The garment factories in Savar and Ashulia are still in turmoil today demanding an increase in the minimum wage.
Workers have staged a massive protest by blocking the Dhaka-Aricha highway in Hemayetpur, Savar. When the police fired tear gas and sound grenades to control the situation, the entire area turned into a battlefield.
Meanwhile, two platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed in Savar and Ashulia to maintain law and order. On Wednesday morning, Ashulia Assistant Commissioner Mohibullah Akon confirmed the deployment of BGB and the overall situation. It is learnt that since Wednesday morning, workers of several factories in the Padma intersection area of Hemayetpur, Savar, started protesting after joining work and reporting for work. At one stage, the agitating workers blocked the road by taking a position at the Hemayetpur bus stand on the Dhaka-Aricha highway.
When the police tried to disperse them, the workers started throwing bricks at the police. The police fired tear gas and sound grenades to bring the situation under control. The workers retreated and took up positions in various nearby alleys. This constant chase and counter-chase spread panic throughout the area. Currently, the situation in that area is extremely tense. On the other hand, although the situation in the Ashulia industrial area was relatively calm, there was discontent within. In the morning, workers of the Ha-Meem and Sharmin groups in Ashulia stopped work and protested inside the factory. Later, authorities declared a general holiday for several factories in the area for today to avoid any untoward incident. However, traffic on the main highways in the Ashulia area is still normal. In this regard, Ashulia Assistant Commissioner (Land) Mohibullah Akon said, "No chaos was seen anywhere in Ashulia. BGB has already been deployed in the area to control the situation. However, I do not know the overall information about Hemayetpur." Law enforcement officials have informed that two BGB platoons are patrolling in Savar and Ashulia, along with additional police and industrial police, to maintain overall security in the industrial area and prevent any kind of sabotage.
