Clash with cop leaves female RMG worker dead in Gazipur
Staff Reporter :
A female worker was killed and 20 others injured in two separate clashes between police and garment workers on Wednesdayamid the ongoing workers’ unrest in the garments sector over the demand for a higher pay.
In Gazipur, a female worker was killed and at least 10 others were injured in a clash between police and garment workers in Konabari area.
The victim has been identified as Anjuara Khatun, a sewing machine operator at Islam Garments-2. She hailed from Chargirish area of Kazipur upazila in Sirajganj district.
Her husband Jamal Hossain said she was injured in the clash and taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where the on-duty declared her dead.
Bachchu Miah, In-charge of the DMCH police camp, confirmed the death to the media.
He said two bullet-injured people were taken to the hospital from Gazipur’s Konabari. Of them, Anjuara was declared dead and kept at the morgue. The concerned police station was informed about the matter.
Source said RMG workers have been demonstrating in different parts of Gazipur for long demanding the wage hike. Though the government set the minimum wage for RMG workers at Tk12,500 on Tuesday, the RMG workers rejected the new minimum wage and started demonstrating in the morning.
Police obstructed the agitating workers when they tried to take position on the highway. At one stage, the workers locked into clashes with the police and hurled brick chips at them. In reply, police fired rubber bullets, sound grenades and tear shells on them, leaving 11 injured.
Among the injured, two including Anjuara were taken to the DMCH.
Khairul Alam, Additional Deputy Police Commissioner of Konabari Police Station, said, we are not sure about the death of the female worker but she was taken to the DMCH in a critical condition.
On the other hand, another clash took place between garment workers and police when the workers tried to take position on a road in Ashulia in Dhaka’s Savar upazila this afternoon. No injury was reported, our Savar correspondent reports.
According to police and locals, hundreds of workers of several factories tried to gather to demonstrate in support of a Tk 23,000 minimum wage on Bypail-Abdullahpur road in Narsingho area in Ashulia around 2:45pm.
Sarwar Alam, superintendent of police of Ashulia Industrial Police-1, confirmed the matter to the media saying that police fired tear gas shells when the workers tried to create trouble in the area.
Meanwhile, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been deployed in Dhaka and adjacent areas to ensure security of the apparel factories, amid the ongoing workers’ unrest in the garments sector.
Shariful Islam, public relations officer (PRO) at BGB headquarters, confirmed the development on Wednesday morning.
Earlier on Tuesday, Garment factory owners submitted a new proposal on the minimum wage for apparel workers in Bangladesh, revising it upwards to Tk 12,500, according to a source.
