Amid clashes in Kaliakair, a mother runs clutching her child to her chest — the photo goes viral
A photograph of a mother running for safe shelter with her child clutched to her chest on the Dhaka-Tangail highway in Kaliakair, Gazipur, on Monday afternoon (2 November) has spread on social media and gone viral.
The photograph was taken in the Kaliakair area, where garment workers have been protesting for several days demanding a minimum wage of 30,000 taka. That day the highway saw a blockade, protests and brick-throwing, and a confrontation developed with law enforcement; tension and panic were all around.
In that situation, the mother was returning home with her child from school. On one side of the highway, a section of the workers was throwing bricks at law enforcement personnel.
In the photograph, the mother holds her child's head with one hand and clutches the child tightly to her chest. A schoolbag hangs on the mother's back; the child in her arms is wearing a school uniform.
Who took the photograph is not known. After it spread on social media, many praised the mother for shielding her child and running through the situation.
The Kaliakair scene unfolded during the ongoing wage movement in Gazipur's industrial belt. The workers' demand is a minimum wage of 30,000 taka, and the protest has been running for several days, according to the account of the incident.
