RMG workers clash with cops: 60 hurt

Another round of violent clashes between garment workers and law enforcers in Gazipur and Savar left 60 more workers and 10 police injured yesterday.
In Savar several thousand workers of a garment factory of Biswas group poured out on Dhaka-Aricha highway at Rajfulbaria demanding two months' back pay, and kept the busy highway blocked for three hours leaving several thousand vehicles stranded.
Police had to fire around 30 rounds of teargas shells and over 100 rubber bullets in Konabari of Gazipur to quell the workers who were demonstrating against sacking of their co-workers from a factory of Standard Garments, and following a rumour about the death of another.
During the clashes raging garment workers smashed at least 20 vehicles in Savar and Konabari.
Police said several thousand workers of Standard Garments were observing an abstention from work and were demonstrating in front of the factory at noon against firing of their 18 colleagues on Friday.
A fierce battle between the workers and police erupted as the demonstrators barricaded Gazipur-Tangail road prompting police to try refraining them from halting traffic.
In another incident, workers of Diganta Sweater Factory in Naujor area of Gazipur Sadar went on a rampage in the afternoon following a rumour about one of their colleagues' death in the factory.
Police said the workers became furious as the rumour spread, and ransacked some machines and vehicles kept in front of the factory.
They also barricaded Gazipur-Tangail road for an hour and damaged around 10 vehicles.
As police rushed to the area to bring the situation under control a fierce clash broke out between the demonstrating workers and the law enforcers.
Officer-in-charge (OC) of Joydebpur Police Station Abdur Rashid said they fired around 30 teargas shells and 100 rounds of rubber bullets.
He also said 18 police including two sub-inspectors were injured from brickbats the workers were raining on them during the melee. The injured were treated in a local clinic.
The OC said they managed to bring the situation under control around 4:00pm.
Police, army, and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) were later deployed in the areas to fend off further flare-ups.
Meanwhile, about 30 people were injured in a clash between police and workers of a garment factory of Biswas group in Savar after the workers blockaded the Dhaka-Aricha Highway for three hours demanding payment of two months' arrears.
The agitating workers damaged around 10 to 12 vehicles.
Several hundred vehicles remained stranded on both sides of the road due to the blockade.
Witnesses said about 8,000 workers gathered at the factory at around 1:00pm. They started vandalising the factory after receiving the news that the factory had been closed for a month.
Later, they took to the street and blockaded the Dhaka-Aricha Highway.
On information, police rushed to the spot and asked the workers to withdraw the blockade. But the workers paid no heed to them. Later, police charged baton on the workers, who pelted the law enforcers with brickbats.
The workers withdrew the blockade at around 4:30pm.
Later, Rab and army personnel held talks with the factory owners about the payment of workers' arrears.
Police said the factory workers had been staging demonstrations for the last few days demanding payment of arrears. Although the factory owners assured them of paying arrears on several occasions, they did not keep their words.