Protesting worker dies running from police in Savar

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A female worker died after hitting her head on an electric pole Sunday, while running away after police intervened at a laid off workers’ protest with tear gas in the Ashulia area of Savar.

The deceased was identified as Jasmine, a sewing operator of Gold Tex Factory in Savar EPZ.

Around 7am, workers of Lenny Fashion Factory in Dhaka EPZ blocked the road near New EPZ area on Nabinagar-Chandra highway, demanding payment of their arrears since January.

Five of the workers got injured after police intervened to quell the protest, and Jasmine succumbed to her injuries on the way to hospital, said the protestors.

The incident happened as workers started running helter-skelter following the police’s intervention with rubber bullets and tear gas, they said.

Superintendent of Industrial Police-1 Md Asaduzzaman said they had to use water cannons to scatter hundreds of workers who were demonstrating and blocking the road for hours, paying no heed to any request to relent.

The protesting workers said the Indian owner of their factory has not visited amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and on February 8 the two factories owned by him were closed, without payment of two months’ wages and provident funds for some 600 workers.

Having not received their dues in over four months, the workers were left with no option but to take to the streets in protest.

Source: United News of Bangladesh