At least 50 individuals—including police officers, garment workers and passersby—were injured in clashes between workers and police in Savar on Wednesday morning, stemming from demands for a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000.
Violent clashes erupted in the Padma Mor area of Hemayetpur at approximately 08:15 a.m., later spreading to Ulail, where confrontations unfolded in front of the Al‑Muslim Group factory at about 09:00 a.m.
During the unrest, demonstrators hurled bricks and stones at police, who replied with tear‑gas shells, sound grenades and rubber‑bullet fire. A police vehicle belonging to the officer‑in‑charge of Savar Model Police Station was set ablaze.
Among those wounded was OC Saiful Alam, who sustained serious injuries, the Dhaka District Superintendent of Police, Shamima Parveen, said. All of the injured received initial medical treatment.
Police and local sources said that workers assembled near Padma Mor early in the morning to press for their wage demands. Tensions rose when police moved to clear the road that the demonstrators had occupied.
The workers subsequently divided into multiple groups, each taking positions at different sites, including Padma Mor and the Hemayetpur bus stand.
At approximately 09:10 local time, demonstrators blocked the Dhaka‑Aricha highway, halting traffic in both directions and creating severe congestion.
Industrial Police reported that workers hurled bricks and stones at law‑enforcement officers, prompting police to fire tear‑gas shells to restore order. A tense atmosphere persisted in and around Padma Mor.
In Ulail, police deployed tear‑gas shells and rubber‑bullet rounds after workers blocked the road and hurled bricks and stones during a confrontation.
Shamima Parveen reported that between 30,000 and 40,000 workers gathered from both directions on Padma Mor in the morning and attacked police. She said law‑enforcement personnel responded to the assault and that protesters set fire to a vehicle belonging to the Officer‑in‑Charge of the Savar Model police station.
In a separate development, several garment factories in Hemayetpur, Ulail and surrounding areas announced a general holiday in response to the unrest. Some workers later returned home peacefully.
Three platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been deployed to Savar and Ashulia to bolster security in the industrial zone.
The Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Savar said at about 9:30 a.m. that workers had occupied the road and that the administration was taking steps to restore normal traffic movement.
Lieutenant Colonel Taimun, commander of the Bangladesh Border Guard’s Dhaka Battalion deployed in the area, said that around three platoons had been stationed at different locations in Savar and Ashulia.
The official said BGB personnel were working to disperse individuals who were creating disorder and imposing hardship on the public. He added that many of those involved were not genuine workers but agitators.
Why it matters
The violent labor unrest and subsequent deployment of security forces in a major industrial zone underscore ongoing wage tensions within Bangladesh's garment sector.