Jatiya Shramik Shakti staged a protest at Kathgora in Ashulia, Savar, over the death of a female garment worker named Sumi Akhtar Mishu, who was employed at Agami Apparels Limited, a subsidiary of Deko Group.
Leaders of the organisation claimed that the worker was already unwell and was denied leave, while factory officials subjected her to mental harassment, ensuring her death.
Following the protest, a brief rally was held, moderated by Chief Organiser Arman Hossain. Speaking at the rally, National Citizen Party (NCP) Dhaka District North Convener Nabila Tasnid described the worker’s death as a “structural killing”. She said, “Sumi’s death is no ordinary death; it is a structural killing,” while expressing deep indignation over state apparatus negligence in prosecuting the murder and building a safe working environment.
Jatiya Shramik Shakti President Mazharul Islam Fakir demanded a neutral investigation into the incident, the removal of those responsible from their jobs, and exemplary justice. He alleged that representatives of the factory management attempted to halt their programme and tried to negotiate with them in secret. Rejecting these attempts, he asserted that their leadership would not be bought or managed for money.
Jatiya Shramik Member Secretary Shakti Riaz Morshed expressed anger over the state system, noting that people from all walks of life in Bangladesh were pained by Sumi’s murder, yet the state and its laws remain entirely aligned with factory owners.
He condemned the management’s lack of remorse, highlighting their arrogant claims of paying Tk50,000 for an ambulance fare and shroud cloth. He declared that alongside all working-class people in Bangladesh, they would confront this employer arrogance, establish a safe working environment, and secure a wage of Tk100 per working hour or Tk30,000 per month in accordance with the NCP’s election manifesto.
In a solidarity address, Anti-Discrimination Student Movement former central leader Rifat Rashid said that he had joined the rally to thwart plans to create a police state by kicking workers in the stomach, and to ensure that no one else suffers a fate like Sumi’s.
The brief rally was also attended by Jatiya Shramik Shakti Joint Convener Rezaul Islam, Joint Member Secretary Saiful Islam Faisal, Sheikh Rubel, Supervisor of Chattogram Region, alongside leaders from the Savar-Ashulia region.
Strongly protesting the cruelty against workers, the organisation presented a three-point charter of demands:
Fair investigation and justice: Ensuring a fair investigation and justice for the murder of Sumi, who fell victim to mental harassment during workplace activities at Deko Group’s Agami Apparels Limited factory.
Immediate arrest and removal: Immediate dismissal from service and arrest of the line chief, production manager, and general manager involved in the killing, as well as the arrest of the factory owner.
Labour rights enforcement: The Ministry of Labour must ensure the fair rights of garment workers in line with international labour laws within seven working days to guarantee a proper working environment.
