ansar training session in Safipur, Gazipur, Director General stated that the government has established a wage board for workers, which has already started its activities.

Based on insights from the Ansar officers and their ward-based manpower, they are identifying who the miscreants are and what plans they have, ensuring that they cannot cause harm to life and property.