At Least 10 Injured in Savar-Ashulia Garment Workers’ Protests Over Minimum Wage Increase

Protests and clashes erupted again in the garment industrial areas of Savar and Ashulia in Dhaka on Wednesday as workers demanded an increase in the minimum wage. At least 10 people, including the officer-in-charge (OC) of Savar Model Police Station and three journalists, were injured in repeated clashes between protesters and police.

During the unrest, a group of agitated workers set fire to a police vehicle. Police fired tear gas shells and sound grenades to disperse the protesters and bring the situation under control. Ashulia Police also detained a man named Mobin on allegations of inciting the protest. Meanwhile, authorities at more than 100 factories announced closures by midday amid the unrest.

The information was confirmed on Wednesday, November 4, by Mosharraf Hossain Mia, investigation inspector at Savar Model Police Station, and Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of police of Industrial Police-1.

According to police and eyewitnesses, workers began demonstrating early in the morning, blocking the Dhaka-Aricha Highway near Padmar Mor in Hemayetpur, Savar, and in front of the Al-Muslim factory in the Ullail area. They also threw bricks and stones.

At around 10:00 am, OC Saiful Alam of Savar Model Police Station was attacked when he approached protesters at Padmar Mor in Hemayetpur in an attempt to calm the situation. He sustained serious injuries. A police vehicle was also set on fire during the incident. The injured officer was later rescued and admitted to a hospital.

Meanwhile, three journalists were attacked while covering the clashes in the area. They were Rayhan Bin Amin, Savar correspondent for 71 Television; camera operator Ujjwal Hossain; and Sohan Siraji, Savar correspondent for Star News. They were rescued and taken to a local hospital for treatment.

While the situation in Savar began to calm, tensions escalated in the Ashulia industrial zone as the day progressed. Workers had been staging demonstrations inside factories in the Narsinghpur and Nishchintapur areas since morning.

At approximately 11:20 am, clashes and chases between workers and police began when protesters attempted to take to the streets. The situation intensified along the Abdullahpur-Baipail Road, prompting police to fire tear gas shells and sound grenades to disperse the crowd.

During the unrest, Ashulia Police detained a man named Mobin on allegations of inciting the protest. Police said he had been arrested previously as well.

Regarding the overall situation, investigation inspector Mosharraf Hossain Mia said several police personnel, including the OC, were injured in attacks by workers. He said the situation in Savar had returned to normal and traffic had resumed on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway. To prevent further incidents, factories announced closures and additional law enforcement personnel were deployed across the area.

Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of Industrial Police-1, said the areas under his jurisdiction were currently calm, with no traffic obstructions. He claimed that workers had entered factories in the morning but stopped working following instigation by outsiders. Factory owners subsequently announced closures.

He added that police quickly cleared an attempted picketing along the road between the Al-Muslim factory and Padmar Mor in Savar. Dhaka District Police, Industrial Police and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) are working together to maintain order, he said.