Dhaka, Sep 2 (IANS) At least one worker was killed and 10 others injured on Tuesday when clashes broke out between workers and law enforcement personnel in northern Bangladesh, amid protests against factory closure and layoffs.
The workers gathered in the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in the Nilphamari district of the Rangpur Division, during which they clashed with the security officials, local media reported.
The deceased, identified as 20-year-old Habibur Rahman, worked at a knitting factory named Eku International, reports leading Bangladeshi daily, Prothom Alo.
“Habibur was on night duty at his factory. After finishing work this morning, he was shot and killed while leaving the EPZ,” the victim’s elder brother, Ashiqur Rahman, said.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Nilphamari Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) MR Sayeed said, “We are still on the road. We are hearing from people that one person has died. I cannot say for sure whether anyone has died or not.”
Reports suggest that the injured workers were transported to Nilphamari General Hospital.
According to Farhan Tanvirul Islam, a doctor at the hospital’s emergency department, Habibur was brought dead to the hospital on Tuesday morning, and six people who sustained injuries have also been admitted to the hospital.
Reports suggest that 51 workers were recently laid off from the factory Evergreen, sparking outrage among employees.
As tensions ran high, management issued a notice declaring the factory closure for an indefinite period, starting on Tuesday, without clearing the workers’ salaries and allowances.
On Tuesday morning, as the workers arrived for duty, they found the notice at the gate and were denied entry. Immediately, in protest, they gathered on the road in front of the EPZ, bringing traffic on the Nilphamari-Saidpur highway to a halt.
Army and police members arrived at the spot to disperse them, but the agitated workers reportedly attacked them, triggering a clash between the two sides.
The closure of many factories across Bangladesh has triggered continuous protests in which many workers have either lost their lives or been seriously injured.
Recently, Awami League also highlighted that over the past year, more than 500 factories across the country have shut down, resulting in nearly 120,000 workers being pushed towards unemployment, while many, after desperate job hunts, were left with no choice but to return to their villages empty-handed.
Last month, hundreds of ready-made garment (RMG) workers staged a protest at the Dhaka–Mymensingh Highway in Gazipur district, blocking the roads and demanding the reopening of closed factories and immediate payment of their pending wages.
Protests and strikes by workers over non-payment of dues and deteriorating working conditions have gripped the entire country since the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus came to power in August 2024.
–IANS
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