Police dispersed garment workers with batons, tear gas shells, sound grenades and water cannons in the capital's Uttara today (17 October) as they attempted to block the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, demanding payment of arrears and a minimum basic salary of Tk30,000.
The clash left at least 50 people injured, including 19 police members, while two Industrial Police vehicles and a motorcycle were vandalised. One Industrial Police member also suffered a broken arm, police said.
The incident occurred around 11:30am in the Rajlakshmi area of Uttara, Deputy Commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Uttara Division Md Rezaul Karim confirmed.
He said workers from garment factories in the Uttarkhan and Dakhinkhan police station areas began gathering around 10am at Kasaibari Railgate, Jamtala Railgate, Azampur Railgate and the Holy Lab intersection on Jasimuddin Road.
Around 11am, they assembled on Road 13 in Sector 4, near Rajlakshmi, and attempted to block the eastern side of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.
When police obstructed them, the workers pelted officers with brickbats, Rezaul Karim said.
He added that the demonstrators vandalised two Industrial Police vehicles and beat a police member, breaking his arm.
Police then used batons, tear gas shells, sound grenades and water cannons to disperse the workers and bring the situation under control.
The deputy commissioner said police would review CCTV footage to identify those involved in the demonstration and file cases against them.
Five days of protests over arrears, wage demands
The workers are demanding payment of overdue wages, a minimum monthly basic salary of Tk30,000 and wage increases.
Workers from several garment factories began demonstrations and road blockades in different parts of Uttara on 12 October over the demands.
On 14 October, they blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in the Azampur area for nearly two and a half hours, halting traffic on one side of the road. Long queues of vehicles stretched from the airport to Jasimuddin Road, while congestion spread to nearby roads, the airport road and the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane.
Following discussions with police, the workers vacated the road around 1:30pm.
On Thursday (15 October), workers again took to the roads in Azampur and Rajlakshmi, prompting police to disperse them with tear gas shells. The demonstrations also caused severe traffic congestion on the highway and surrounding roads.