More Than 10,000 Police Deployed in Mirpur, Situation Normal, Says DMP
More than 10,000 police personnel have been deployed to keep the law and order situation under control around the garment workers' movement in the capital's Mirpur, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Joint Commissioner Md Mahidul Islam has said.
He gave this information while talking to journalists about the overall situation in Mirpur on Wednesday (4 November).
Mahidul Islam said police have been deployed extensively at various important points including Mirpur-1, Pallabi, Rupnagar, Mirpur-12 and Kafrul Road. In all, more than 10,000 police personnel are on duty.
He said all kinds of legal action are being taken against those who, in the name of movement, are trying to destabilise the country, create public suffering, block roads, vandalise vehicles and destroy state property. Many involved in such activities have already been arrested and cases filed against them.
On the specific number of arrests, he said the operation is ongoing, so a precise figure cannot be given at this moment. However, after anyone is detained, verification is being done under the direct supervision of senior officers.
He also said innocent workers and pedestrians against whom no evidence of involvement in crime is found are being released. Police are alert so that no innocent person is harassed.
Describing the current situation in Mirpur, the official said workers had no opportunity to take to the streets on Wednesday and the situation in the area is completely normal. Many garment factory workers have returned to work and production is running in the factories.
Alongside police, the Special Response Battalion (SRB), Armed Police Battalion (APBN), DMP's Detective Branch (DB), Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit and other intelligence agencies are working jointly to maintain law and order, he said, adding that there is coordination among all units.
Addressing the workers, Mahidul Islam said a workers' wage board has already been formed to adjust workers' pay and a process to increase benefits is under way.
He said real workers never engage in destructive activities. In his words, a vested quarter is instigating workers with the aim of harming the ready-made garment sector and destabilising the country.
He also warned that those involved in setting fire to factories, vandalising vehicles and sabotage will not be spared. Protecting people's lives and property and state assets is the main responsibility of police, the official noted.
