DHAKA: At least 30 people were injured, including four cops, as garment workers clashed with law-enforcers at Shewrapara in the capital Wednesday in a backlash against Tuesday’s rampage and shutdown of a factory, witnesses said.
Meanwhile, the demonstrating workers claimed that one of their female colleagues named Shahina was killed on the scene of the road rioting near the Outright garment factory that was put under a lockout following Tuesday’s unrest.
Police ruled out the flying rumours as a mere canard.
The protestors said that at first police personnel beat up her with rifle-butt and then a patrol car drove over Shahina during the melee.
“None did die,” Mirpur thana officer-in–charge Kazi Wahed Ali told banglanews24.com.bd, refuting the claim.
Local sources informed that the workers of Outright Garments flew into a fury as the saw their factory shut in the morning.
“Hordes of workers ran riot vandalising some shops of adjacent areas, resulting in the conflict with police. Chase and counter-chase broke out between the angry workers and the law-enforces,” says a spot account of the running battles.
Police fired teargas shells and used water cannons trying to disperse the belligerent workers, but sporadic troubles went on when the last report came at 2:30pm.
To ward off untoward situation, police blocked off the road from Shewrapara Sobhan filling station to the Mirpur-1o crossing—the scene of chaos.
Altaf Hossain, a traffic sergeant on duty at Pallabi, said, “The workers of Outright Fashion early Wednesday morning staged a rowdy demo as the owners declared an unscheduled holiday following Tuesday’s unrest.”
Banglanews24.com.bd staff correspondent Hasan Jamil Shishir informed from Shewrapara over-bridge point that one of the female workers was injured as police charged baton. “She was rushed to Dhaka Medical Collage Hospital in critical condition.”
Traffic on the route remained at a complete halt during the dustup. Thousands of people were stranded on both ends, as the busy Rokeya Sarani was made off-limits to traffic.
The workers of Outright apparel industry on Tuesday evening staged a demonstration demanding wage hike—an unmet common plea that erupts into troubles in many industrial belts of the export-oriented apparel sector, the worst one in Ashulia area on the outskirts of the capital just a few days back that created a serious crisis.
In the meantime, local ward councillor Abdul Quader and his supporters attacked the agitating workers on Tuesday evening, leaving at least 27 people injured. Two of them were rushed to hospital in critical condition, the sources said.
Later, elite-force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) intervened and arrested three people, including Quader and one of his sons.
BDST: 10:45 hrs, June 30, 2010.
