At least 5 workers were injured, 3 of them sustaining gunshot wounds, following a clash between garment workers and law enforcement in Savar, Dhaka.
The incident took place on Wednesday (23 October), at around 11am in the Banglabazar area along the Norshinghpur-Kashimpur Road, Ashulia. T
he injured individuals have been admitted to a local hospital for treatment.
Although police acknowledged the worker unrest, they denied that anyone was shot.
The workers wounded by gunfire were identified as Halima Khatun, employed at Susuka Garments, and Babita Akhter, Morsheda Khatun, and Champa Khatun, all workers of Generation Next Garments.
According to the workers, employees of Generation Next had not received their wages for the past three months.
On Wednesday morning, the workers gathered in front of the factory, demanding their overdue salaries and the reopening of the closed facility. The protest quickly spread, as workers from Generation Next moved to neighbouring factories, including Sigma Apparels, D-Sun, Susuka, G-Max, and Shinshin Garments, urging others to join the demonstration.
When protesters attempted to block the road, law enforcement intervened, leading to the clash.
Enraged workers began throwing bricks and stones at the law enforcement officers, who in turn fired shots, resulting in the gunshot injuries to three workers. At least two other workers were injured during the chaos.
HM Asaf Uddoula Rizvi, assistant manager of the Women and Children’s Hospital, confirmed the arrival of four injured individuals at the hospital, three of whom had sustained gunshot wounds.
"One other worker has a lower abdominal injury, but we are not yet certain whether it was caused by a bullet," he added.
An official from the Ashulia Industrial Police-1, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that Generation Next workers had been protesting for several days over unpaid wages. On Wednesday morning, the protesting workers began throwing bricks at neighbouring factories, compelling workers to join them. In response, law enforcement used sound grenades and tear gas to disperse the crowd. "No one was shot," the official claimed, adding that the situation had since stabilised.
Efforts to reach the Superintendent of Police for Industrial Police-1 Sarwar Alam were unsuccessful as repeated phone calls went unanswered.
Earlier in the week, workers from Generation Next had blocked the Nabinagar-Chandra Highway at Baipail intersection from 9am on Monday to 4:45pm on Tuesday, demanding their unpaid salaries.
They were eventually dispersed by the use of water cannons. In their retreat, the protesters vandalised more than 50 vehicles.
