Amid heavy security, apparel production in the Ashulia and Gazipur industrial belts began on Thursday after being shut down for four days.
In Ashulia, operations were suspended in the afternoon due to violence and vandalism, which resulted in at least 37 injuries, including workers, police, and passersby. Production in Gazipur was unaffected.
Workers said that despite the significant security presence, unknown miscreants stormed about 100 production units in Ashulia, causing thousands of workers to escape.
“Despite our commitment to resuming production, we were unable to continue as planned after lunch due to the workers’ violent and destructive behaviour at the factories in the Ashulia industrial belt,” said Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
He said that hundreds of thousands of workers had poured out of the factories in the afternoon, overwhelming the efforts of the Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to maintain order.
The injured at Narsinghpur area on the Baipail-Abdullahpur road were taken to the Ashulia Women and Children Hospital in Savar.
However, requesting anonymity, a worker of that group, said, “I took position on the premises to protect my factory from attack by outsiders.”
Meanwhile, the situation turned volatile as workers from a nearby factory blocked the Nabinagar-Chandra highway. Army and police later intervened, dispersing the protesters from the road.
Speaking to local media, Mohammad Sarwar Alam, superintendent of Ashulia Industrial Police-1, said as police tried to disperse the agitating mob, angry workers retaliated, leaving seven policemen injured.
He said two individuals were detained with the help of workers during the factory attack.
In Gazipur, operations at all factories resumed on Thursday as security measures were beefed up in the industrial area.
Workers were seen entering factories in groups in various industrial neighbourhoods, including Tongi, Bhogra Bypass, Mauna and Konabari.
