Army-police joint operation underway to quell unrest in industrial areas

A joint operation involving the Bangladesh Army, local police, and Industrial Police has commenced since early today in the garment industrial zones of Dhaka and Gazipur.
This move is aimed at preventing further unrest that has been escalating in the industrial areas of Savar, Ashulia, and Gazipur.
Mahmud Naser Jhony, additional superintendent of police of Ashulia Industrial police-1, confirmed The Daily Star that the joint drive started since early hours of today.

No arrest has been made and no workers’ gathering was reported so far, he said around 11:00am.
The police official further said several factories have resumed operations but many workers were seen returning home as they found their workplaces closed.
Our photojournalist from Ashulia reported that around 8:00am, a group of workers attempted to gather in front of a factory in Jamgora area of Ashulia. A patrol team from the Bangladesh Army reached the scene and asked the workers to leave the road and keep the roads clear.

The army officers assured the workers that they would soon have the opportunity to discuss their demands with the factory authorities. They also urged the workers not to cause any inconvenience to the public, the photojournalist said.
Meanwhile, our Savar correspondent estimated that 50 percent factories in Jamgora, DEPZ, Baipail, and the Abdullahpur-Ashulia road areas are currently closed following workers’ unrest.
Our Gazipur correspondent reported that some job-seekers around 8:30am took position on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, halting vehicular movement on both sides of the road, said Gazipur Traffic Police Inspector Al Mamun.
Demanding “proportional” hiring of men and women by the factories, the demonstrators also hurled brick chunks on the nearby factories for a while.
Being informed, army and Border Guard Bangladesh members rushed to the spot and dispersed the protesters. Traffic movement returned to normalcy after around an hour, the police official said.
Workers, particularly from the readymade garment and pharmaceutical sectors, had been intensifying their protests.
In response, the government has instructed the joint forces to take action against those instigating the disturbances.Garment exporters yesterday met with Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury and Labour and Employment Adviser Asif Mahmud to discuss the overall situation.
“Our workers do not have any problems. A vested group is trying to create an unstable situation in the industrial area,” BGMEA President Khandoker Rafiqul Islam told The Daily Star over the phone after the meeting.
Quoting the home adviser, he said the army, industrial police and some law enforcement agencies will conduct a joint operation in Savar, Ashulia and Gazipur.