Rana Plaza victims demonstrate, clash with police

The victims of the Rana Plaza collapse and their families clashed with law enforcers as they tried to demonstrate in front of the ruined building site in Savar yesterday to demand maximum compensation for all the victims and the family members of the deceased and missing workers.
About 600 people gathered in front of the Rana Plaza site temporarily blocking the Dhaka-Aricha highway, with a six-point demand, which also includes a complete list of the missing people, workplace safety, and punishment for all those responsible for the collapse.
The nine-storey Rana Plaza housing five garment factories crumbled on April 24, killing 1,131 people so far.
Lata Begum, a protester whose waist bone was fractured in the April 24 disaster, said, “I went there around 10:30am and saw police asking them [workers] to leave the place. But they moved to one side of the road and continued with the protest. The road was free on the other side.”
She said that at one point, she saw a group of men with sticks approaching the workers aggressively while police stood and watched. “That's when the workers started throwing bricks, and police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.”
Rafiqul Islam Sujan, president of Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation and secretary of Bangladesh Workers' Party, Savar Upazila, alleged, “About 12-13 local Chhatra League activists chased the workers with sticks.”
Officer-in-charge of Savar Model Police Station Mostafa Kamal however refuted the allegation.
He said, “The workers blocked Dhaka-Aricha highway for about one and half hours, demanding punishment for Sohel Rana, who has already been arrested.”
He claimed that the workers broke several vehicles and threw bricks at law enforcers. “Police used tear gas and fired rubber bullets to break up the agitated workers.”
The OC said some policemen suffered minor injuries but no workers were hurt.
The situation was brought under control around 12:00pm.