Garment workers in Gazipur staged fresh demonstrations on Sunday, demanding that the minimum monthly wage be raised to Tk 30,000. The protests, which spread across several industrial areas from the morning, brought traffic on the Dhaka–Tangail Highway to a complete standstill. A police box in Konabari was also set on fire during the unrest. In response to the deteriorating situation, five platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel were deployed to help maintain law and order.
The demonstrations began early on Sunday at several locations in Kaliakair Upazila, including Safipur Bazar, Chandra Palli Bidyut, Mouchak and Telichala. Workers took to the streets, blocked roads and chanted slogans demanding higher wages. Their actions quickly disrupted traffic along one of the region’s important transport routes.
Shahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Kaliakair Police Station, said workers had occupied sections of the highway since the morning, preventing vehicles from moving along the road.
Gazipur Deputy Commissioner Md Nurul Karim Bhuiyan confirmed that five platoons of BGB personnel had been deployed in view of the prevailing situation. He said the number of deployed personnel could be increased if necessary.
According to garment workers and police sources, demonstrations over wage increases have continued in different parts of Gazipur for nearly two weeks. The latest unrest follows another prolonged blockade on Saturday, when workers occupied sections of the highway near Chandra Palli Bidyut and Gate No. 3 of the Ansar Academy in Kaliakair.
The blockade continued until around 8.30pm on Saturday. Police subsequently fired tear gas shells and used batons to disperse the demonstrators. Traffic on the highway returned to normal after approximately five hours of disruption.
However, tensions resurfaced on Sunday morning. Workers from several factories, including Karni Knit Composite and Knit Asia in the Ratanpur area of Kaliakair, did not begin their regular duties. After marking their attendance at the factories, they joined the demonstrations and gathered on the highway near Safipur Bazar.
The protests prompted several nearby garment factories to announce temporary closures, as the unrest affected normal operations across the industrial area.
As the demonstrations intensified, hundreds of workers carrying sticks and other objects took positions at different points along the highway. Their presence completely halted traffic on the Dhaka–Tangail route, leaving commuters and passengers stranded. The disruption caused considerable inconvenience to people travelling along the busy corridor, which connects Dhaka with several northern and western districts.
A separate incident of arson was reported in the Konabari area of Gazipur metropolitan city. Protesters set fire to a police box situated in the middle of the highway. They also removed equipment and other belongings from inside the structure and set those items alight, according to Iftekhar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Konabari Police Station.
The continuing demonstrations reflect growing unrest among garment workers over their demand for a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000. The situation has now developed into a significant challenge for local authorities, with repeated road blockades, clashes with police and damage to public property disrupting daily life and industrial activities.
The deployment of BGB personnel is intended to help bring the situation under control. However, with workers continuing to press their wage demands, uncertainty remains over when normal traffic and factory operations will fully resume across the affected areas.
