Garment workers clash with police in Gazipur's Kaliakair over wage rise demand, sound grenades fired

Garment workers protesting for a wage increase have clashed with police in Kaliakair upazila of Gazipur after blocking the Dhaka-Tangail highway. The situation developed on Saturday (October 31) afternoon in the Palli Bidyut area of the upazila.

Eyewitnesses said workers from several factories took position on the Dhaka-Tangail highway after midday and began demonstrating to demand higher wages. Traffic on both sides of the highway was disrupted.

Thousands of passengers and drivers were stranded because of the blockade. Severe congestion built up on the highway and ordinary people suffered greatly.

Police tried to move the workers off the highway to restore normalcy. The workers refused to lift the blockade, and tension spread between the two sides at one stage.

Later, a section of the workers set fires on the highway and threw brickbats at police. A clash situation developed at that point.

To bring the situation under control, police fired sound grenades to try to disperse the protesters. A tense atmosphere was prevailing in the area.

Traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail highway could not return to normal because of the workers' blockade.

To avoid labour unrest and possible disorder, the authorities declared a holiday at 18 nearby industrial factories.