A garment factory in Gazipur’s Sripur upazila has become the centre of unrest after the death of a female worker inside the workplace triggered protests, road blockades and vandalism across multiple nearby factories.
The incident occurred late on Wednesday night at Color & Company Limited, located in the Tepirbari area under Telihati Union. The deceased, identified as 37-year-old Liza Begum, was employed as a sewing operator at the facility. She originally hailed from Huglabania village in Nazirpur upazila of Pirojpur district and had been living in a rented house in Koraitola area of Sripur municipality for her job.
According to fellow workers, Liza had been unwell for nearly two weeks. Colleagues alleged that despite repeated requests, she was not granted leave even as her condition deteriorated. On Wednesday night, she reportedly asked her supervisor for leave once again but continued working after it was not approved. Around 12:45am, she collapsed on the factory floor. Workers later found her unresponsive.
Another employee claimed that Liza had repeatedly sought permission to rest due to her illness, but her requests were consistently denied. The allegations quickly spread among the workforce, fuelling anger and resentment inside the factory.
News of her death sparked immediate unrest. By Thursday afternoon, workers from several factories in the surrounding industrial zone, including Color & Company Limited, Triple Apparels, MSC, and Blue Planet Knitwear Limited, joined demonstrations. Protesters blocked the Baromi–Mawna regional road, bringing traffic to a standstill for hours. The situation escalated as some groups engaged in vandalism, with property damage reported at multiple factory premises.
At Triple Apparels, several vehicles parked inside the compound were damaged during the disturbances, according to accounts from the scene. Factory operations across the area were disrupted as tensions spread between workers and management.
A senior official at Color & Company Limited, Director (Operations) Md Shahidul Islam, confirmed the death of a female worker but said he was not aware whether she had formally applied for leave prior to the incident. He added that the factory had declared a one-day general closure following the unrest.
Law enforcement authorities were deployed shortly after the situation escalated. Officer-in-Charge of Sripur Police Station, Md Shahinur Alam, said police responded to reports of the incident and found that the death had triggered widespread agitation among workers in nearby factories. He acknowledged reports of vandalism and said industrial police alongside district units were working to bring the situation under control.
The unrest highlights persistent tensions in the industrial belt, where long working hours, production pressure, and allegations of inadequate workplace welfare frequently lead to disputes between labourers and factory management.
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