Over the past few days, tensions in the Gazipur region have sharply increased, leading to violent fights and the destruction of a local clothing business. The announcement of Doreen Fashion Limited’s indefinite closure, which employees learnt of Monday morning, set off the uproar.
After a partial holiday was declared for the factory on Sunday due to continuous protests at the neighbouring Beximco factory, things started to become worse. Doreen Fashion employees protested the closure by blocking the Chandra-Nabinagar road at Jirani Bazar and calling for the reopening of their place of employment. To further increase the tension, Beximco workers also took part in road blockades in the same spot at the same time.
Around 11:30 AM, the demonstrations descended into violence when clashes between locals and workers occurred, leaving several people hurt. In Savar’s Ashulia neighbourhood, angry employees are said to have set fire to Amazon Knitwear Garments in a risky escalation. The Kashimpur Fire Service’s in-charge, Ariful Islam, stated that firefighters encountered formidable obstacles in containing the fire, which started just after 11:40 AM.
To stop more violence and maintain safety in the area, local authorities declared holidays for 20 nearby enterprises as a result of the mayhem. In response to the situation, Gazipur Industrial Police-2 Superintendent of Police Muhammad Sarwar Alam said, “Beximco employees are refusing to leave the road till their problems are resolved and are demanding unpaid salaries. Operations in neighbouring factories have been halted for safety reasons.
Authorities are making every effort to restore order and stop the violence from getting worse, but the turmoil in Gazipur is still interfering with day-to-day activities.
