Severe violent clashes between ready-made garment workers and security forces across Gazipur have left at least 30 people injured, including police officers, prompting authorities to declare a holiday across roughly 60 industrial units.
The unrest erupted on Tuesday, 3 November, spanning key industrial hubs including Naojor, Bhogra, Konabari, and Chandra. Protesters demanding immediate wage hikes blocked major arterial routes, bringing vehicular transport to a complete standstill on both the Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways for over four hours. Normal traffic flow was eventually restored around 1:15 pm following extensive interventions by law enforcement.
Trouble mounted around 9:30 am when workers from Panacea Limited exited their facility in the Naojor area of Gazipur metropolis. Demonstrators established improvised barricades using bamboo poles on the western side of the Dhaka-Tangail Highway flyover, severing connectivity across both lanes.
Simultaneously, industrial operations ground to a halt at several other major facilities, including Bay Footwear in Konabari, Purbani in Mouchak, and Logos Apparels alongside ATS Apparels in Telichala. Employees walked off their shifts, taking to the thoroughfares to stage demonstrations.
In the Bhogra district along the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, groups of workers set rubber tyres ablaze directly on the tarmac. Joint contingents comprising the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Industrial Police, and local precinct officers arrived at the scene to negotiate a peaceful clearance. However, the situation rapidly degenerated when crowds hurled brickbats at law enforcement lines, injuring several officers. Security forces responded with tear gas canisters and batons to disperse the stone-throwing crowds. A similar confrontation unfolded at the Bhogra Bypass area, where police deployed tear gas to dislodge protesters who had ignited fires on the roadway.
The agitation extended to the Chandra Palli Bidyut region in Kaliakair Upazila around 12:30 pm. BGB and police units deployed sound grenades and tear gas to maintain perimeter security and disperse gatherers.
Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Amjad Hossain confirmed that security forces arrested seven individuals, identifying them as outside saboteurs rather than factory staff. Superintendent Hossain noted that at least 60 factories across the district suspended daily operations to prevent further property damage and ensure personnel safety.
Gazipur’s industrial belt has experienced escalating instability over recent days, characterized by highway blockades, vandalism, and arson attacks aimed at factory warehouses and police vehicles. Law enforcement personnel and journalists covering the events are among those injured during previous skirmishes. Additional security personnel have been stationed at vulnerable industrial junctions to prevent further outbreaks of violence.
