100 injured as workers, cops clash

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More than 100 people including nine policemen were injured as thousands of desperate workers of four laid-off jute mills in Khalishpur industrial belt clashed with police on Saturday afternoon.
A rumour that a worker had died in the police assault spread in the area, but the police denied it.
Police picked up 50 of the agitating workers for what they claimed was interrogation.
Workers of platinum, crescent, star and peoples jute mills have been agitating since April 17 demanding payment of arrears, compelling the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation to declare the mills laid-off on Thursday, rendering about 12,000 workers jobless.
Agitating workers started assembling at the gates of the laid-off mills at about 1:15pm on Saturday. At one stage they threw brick bats at the law enforcers. In retaliation police charged at the workers with truncheons.
Police also fired teargas shells and rubber bullets at the throngs of workers, injuring at least 20 of them.
At about noon, the police suspended crossing the Bhairab river to hinder workers from joining their fellows at Digholia.
Eyewitnesses said the workers reorganised and began to shower brick bats on police at about 4:00pm. Police then raided on the workers’ colonies and started beating the residents, when the entire area turned into a battlefield.
Police fired teargas shells and rubber bullets again during the repeated chases and counter-chases at five points of the belt, said eyewitness.
They said police also fired with shotguns at the workers, which the police denied.
The rumour of the death of a worker, Aslam, in police fire spread in the area, making the workers even more violent.
At least 60 workers were injured in the clashes at this time and the police arrested 50 others, police and eyewitnesses said.
The workers launched another attack with brick bats from various hiding places at about 5:45pm but no clash ensued this time.
A total of nine policemen were injured in the clashes, Nazmul Haque, Khulna Metropolitan Police commissioner, told New Age.
About 100 rounds of teargas shells and 50 rubber bullets were fired in the day as the workers violated the state of emergency, but no one was killed, Nazmul claimed.
About 500 students of schools of three of the laid-off mills also brought out a procession at about 11:00am demanding payment of due wages of their guardians. When police tried to resist them, the students began to throw brick bats at them. Police then swooped on the school-children with batons, injuring at least 20 of them.
The industrial belt witnessed an undeclared hartal on the day because of the labour unrest and clashes. Shops were closed and, except a few rickshaws, no vehicles moved in the area. Tension prevailed in the entire belt and at workers’ colonies.
Additional police forces and army troops were deployed in the area after the clashes.
Daily-basis labourers at Star Jute Mills have not been paid for the last 22 weeks and regular workers for six months, labourers at Peoples Jute Mills for 19 weeks and workers for seven months, labourers at Crescent Jute Mills for 18 weeks and workers for six months, and labourers at Platinum Jubilee Jute Mills for 17 weeks and workers for five months.
The workers of the mills launched the movement on April 17 to realise their due wages and festival allowances.

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