Gazipur workers protest over colleague's death, police use tear gas

Industrial unrest flared in Gazipur on Wednesday (November 4) morning as garment workers staged a protest procession over the death of a fellow worker, prompting law enforcement to fire tear gas shells and sound grenades to disperse the crowd.

The incident occurred around 9:45AM in front of the Appilion Garments plant in the Banglabazar area along the Rajendrapur-Banglabazar road under Gazipur Sadar Upazila.

According to eyewitnesses and workers, employees of Laila Styles Limited initially brought out a procession to protest the death of a co-worker, identified as Taufiq. Workers from several nearby factories subsequently joined the demonstration.

Tension mounted when the marching workers encountered an opposing group of outsiders, leading to a tense standoff. As the situation escalated, law enforcement personnel deployed to the scene fired sound grenades and tear gas canisters, causing the protesters to scatter.

Demonstrators alleged that several workers sustained injuries during attacks by the outside group, with a number of the injured subsequently rescued and sent to local hospitals for medical attention.

Monowar Hossain, a worker at Laila Styles Limited, said, "Our colleague died yesterday, and workers brought out a procession to protest his death. Outsiders obstructed our rally, detained several of our workers, and assaulted them."

Another worker, Monira, questioned the presence of external individuals during an internal labor matter, alleging that police intervention with tear gas exacerbated the situation and left several workers unwell.

Addressing the incident, Sreepur Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Nahid Niaz Shishir confirmed that security forces dispersed the assembled workers, though he noted he was unaware of any injuries resulting from physical assaults.

-EM