Gazipur Garment Workers' Movement: Highway Normal on Tuesday as Deployment Rises to 11 BGB Platoons and 25 Magistrates

Amid the ongoing movement by garment factory workers in Gazipur over wage increases and other demands, the number of BGB personnel and executive magistrates deployed to maintain law and order has been increased. Deployment has been raised from 10 platoons to 11 platoons of BGB on Tuesday. The number of executive magistrates has also been increased from 21 to 25.

Md Arif Hossain, assistant commissioner for media and research cell at the Gazipur Deputy Commissioner's office, confirmed the information on Tuesday morning. He said the extra deployment was made in view of the ongoing workers' protests in the Gazipur industrial area. Law enforcement agencies are working so that state property and people's lives and property are not harmed in the name of the movement, he said, adding that BGB members have already taken positions in the field and members of other forces are also ready.

At around 8:30am on Tuesday, workers tried to block the highway in Gazipur's Mouchak area. Law enforcement personnel did not let them come onto the road. Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Mohammad Amjad Hossain said workers tried to block the Dhaka-Tangail highway in the Mouchak area a little before 8am, personnel moved them away, and traffic on the highway is now normal.

After several consecutive days of workers' protests and road blockades, a normal environment also returned to the Dhaka-Tangail highway in Gazipur from Tuesday morning. There was no protest or blockade by workers anywhere on the highway in the morning, and local and long-distance vehicles moved normally. Visiting the Chandra, Pallibidyut, Safipur and Mouchak areas of the highway in the morning, no gathering or protest by workers was seen.

Many garment factories in the industrial area declared a general holiday on Tuesday to avoid fresh disorder. With the factories closed, workers stayed at their homes and were not seen on the roads as in previous days. Workers were also seen entering some industrial factories in groups.

Earlier, over the past several days, workers from various factories in Gazipur blocked the Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways and protested, demanding a wage increase. During that time, agitated workers set fire to a police box, a police vehicle and a factory warehouse. Workers and law enforcement personnel were injured in repeated clashes, several people were detained over the incidents, and authorities declared holidays at several factories because of the movement.

In Kaliakair, garment workers blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway demanding a minimum wage of 30,000 taka. At least 30 people, including BGB members and journalists, were injured in vehicle vandalism and clashes with law enforcement. Ten platoons of BGB had been deployed then to control the situation.

Leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliated organisations were seen positioned at several important points of the highway on Tuesday.

A garment worker named Ataur said: We live by working. If wages are not increased, it is hard to run a family. But we are not in favour of vandalism. I cannot understand why someone sets fire when agitated. Today our factory is on holiday. So none of us went to the road.

Kaliakair Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shahidul Islam said traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail highway has been normal since morning, no position or protest by workers has been seen, and police are on alert so that no miscreant can enter among the workers and destabilise the situation.

In Kaliakair, Gazipur, the municipality and upazila administration have issued a public notice warning house and flat owners to prevent the entry of outsiders and possible sabotage centred on the workers' movement. Owners have been instructed to inform the police or administration if an outsider or a member of a criminal gang is staying at a tenant's home.