Joint forces deployed around Beximco factory and surroundings in Gazipur

Members of law enforcement agencies including the joint forces have been deployed in Sarabo area of Gazipur city. Photo taken on 23 January 2025.Prothom Alo

Members of law enforcement agencies including the joint forces have been deployed at the Beximco Industrial Park, Grameen Fabrics factory and surrounding areas following incidents of vehicle vandalism and setting fire at the factory in Sarabo area of Gazipur city.

The protesting workers have not been spotted in the area since morning. Meanwhile, a holiday has been declared at the ‘Grameen Fabrics’ factory that was affected in the fire.

No demonstrations were reported in the area till 9:00 am today, Thursday. The army, industrial police and regular police personnel have been deployed in front of the Grameen Fabrics factory in Sarabo area as well as in Jirani Bazar and Chakraborty areas of the city. Members of the law enforcement forces are patrolling these areas.

Earlier on Wednesday, unemployed workers from 16 closed-down factories in the Beximco Industrial Park blocked the Chandra-Nabinagar road demanding reopening of the factories. Later, they vandalised more than fifty vehicles and then set a freight truck and three buses on fire.

A security guard at the Grameen Fabrics factory, Md Obaidul, said that the Beximco workers barged into the factory through the main entrance on Wednesday evening. And, they set the factory on fire at one point. Later, the fire was brought under control with the efforts of the fire service. So the factory has been declared closed for today.

However the workers and team leaders of Beximco Industrial Park have claimed Wednesday’s incident to be instigated by some other party. An employee of the ‘Abdul Hamid’ company located in Chakraborty area said that peaceful demonstrations and programmes were being carried out for quite some time with the demand of the factories being reopened. Meanwhile, some other party has infiltrated the workers’ camp and made the situation worse.

An officer and workers’ leader at Beximco factory, Md Sumon Mia, said, “We carried out a peaceful rally on Tuesday. Workers' leader Mishu Apa came to join the rally from Dhaka and announced that a decision would be taken on 22 January. However, she did not announce any decision.”

“So, the workers again joined a rally there on Wednesday and it created a situation of tension. The road blockade, vandalism and arson were carried out at the instigation of some external party. Even we were also victim of their rage and survived somehow,” he added.

According to sources of the industrial police and the workers, a mass rally was organised in Sarabo area of Gazipur city Wednesday with the demand of reopening the 16 closed-down factories in the ‘Beximco Industrial Park’. Several thousand workers, employees and officials of the factories gathered at the Suncity field in Sreepur area around 2:00 pm. The rally ended peacefully.

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However, the workers gathered at the Suncity field again in the afternoon. At the time, tree trunks and wooden sticks were placed on the road and then set on fire. The agitated workers vandalised more than fifty vehicles that were plying on the road. At one point, they set a freight truck and three buses on fire there. Then around 6:00 pm, a factory named ‘Grameen Fabrics’ was set on fire as well.

Assistant superintendent of Industrial Police in Gazipur zone Md Abu Taleb said that the situation around Beximco and the surrounding areas was quiet until 10:00 am today. The joint forces, industrial police and other law enforcement agencies have been deployed to ensure security there, he added.