Violent clashes erupted across the key industrial hubs of Savar and Ashulia on Wednesday, leaving at least fifty people injured, including senior police officers, garment workers, and five journalists. The violence broke out on the fifth consecutive day of labor unrest, driven by demands from apparel workers for a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka and an immediate end to the blacklisting of agitators. The deteriorating security situation prompted authorities to deploy three platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to reinforce law enforcement efforts.
Trouble began early in the morning, around 8:15 am, when workers gathered outside the Standard Group facility at Padma Junction in Hemayetpur. Simultaneously, employees assembled in front of the Al-Muslim Group complex in the Ulail area of Savar. Demonstrators soon spilt onto the vital Dhaka-Aricha Highway, erecting blockades that completely halted regional traffic. When police attempted to clear the arterial road, confrontations escalated into prolonged pitched battles and chases. Protesters pelted law enforcement personnel with bricks and stones, prompting officers to respond with tear gas canisters, sound grenades, and rubber bullets.
By mid-morning, the chaos intensified significantly along the Hemayetpur-Singair road. At approximately 10:30 am, an angry crowd set fire to a police vehicle, severely injuring Saiful Alam, the Officer-in-Charge of Savar Model Police Station. The ongoing violence also targeted media personnel covering the crisis. Five journalists—Ahmad Sohan Shiraji of Star News, Rayan Bin Amin and cameraman Md Uzzal Hossain of Ekattor Television, alongside reporter Nazmul Huda and cameraman Imdad Hossain of News 24—were assaulted. Masked assailants attacked the press crew with sticks and bricks shortly after they recorded interviews and gathered footage, forcing nearby bystanders to intervene to rescue them.
Unrest simultaneously spread throughout the neighbouring manufacturing hubs of Nishchintapur and Narsinghpur in Ashulia. Although workers initially reported for duty at major apparel units—including Ha-Meem Group, Sharmin Group, and New Age—work stoppages quickly took hold inside the factories. Management teams across the region subsequently declared a general holiday, sending thousands of workers into the streets. Protesters attempted to blockade the Abdullahpur-Bypaile road before police dispersed the crowds. According to local administrative records, workers from 173 factories participated in the agitation, culminating in the closure of more than one hundred garment units across Savar and Ashulia.
High-ranking security officials confirmed that joint forces eventually restored order by early afternoon. Lieutenant Colonel Taimun, Commander of the BGB Dhaka Battalion, confirmed the active deployment of border guards across sensitive locations to curb further disruption. Dhaka District Superintendent of Police Shamima Parveen stated that an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 workers had converged from multiple directions near Padma Junction, triggering the aggressive assault on police. Police Superintendent Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan of Industrial Police-1 noted that while operations began normally in the morning, external instigation led workers to halt production, forcing management to shut down facilities for the day. Traffic flow along the main highways has since returned to normal under heavy police surveillance.
