RMG workers clash with cops over arrears

At least 20 policemen, including an assistant superintendent of police (ASP), and over 100 garment workers were injured in a series of clashes during the workers' demonstration over due salaries at Fatullah yesterday.
The injured workers include Hasina Begum, Halima Begum, Sayeda, Assia, Deham, Bazlu, Sohag, Mostafa, Tahmina any many others.
ASP Mir Touhid, ASI Amjad, Hedayet, Abul Kalam Azad and Shah Alam of Fatullah Model Police Station are a few among the injured policemen.
More than a thousand workers of Auto Textile Garments staged demonstration in front of the factory from morning demanding their two months' due wages. Clashes ensued when police tried to calm them down.
The whole area turned into a battlefield with chases and counter chases between the workers and police. The workers threw brickbats at the police and they retaliated with 10 canister of tear gas to bring the situation under control.
The agitating workers also flashed red cloth and stopped a Narayanganj bound train for half an hour at Bottola area of Fatullah.
The workers said yesterday was fixed for the salary payment but Haji Abu Saeed, owner of Auto Textile Garments, closed the factory without paying them two months' dues. They alleged that the owner took loan from bank but instead of paying their salaries he flew abroad.
Frustrated and enraged workers tried to bring out workers from about 10 other factories in nearby Bottola, Lalpur, Lamapara and Shibu Market when the police tried to tranquil them. Police resorted to truncheons to control the angry workers. The workers in retaliation surrounded them and rained brickbats on the law enforcers.
Police later took shelter into different shops and panic spread in the area.
As the news of workers' agitation spread, about 4,500 workers of Micro Fibre, Midland and Liberty Garments at Katherpool area stopped working and detained the owners and officials in their offices for five hours.
Additional police and Rab members were deployed at the site and the situation came under control around 2:30pm.
Narayanganj Police super Biswas Afzal Hossain said it was inhuman on the owner's part to leave his poor employees without paying their salaries.