Around 100 Garment Factories Closed in Savar-Ashulia; Industrial Police Cite Instigation by Outsiders
Around 100 garment factories are closed amid labour unrest in the Savar and Ashulia industrial belt of Dhaka.
Production started at the factories in the morning, but later, at the instigation of outsiders, workers stopped work and stayed inside the factories.
As work remained stopped for a long time, the factory authorities gave the workers leave. The workers then gradually left the factories.
Industrial Police Superintendent (SP) Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiya told reporters these things at Nishchintapur in Ashulia on Wednesday (4 November) noon.
He said the situation in all areas under Industrial Police-1 Dhaka is normal at this moment. There is no obstacle to traffic anywhere, and the environment in the garment areas is also calm.
Saying that work had started at all garment factories this morning, he said the workers had also joined work. Later, at the instigation of some outsiders who came from other areas, the workers stopped work and stayed inside the factories.
On the attempt to block a road, the police official said workers tried to create an obstruction on the road from the Al Muslim factory to Padmar Mor in the Savar area today. However, the obstruction was removed in the quickest possible time.
Mentioning the coordinated work of law enforcement agencies to control the situation, SP Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiya said Dhaka District Police and Industrial Police are working together. Alongside, BGB was also deployed today to control the situation.
Giving information about the detention of one person during picketing, he said one person was detained in this area over throwing brickbats at police during picketing. He has been taken to Ashulia police station for questioning, and verification about him is under way.
On the factory closures, he said the situation was quite good in the morning, activities were going on at the factories and production was normal. However, around 100 factories are closed at this moment, and this area has been comparatively more affected.
He added that no violence or vandalism took place anywhere in this area. The factories have been kept closed because the workers are not working, and the situation is normal.
Asked about an incident of setting fire, the police official said he had gone there and made inquiries. To his knowledge, saboteurs carried out the incident. He has no detailed information on the matter. However, he has spoken to the concerned Dhaka District Police officials — they said the person concerned is safe and suffered no harm.
