Five platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed across Narayanganj alongside heightened police security and a vigilant presence by local BNP leaders and activists, following garment workers’ demonstrations demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000.
The heightened state of alert was observed across various points in Narayanganj from Tuesday morning.
The security measures follow an incident on Monday when garment workers blockaded the Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road in Shibu Market area from 12pm to 4:30pm.
During the demonstration, protesters set fire to tyres on the road, bringing vehicular traffic to a standstill and causing severe suffering to pedestrians and bus passengers.
In response, law enforcement agencies and BNP activists took up alert positions on Tuesday morning, attempting to persuade and calm the workers through various means.
Local BNP leaders said that they are maintaining oversight to ensure no opportunistic elements can exploit the workers’ movement to damage factories, vehicles, or state property.
As part of the vigil, leaders and activists of BNP and its associate organisations gathered in front of Fatullah union BNP office on the Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road under the leadership of Abul Kalam, MP for the Narayanganj-5 constituency.
Addressing the gathering, Abul said that attempts have been made over the past few days to disrupt the country’s law and order situation, alleging that defeated forces and secret cliques are engaged in various conspiracies ahead of December.
He noted that a solution to the workers’ fair demands is possible through discussion, adding that those attempting to create an unstable situation under the guise of the workers’ movement are not genuine workers.
Providing an update on law and order, Narayanganj District Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) Tareq Al Mehdi confirmed that the situation has remained normal since morning.
He added that additional police forces have been deployed at key points since morning to ensure no chaos occurs anywhere.
Narayanganj Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Rayhan Kabir said that five platoons of BGB have been deployed throughout the district to maintain law and order.
He added that members of the SRB, police, and other security forces are also stationed along the roads.
