A clash between police and garment workers left at least 50 workers and law enforcers injured at Tongi in Gazipur on Monday.
The cash ensued in Millgate area at about 11:00 am when several hundred workers of Denim Garments, a sister concern of Ha-Meem Group, staged a demonstration there demanding a ten-day Eid holiday.
Of the injured workers, eight sustained bullet injuries who were admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), confirmed Inspector Bachchu Mia, who is in charge of the hospital police outpost.
The injured are Jahid Hossain, 26, Imran, 19, Mohammad Hasan, 26, Rabiul Mia, 22, Roni Islam, 23, Mohammad Mamun, 25, Mohammad Rubel, 22, and Sohel, 22.
Rabiul Mia, an injured worker, said that they demanded a ten-day holiday in the morning.
At that time, a huge number of policemen gathered outside the factory. Suddenly, a policeman baton-charged a worker in the head when he stepped out of the factory, he said.
Hearing this, a number of workers rushed to the spot and asked the policemen why they attacked the worker. At one stage, policemen began to hit workers to break up the crowd and fired rubber bullets at them, he said.
“Seven workers and I have been admitted to DMCH while many others have been admitted to Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital,” he said.
Jalal Uddin, additional superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police (Zone-2), said that the workers of Denim Garments vandalised the factory during the protest and took to the street.When police tried to remove them from the highway, they hurled brick chips and stones at the lawmen, prompting them to lob tear gas canisters and fire rubber bullets to bring the situation under control, he said.
Parves Hossain, resident surgeon of Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital, said that they provided treatment to 20 injured workers and a policeman.
In the meantime, the workers of Star Link Design at Biswaspara in Kaliakair Upazila demonstrated demanding a twelve-day holiday.
Later, the workers returned to work as the authorities of the factory announced a ten-day holiday.
