Dhaka, Nov 10 — At least two garment workers were injured in clashes with police in Dhaka’s Ashulia on Tuesday as protests demanding higher minimum wages resumed in Bangladesh after a break of several days, local media reported.
Workers blocked a road in the Jamgora area, prompting police to fire tear gas shells and sound grenades to disperse them, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
“At around 10:30 am, workers blocked the road in the Jamgora area of the Baipail-Abdullahpur Road and began demonstrating. Police initially tried to persuade them to leave the road, but the protesters began throwing bricks and stones at police, triggering clashes and chases between the two sides,” the report said.
The injured were identified as Alamgir Hossain and Rafia Begum, both employees of Sterling Style. Hospital authorities said the workers had sustained rubber bullet injuries, though it could not be independently verified whether police had actually fired rubber bullets.
Rafia Begum, who sustained a head injury, was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, while Alamgir received primary treatment and returned home, Harun-or-Rashid, operations manager of Ashulia Women and Children Hospital, told the Dhaka Tribune.
Several platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed in the industrial area, alongside additional police personnel stationed in front of factories and at key locations to prevent further unrest.
“Separately, authorities have announced the indefinite closure of all factories operated by New Age Group in Ashulia from November 10, 2026, under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, citing the ongoing labour unrest,” the report stated.
As hundreds of thousands of garment workers staged protests across several parts of the country on October 31, demanding a minimum wage of 30,000 Bangladeshi taka ($241), police had detained 21 people who they called Awami League activists and not genuine workers.
“Consistent with international standards, Bangladesh authorities should ensure that police use force only when necessary and proportionate, and that those responsible for violence are held accountable,” the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) had stated last week, amid condemnation by several international rights groups of the violence against protesting workers.