At least 30 people, including police officers and garment workers, were injured in Gazipur on Tuesday during clashes and chases between demonstrators and police. The violence erupted as workers demanded a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000.
Industrial police arrested seven people accused of sabotage.
The clashes took place from around 9:30 a.m. until noon in the Bhogra, Naojor, Mouchak, and Palli Bidyut areas.
According to workers and industrial police, employees of Panacea Limited in Naojor left the factory at approximately 9:30am and gathered on the western side of the Dhaka-Tangail Highway flyover. They subsequently blocked the highway, bringing traffic to a complete halt in both directions.
At the same time, workers from Bay Footwear in Konabari, Purbani in Mouchak, and Logos Apparels and ATS Apparels in Telirchala stopped work and came out of their factories to stage demonstrations along the highway.
Police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members, led by Gazipur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner for Crime and Operations Mohammad Belayet Hossain, fired tear shells and sound grenades to disperse the protesters. The situation later came under control and traffic resumed.
Meanwhile, workers from several factories blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway in the Bhogra area from around 9:30am, setting tyres on fire.
Industrial police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), district police, and metropolitan police rushed to the scene and attempted to persuade the workers to clear the road. However, protesters suddenly hurled bricks and stones at the police, injuring several officers. In response, police fired tear gas and charged with batons to disperse the crowd.
Garment workers have been demonstrating over wage increases since Saturday across several areas in Kaliakair, including Chandra, Palli Bidyut, Mouchak, Safipur and Konabari. The protests have involved highway blockades, vehicle vandalism and arson attacks targeting police boxes and vehicles. Several police officers and journalists have sustained injuries, and a factory warehouse was also set on fire during the unrest.
Additional law enforcement personnel have been deployed at key points across the industrial areas. Police have filed three cases with the Konabari, Basan, and Kaliakair police stations in connection with the incidents, naming several thousand workers as accused. Several individuals have also been arrested on allegations of participating in or instigating the protests.
Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Amzad Hossain stated that at least 60 factories declared a holiday for the day following 11:00 am due to the unrest. He also noted that the seven individuals arrested on sabotage charges were not factory workers.
He stated that the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway was blocked beginning at 9:30 a.m. and the Dhaka-Tangail Highway starting at 11 a.m., resulting in severe disruption for commuters.
Workers were cleared from the Dhaka-Tangail Highway around 11:30 am, restoring traffic after about half an hour. The Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway reopened around 12:30 pm, following a three-hour blockade.
Hossain stated that a group of workers attempted to block the Dhaka-Tangail Highway in Mouchak at approximately 7:45 am, but law enforcement personnel successfully persuaded them to disperse without any confrontation. A similar incident occurred at the Palli Bidyut intersection in Kaliakair, where police and members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) intervened.
The administration has reinforced security across Gazipur amid the ongoing garment workers’ movement over wage increases and other demands.
One additional platoon of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been deployed to the district, raising the total number of platoons stationed there to 11. Additionally, the number of executive magistrates in the area has been increased from 21 to 25.
Arif Hossain, assistant commissioner (media) at the Gazipur Deputy Commissioner’s Office, confirmed the deployment.
He said 10 BGB platoons had earlier been deployed, but the number was increased to 11 in view of the situation. The additional executive magistrates are also coordinating operations with BGB personnel.
He added that law enforcement agencies were on alert to prevent damage to public property and threats to public safety in the name of protests.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Belayet Hossain said he had visited several points along the highways since morning and held talks with protesting workers.
“Workers had gathered in Naojor. I spoke to them, and they all left. Protests by garment workers have taken place at different times, but this time the pattern is somewhat different. After we arrived, everything seemed to be in order. Suddenly, stones started being thrown during what had been a constructive discussion,” he said.
He suggested that some people might be trying to exploit the situation to create an issue.
He also said barricades at Naojor and the Bhogra bypass had been removed.
Why it matters
The escalation of labor unrest and subsequent factory closures in Gazipur highlight severe economic pressures and supply chain vulnerabilities within Bangladesh's key garment manufacturing sector.