RMG workers again fight with cops at Mirpur: 100 hurt

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The Mirpur area of the capital turned into a virtual battlefield yesterday afternoon as several thousand garment factory workers locked into a fierce clash with police.

More than 100 people including 50 workers and 20 police personnel suffered injuries during the clash that started at around 5:30pm and continued till 9:00pm.

Police lobbed at least 25 teargas shells and fired rubber bullets at the agitating workers who retorted with pelting brickbats at the law enforcers.

Commuters going home suffered the most as vehicular traffic to and from Mirpur ground to a standstill.

The clash ensued when police clubbed the workers of MBM Garments at around 5:30pm. The workers of MBM were demonstrating on the street in Mirpur Section 13 with an eight-point demand that included pay raise.

As tension mounted at MBM, authorities of around 20 other nearby readymade garment (RMG) units shut down operation at their factories in apprehension of labour unrest.

At that time rumours were spilled out to the RMG workers that two of their fellow workers including a female one were beaten to death inside Opex Style Wears Ltd by hired goons of the factory owner and their bodies were dumped inside the factory.

As the rumours spread to the workers of other factories like wildfire, they joined in violent demonstrations with the workers who were already on the street. They rained brickbats on the police and garment factories, damaging several RMG units.

Police at that time swooped on the agitating workers, charging baton and firing teargas shells and rubber bullets, witnesses said.

Soon the clash spread to the road stretching from Mirpur Section 10 roundabout to Kanchukhet and all its alley ways, turning most part of Mirpur into a combat zone.

Police were seen retreating several times in the face of attacks of the violently advancing workers. Several journalists on professional duty were beaten by police during this.

At around 8:00pm, the police along with six worker representatives entered Opex Style Wears Ltd to find out whether two workers were really killed inside the factory.

The six workers and the police came out of the building around half an hour later finding no dead body.

However, the situation turned volatile once again and the workers started attacking the police and vandalising the factories as it was spread that the six workers who entered Opex were agents of the factory owner.

Earlier on Sunday, the police beat up a group of RMG workers in the city’s Sheorapara area after the workers blockaded the busy Rokeya Sarani for their demands and vandalised several vehicles.

Yesterday’s agitation is fourth such incident in the area since January 2. Earlier, workers of SQ Sweater Ltd staged demonstrations on January 2 and 3 while workers of three other factories of the same group of companies barricaded Rokeya Sarani on Saturday in support of similar demands.

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