Garment workers demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000 clashed with police in Uttara for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday, leaving at least 50 people injured, including 18 police personnel.
Police used batons, rubber bullets, sound grenades and water cannons to disperse protesters attempting to block the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.
The clash broke out around 11:30am near Rajlokkhi Complex when garment workers attempted to block the eastern side of the highway. Police said they initially tried to persuade the protesters to leave the road, but the situation escalated when workers threw bricks and stones at them.
Protesters began gathering around 10am at several points in Uttara, including the Kasai Bari and Jamtola railway crossings, Azampur railway crossing and the Holy Lab intersection near Jasimuddin. Around 11am, they assembled on road 13 in sector 4 near Rajlokkhi before attempting to block the highway.
Deputy Commissioner of DMP Uttara Division Rezaul Karim told TIMES that 17 to 18 police personnel were injured in the clashes, including an Industrial Police constable whose hand was broken. One injured officer was in critical condition, while the constable was admitted to hospital.
He said police used sound grenades and water cannons to disperse the protesters after they allegedly attacked law enforcers. Amid the unrest, protesters vandalised an Industrial Police pickup van parked in front of a house at 39, road 6, sector 4.
Workers, however, alleged that police began beating them before they could block the highway. They claimed police used tear gas, rubber bullets and hot water to disperse them, leaving 30 to 35 workers injured.
The protesters said they had taken to the streets to demand a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000, arguing that their current earnings were insufficient to meet basic living expenses amid rising house rents, transport costs and prices of essential goods.
They said many workers were struggling to make ends meet and had to borrow money to cover their daily expenses. According to them, wage increases in the past had come only after workers staged protests.
Police also said a member of the force stationed at the Industrial Police headquarters in sector 4 was assaulted by protesters near an ATM booth on road 13 while riding a motorcycle. The motorcycle was also vandalised.
Police later chased protesters away from Uttara towards Dakkhinkhan through Azampur, Kasai Bari, Azamtola and railway tracks in sector 10. During the confrontation, some workers collected stones from the railway tracks and sticks from nearby areas and chased police in retaliation.
Additional police personnel had been deployed in advance around Azampur, Rajlokkhi and BNS Centre in Uttara, with armoured personnel carriers and water cannons kept ready.
Police said legal action was being pursued over the attacks on officers and damage to police vehicles.
Garment workers have been blocking roads since 12 October as part of their demand for a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000.
