Photo : Messenger
A worker was shot dead in a clash between workers and members of the joint forces in Tongabari area of industrial area Ashulia. Besides, at least 30 workers were injured, and four shot.
The incident took place in front of Mandal Group in Jirabo area of Tongi-Ashulia-EPZ road on Monday (September 30) around 11:30 am. The duty manager of Enam Medical College Hospital Yusuf Ali confirmed the death at around 2 pm.
Initially, two of the injured were identified. They are Habib, a worker of Natural Denims and Nazmul Hasan, a worker of Natural Indigo Factory. The identity of the rest of the injured was not found. Two injured PMKs and two others have been admitted to Enam Medical.
Additional DIG of Dhaka Range Mostafizur Rahman was present at the spot, our Savar correspondent reports. Industrial Police-1 SP Sarwar Alam could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.
Dr Selim Raihan, Executive Director of South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), told The Daily Messenger “This is a very alarming situation for the economy. The life of workers should be safe. This sector earns major portion of the foreign currency and more than 40 lakhs of employees are involved with the sector. The government should handle the situation immediately.”
Fazle Ehsan Shamim, Vice President of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) told the Daily Messenger “A faction seeks to profit from the altered political landscape. But he believes, the earlier government also was very keen to the garment sector, thus the sector flourished during last 15 years.”
He fears, export of the country will be impacted severely. The image of the country is being tarnished. The buyers are getting the chance over price.
When contacted, Dhaka District Superintendent of Police Ahmed Muyeed told The Daily Messenger that he did not know anything about the incident.
However, two workers were brought to PMK Hospital in Ashulia with bullet wounds. The victims are Habib, a worker of Natural Denims and Nazmul Hasan, a worker of Natural Indigo Factory.
PMK Hospital Manager (Administration) Md Nazim Uddin said, "We have four workers brought here with injuries. Two of them have been brought with bullet wounds. They have been shot in the leg."
He, however, could not say what kind of bullets had been used.
Earlier, on 17 September a female worker was killed in a clash between two groups of workers in front of a garment factory on Tuesday morning in the Zirabo area of Ashulia, Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka.
The deceased was Rokeya Begum, 35, a sewing machine operator at Mascot Garments. At least three others sustained injuries in the clash in front of the factory as well.
Garment factory owners on 30 September called for enhanced security to keep their production units operational, as a labour unrest is ongoing despite meeting workers' demand.
Factories in industrial areas such as Ashulia, Zirani, and Zirabo are facing closures daily due to the unrest.
"We are demanding safety, and without it, the factories will suffer due to the labour unrest," said Abdullah Hil Rakib, senior vice president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), on Monday at the BGMEA office.
The unrest persists in the garment sector even after fulfilling the workers' 18-point demands, as certain groups are spreading rumours, taking advantage of the weak law and order situation, the factory owners said.
The garment industry owners urged the government to provide stronger security, as many are unable to operate their factories due to vandalism.
Messenger/Disha
