Garment workers in Gazipur’s industrial belt have protested for a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000, blocking roads, setting fires and vandalising vehicles. Protesters set fire to a police van and damaged more than 100 vehicles. Police used tear gas, sound grenades and batons. Industrial, metropolitan and district police are preparing several cases.
Thirty people have been arrested so far. Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Israel Hossain said no one was injured in Monday’s incidents. He called reports circulating on social media rumours and urged workers and city residents to remain alert.
Workers blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway near Pallibidyut in Kaliakair upazila between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Monday. Protests also broke out in Shafipur, Chandra, Bhogra Bypass, Maleker Bari, Konabari and Salna.
At several locations, protesters gathered scrap fabric, bamboo and wood on the road and set them on fire. Traffic stopped and long tailbacks formed.
A police van was set on fire in the Naojor area. More than 100 vehicles, including two police vehicles, were vandalised, and a covered van was reportedly set on fire in Kaliakair. Clashes and chases took place between police and protesters. Police, industrial police, district police and BGB members used tear gas and sound grenades and charged with batons. Roads were cleared and traffic resumed around 1 p.m.
Amzad Hossain, superintendent of Industrial Police-2 in Gazipur, said workers at factories in Shafipur, Chandra, Pallibidyut, Bhogra Bypass, Konabari and Salna blocked roads and vandalised property. Police and BGB members dispersed them with tear gas and sound grenades, restoring traffic within 30 minutes at some locations and an hour at others.
Hossain said several cases were being prepared over arson and vandalism. Thirty people had been arrested and investigators were checking their involvement. More arrests were possible, he said.
Israel Hossain said the situation was calm. Cases were being prepared over the arson attack on a police vehicle and other violence, and no injuries had been reported in Monday’s events. He accused a group of spreading misleading information and rumours on Facebook and other platforms and urged residents to rely on law-enforcement statements and help restore order.
Workers also protested, blocked roads, vandalised property and set fires on Sunday in Mouchak, Shafipur, Chandra and Pallibidyut. Traffic stopped for long periods on parts of the Dhaka-Tangail highway. Several factories announced general holidays as unrest disrupted production and transport for two days.
Ten platoons of BGB were deployed in Gazipur, while 21 executive magistrates were assigned. District Commissioner Md Nurul Karim Bhuiyan said the administration and security agencies were working together to protect lives and public and private property.
Shawkat Hossain Sarker, administrator of Gazipur City Corporation, said the workers’ demand for higher wages was justified. The government has formed a wage commission, and talks have created a path toward agreement among workers, owners and other parties. He said wages could rise from January and urged workers to return peacefully, saying a functioning industrial sector would benefit workers, Gazipur and the national economy.
He also accused some criminals of trying to create instability in the garment industry through provocative statements and actions and urged workers to remain calm.
Unrest has continued for several days in Gazipur’s industrial belt over the demand for a minimum wage of Tk 30,000. Workers say wages must rise in line with higher living costs, while officials are urging negotiations to keep production and transport running.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report