Staff Reporter :
At least 15 workers of a ready-made garment factory were injured in a clash with police at East Isdair of Fatullah on Sunday.
Of the injured, seven received bullet wounds when police opened fire to disperse the agitated garment workers.
They were identified as, Maroum, 20, Rozina, 22, Rehena, 25, Parvin, 20, Sheuli, 24, Rekha, 20 and Munni, 22. They were admitted to Khanpur General Hospital.
The incident took place at Jabbar Fashion, a sister concern of SB Garments, when about 400 workers were staging demonstration over their arrear salaries. President of district unit of Garment Workers Trade Union Kendra MA Shahin said: “The owner of the garment factory went into hiding locking the main gate of factory without paying salaries to the employees. The workers staged demonstration on April 16. In this situation, the factory authority earlier said that they would settle the issue on Sunday.”
“When the workers and employees started gathering in front of the factory around 8:00am as indicated the owners sent police instead of paying salaries. The police opened fire on the angry workers at one stage of the altercation,” he said.
Additional Superintendent of Industrial Police Zahirul Islam Zahir said: “The workers pelted stones on police during the clash. The police fired 10 rounds of bullet from shotgun to bring the situation under control.”
When contacted, Selim Osman, President of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association [BKMEA] told The New Nation yesterday: “The clash took place between the compliance officials and general workers. The workers of the said garment factory tried to gather more workers from other adjacent factories. Police prevented them from making any chaos.”
He said, “So far I think, this type of incident will not create any impact on the country’s image in the outer world. The authorities have already settled the issue.”
