Traffic back to normal on Dhaka-Tangail highway after six hours of blockade and clashes in Gazipur

Traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail highway returned to normal after nearly six hours of road blockade by garment workers and clashes with police in Kaliakair, Gazipur. Vehicles began moving normally again after 8pm on Saturday (31 October).

Workers from several garment factories demonstrated demanding a minimum wage of 30,000 taka. From Saturday noon, workers from factories in Safipur, Pallibidyut, Harinhati and nearby areas of Kaliakair upazila took position on the road demanding higher pay.

At one stage the workers blocked different parts of the Dhaka-Tangail highway, bringing traffic on both sides to a halt.

In the afternoon tension rose between the workers and police. Police repeatedly asked the workers to leave the road to bring the situation under control. When the workers stayed, police tried to move them away. The workers then threw brickbats at police. Fires were also set on the road and vehicles were vandalised.

Police fired tear shells and sound grenades to control the situation. Tension spread at the scene and the workers moved away in different directions.

The protest severely disrupted traffic over about 15 kilometres of the Dhaka-Tangail highway. Passengers and transport workers suffered while stuck on the road for a long time.

Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Mohammad Amjad Hossain said the workers were protesting with fires lit at several points of the highway. Efforts were made to calm them through discussion. But as tension spread, sound grenades were used to control the situation and ensure the safety of life and property, he said.

The police superintendent also said at least 20 factories from Chandra to Konabari declared a holiday because of the worker unrest. Additional police were deployed at important points of the highway to ensure security. Once the situation was brought under control, traffic on the highway returned to normal after 8pm.