34 Platoons of BGB Deployed in Industrial Areas, Traffic Back to Normal in Gazipur After Two-Hour Blockade

To strengthen security in industrial areas and keep the law-and-order situation normal, 34 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed in various important areas of Dhaka, Gazipur and Narayanganj. The BGB gave this information in a press release on Saturday (14 November). BGB public relations officer Md Sharif ul Islam confirmed the matter in a message.

The BGB said its members are on maximum alert in the field to immediately prevent any kind of unpleasant or unstable situation.

BGB members are performing duties in the industrial areas of Savar, Ashulia, Hemayetpur, Jirani and Jamgara under Dhaka district.

Security activities have been strengthened in Narayanganj district's Shibu Market, Katharpul, Jalkuri, BSCIC industrial city, Chashara, Kanchpur and Shimrail areas.

In Gazipur district, the BGB is deployed in every sensitive factory-dense area including Chandra, Palli Bidyut, Mouchak, Ambag Kata, Bhogra Bypass, Gacha, Salna, Naojor and Kashimpur.

The BGB said its members are performing security duties in close coordination with the local civil administration and other law-enforcement agencies.

A technology-based surveillance system has been kept running at BGB headquarters for round-the-clock observation and coordination of field activities. From the central monitoring cell at BGB headquarters, live video footage collected through drones, patrol members' body-worn cameras and advanced devices is being monitored around the clock to control field activities.

On the morning of the same day as this deployment, a tense situation arose over a workers' protest in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area of Kaliakair upazila in Gazipur. According to police and local residents, at around 9:45am on Saturday, workers from 8 to 10 factories in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area joined work. After marking their attendance, they then came out of the factories.

A rumour had spread that a female worker of the Apex factory, who was injured during a workers' movement a few days earlier, had died. Over this rumour and a demand for a wage increase, the workers began protesting. At one stage they blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway. Traffic stopped, a long tailback formed and ordinary passengers suffered.

On receiving the news, police and BGB went to the spot and tried to persuade the workers to leave the highway. At that time the workers became agitated and threw bricks at the police. Later, to reduce the suffering of ordinary people and bring the situation under control, police fired tear shells and sound grenades to disperse the workers.

At one stage, after the workers left the highway, the situation became normal at around 11:30am on Saturday. At the same time, traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail highway also returned to normal.

Md Amjad Hossain, Superintendent of Police of Gazipur Industrial Area-2, said workers from 8 to 10 factories in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area marked their attendance, came out of the factories and began protesting by blocking the Dhaka-Tangail highway. At first, attempts were made to persuade them to leave the highway. At that time the workers became agitated and threw bricks at the police. Later, tear shells and sound grenades were fired to bring the situation under control. After that, the situation became normal.

The BGB said this surveillance activity will continue to keep the overall situation in the industrial areas normal and to ensure security.