Readymade Garment Sector: 2 workers 'framed' in unrest fallout

Ataur Rahman and Sabuj are workers of Saybolt Tex Ltd, a garment factory in Baipail of Ashulia. On January 9, they went to work on time and returned home after their shift ended.

They made no exception in the next two days, according to family members and fellow workers.

But things changed around the midnight on January 11. The Ashulia police picked them up from their homes without showing any reason.

The two were then made accused in a case filed for vandalising machines of Mahmud Fashion Ltd, a factory 10km away from their workplace and homes. They also stood accused of assaulting officials and stealing some pants.

According to the case filed with Ashulia Police Station, the two committed the offences on January 9 though both were on duty that day as stated by their wives and other workers.  

Interestingly, complainant Md Shah Alam, senior executive (human resource and administration) of Mahmud Fashion in Baroipara, mentioned 29 named and 20 to 25 unnamed workers of his factory as the accused in the case.

Sub-inspector Md Belayet Hossain of Ashulia Police Station, who led a police team to arrest the duo from their rented houses, said workers can be made accused in any case.

“They have been shown arrested in the case involving Mahmud Fashion Ltd as per the directives of the SP [superintendent of police] and the OC [officer-in-charge].”

Though Saybolt did not file any case, it provided police with a list of criminals, he claimed. “The two have been arrested on the basis of the list.”

Asked why Sabuj and Ataur have been shown arrested in the case that mentions no one other than workers from Mahmud Fashion, Ashulia Police Station OC Rizaul Haque said, “I will not answer this question.”

Talking to The Daily Star over the phone, he also said, “We have done what seemed right after primary investigation.”  

According to the case statement, around 8:30am on January 9, the aforementioned unruly workers on second floor (sewing section) of the main production building of (Mahmud Fashion) forced other workers to stop discharging their duties.

They beat some of those who wanted to work. Four officials and staffers were also assaulted when they asked the accused about the reasons of their behaviour, it read. 

The statement also said when the line chief wanted to make the workers perform their duty, the unruly workers hit him on the head with an iron rod.  Some 28 pants worth about Tk 56,000 were stolen while some machines were vandalised.

The case was filed on January 11. Sabuj and Ataur were sent to the court the next day and the court ordered sending them to jail custody.

The Daily Star obtained a copy of the case statement.

Sabuj's wife Zahura Begum said her husband was regular at his factory. “He attended his work on January 11 as usual but police picked him up from our house at night without showing any cause.”

He was not involved in the recent garments workers' movement for wage structure reform, she claimed. 

“We are now in deep trouble,” she told The Daily Star, adding she has already spent around Tk 9,000 for securing bail for her husband, but the lawyer could not say anything about his bail.

She demanded release of her husband from the “fabricated case”.

Ataur's wife Rahima Begum said when her husband was picked up, she asked police about the reason behind this but got no reply.

Rahima said her husband worked in the factory the day he was picked up.  “Police picked him up to harass them.”

Both Zahura and Rahima said Sabuj and Ataur went to the factory on January 9. Four fellow workers of the two echoed the same.

Asked whether the duo attended work on January 9, Fazlur Rahman, deputy general manager of Saybolt Tex Ltd, yesterday said he cannot say for sure without checking. The workers enter and exit factory punching ID cards.

He also said they shut their factory from January 12 till January 16 after workers carried out vandalism and beat up a general manager, but did not file any case.

“After their arrest we came to know about it, but do not know the reason,” he told this newspaper.

A worker of Saybolt Tex, preferring anonymity, said they went for work stoppage in the factory on January 12 protesting arrest of their two colleagues. They also observed work stoppage for several days in December last year demanding changes in wage structure.

Worker leaders claim that not only these two, many others have been picked up following the recent RMG unrest.