Police have arrested 68 people amid allegations that political groups are instigating and financing garment workers’ protests demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000. Clashes continued on Tuesday as workers took to the streets for the fourth consecutive day.
Protests were reported in Mirpur, Gazipur, Savar, Ashulia and Narayanganj, with road blockades, clashes, chases and counter-chases, and vandalism in several areas.
Jubo Dal and Chhatra Dal leaders and activists also took to the streets carrying sticks, saying they wanted to prevent disorder. Twelve platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were deployed in Gazipur, Narayanganj and neighbouring industrial areas.
According to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), 306 factories in Mirpur, Gazipur, Mymensingh, Savar-Ashulia and Jirani declared holidays on Tuesday morning, disrupting work for 694,793 workers.
Police said intelligence reports pointed to political instigation behind the protests. They reported arresting 33 members of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations in Dhaka over 24 hours, while another 35 people were detained in Gazipur, Savar, Ashulia and Cumilla.
Intelligence reports also suggested that many hawkers evicted from footpaths had joined the protests in Dhaka. Police said they had identified several alleged instigators, including factory owners and ward- and police station-level leaders of the Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League.
Police informed the government that former MP Elias Uddin Mollah, former BGMEA president and Dhaka North Awami League General Secretary SM Mannan Kochi, and Jahangir Alam, a former assistant to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, allegedly provided funds and instructions behind the unrest in Mirpur and Pallabi.
Police also identified Elias Uddin Mollah’s nephew Alif Mollah and Jahangir’s associate Mahbubur Rahman Jewel as alleged organisers who recruited and coordinated protesters in Pallabi and Mirpur. They said the information came from messages found on several detainees’ mobile phones.
In Cumilla, district detective police arrested a man named Masud Rana from the EPZ area on allegations of inciting disorder in factories. Officials described him as a key instigator.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said, “There are political motives behind attempts to disrupt production by creating instability in the garment industry. Some groups are inciting factory closures to serve their political interests. Such activities will be dealt with firmly.”
Dhaka Range Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Mostafizur Rahman said, “None of those arrested over the workers’ protests in Gazipur are workers. There is a conspiracy to destabilise the country behind the labour movement. Those instigating or financing the unrest will face strict action within the bounds of the law.”
He also said a Chhatra League officeholder had been arrested from a procession in Gazipur on Tuesday.
Touhidul Arif, deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Public Order Management (POM-South) division, said, “We suspect that the garment workers’ protests in Mirpur in the capital have a specific agenda. They do not appear to be genuine workers.”
Police officer attacked in Mirpur
Clashes broke out around 10am on Tuesday in Pallabi, Mirpur-11, when police tried to clear the road. Protesters threw bricks and stones at officers, who responded with tear gas and sound grenades.
After nearly an hour, protesters dispersed into nearby lanes and alleys. A police officer was attacked, and police detained four people, claiming they were not garment workers.
Deputy Commissioner Touhidul Arif said, “Miscreants have infiltrated the garment workers’ movement.”
“An investigation will reveal who is instigating the unrest behind the protests and for what purpose the sabotage is being carried out,” he said.
Authorities closed Mirpur-10 and Mirpur-11 metro rail stations around 10:22am, shutting all gates for security reasons. Road traffic between Pallabi and Mirpur-10 returned to normal around 11:30am, and train services resumed around 12:30pm.
Around 11am, Constable Md Simon was beaten with sticks on Kalshi Road and admitted to Rajarbagh Police Hospital.
Pallabi Police Station Officer-in-Charge Jalal Uddin said workers moved towards Kalshi after police dispersed them from Mirpur-11. The constable was attacked after becoming separated from his colleagues.
Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal activists take to streets with sticks
After the clashes, Jubo Dal and Chhatra Dal leaders and activists took to the streets, saying they wanted to “prevent sabotage”.
Jubo Dal activists held a procession against the protesters at Mirpur-10 roundabout after 11:45am. Around 1:16pm, they marched in Mirpur-11 carrying sticks and chanting slogans against the demonstrators.
Clashes in Gazipur
Workers clashed with police in Gazipur’s Nawjor and Bhogra areas from Tuesday morning until the afternoon, leaving at least 30 people, including police personnel and workers, injured.
Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Amjad Hossain said, “Seven saboteurs who are not workers have been arrested.”
Around 60 factories in the district declared holidays in the morning. Protests and blockades halted traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways, leaving passengers stranded. Traffic resumed around 1:15pm after four hours.
Workers of Panacea Limited left their factory around 9:30am and blocked the Dhaka-Tangail Highway west of the Nawjor flyover with bamboo barriers. Workers from Bay Footwear in Konabari, Purvani in Mouchak, and Logos Apparels and ATS Apparels in Telichala also left their factories to protest on the highway.
In Bhogra, workers from several factories burned tyres on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway. BGB personnel, industrial police and local police tried to bring the situation under control through discussions, but workers threw bricks and stones at officers, who responded with tear gas and baton charges. Police again used tear gas and baton charges to clear a tyre-burning blockade at Bhogra Bypass.
Around 12:30pm, workers began protesting in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area of Kaliakair upazila. Police and BGB personnel used tear gas and sound grenades to control the situation.
After noon, workers attempted to surround a police station. Police fired tear gas and sound grenades, triggering further clashes and chases. Additional law enforcement personnel were deployed, while BNP activists came forward to help secure the station.
DIG Mostafizur visited Chandra Palli Bidyut around noon. He said, “Those who are now on the streets are no longer engaged in a movement to press for their demands.”
Police would provide security to those willing to work, he said, adding, “However, strict action will be taken if anyone attempts to create disorder in the name of a movement.”
Describing the unrest as a conspiracy to destabilise the country and destroy the labour sector, the DIG said, “Intelligence surveillance is under way, and video footage is being analysed. Those instigating or financing the unrest will also be brought to justice.”
Factories attacked in Savar
Around 3:30pm, several hundred workers attacked factories near the Dhaka-Aricha Highway in Savar’s Hemayetpur area. Clashes and chases followed, causing a long traffic jam. Workers left the road around 5:45pm.
Around 9am, clashes and chases also broke out between workers and police at several points along the Baipail-Abdullahpur road in Ashulia. Workers took to the streets after several factories, including Ha-Meem in Narsinghpur, declared holidays after 8:30am.
Police dispersed workers gathering in Nischintapur and Unique by firing tear gas. Protesters later set fires at several points to stop traffic.
Industrial Police-1 Superintendent Mohammad Muminul Islam Bhuiyan said, “Workers joined their shifts at some factories but did not work, forcing the owners to declare holidays.”
BNP and affiliated organisation leaders and activists were also seen taking positions and patrolling Ashulia on motorcycles.
Savar Model Police Station OC Saiful Alam said workers kept the Dhaka-Aricha Highway blocked until the evening.
Factory authorities filed two cases at Ashulia Police Station over the unrest, blockades and violence during the past four days, accusing between 800 and 1,000 unidentified people. Ashulia Police Station OC Tariqul Islam said police had detained 12 people.
Workers clash with police in Fatullah
Workers clashed with police in Fatullah, Narayanganj, where chases and counter-chases were reported.
From around 2:45pm, workers blocked the road, halting traffic. Police fired tear gas and tried to push them towards Narayanganj, while protesters burned tyres on the road.
BNP leaders and activists led by Abul Kalam, MP for Narayanganj-5, also took positions at the scene.
The report includes contributions from correspondents in Gazipur, Tongi, Savar and Narayanganj.
