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Demo for Wage Hike

Violent clash in Ishwardi EPZ

Over 100 workers, cops hurt

Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu from Pabna
Over a hundred people were injured as police and garment workers fought for around five hours at Ishwardi Export Processing Zone in Pabna yesterday.
The EPZ erupted into violence soon after workers of Roshita Knitting Wear
Limited, a foreign-owned company, began demonstrations for a pay hike around 9:00am.
Pabna Police Superintendent Jahangir Hossain said police fired rubber bullets and charged batons to disperse the workers who had confined some foreigners to the factory.
“Unruly workers confined the foreigners, all of whom are executives of the factory, and started vandalism. They also attacked the law enforcers, leaving 15 policemeninjured," he said.
“We've picked up 75 workers from the spot.”
Of the injured, over 50 were admitted to Ishwardi Upazila Health Complex and Pakshi Railway Hospital and the rest to other health centres in the district.
Sheikh Mehedi Hasan, local correspondent of Bangla daily Manab Zamin, was wounded in police baton charge as he went to cover the incident. He was treated at the railway hospital.
The agitators claimed the law enforcers swooped on them without any provocation. Many of them were hurt as police lobbed teargas canisters, fired bullets and charged batons, said Shamim, Gautam and
Rubel.
They have long been demanding Tk 150 knitting charge for every sweater but the factory pays only Tk 100, they said.
Around noon, rumours of a worker's death fuelled the violence. People from nearby villages came in and damaged structures at the EPZ by hurling brick chips. They smashed up vehicles in and around the area.
Normality, however, returned around 3:00pm.
The clashes led to a suspension of production at five RMG factories in the EPZ.
Contacted, General Manager of Ishwardi EPZ
Md Mahmudul Hassan said there must have been an evil plot behind yesterday's event.
“Some workers have planned the unrest at Ishwardi EPZ to stop foreign investment in efforts to take revenge on the factory that sacked a few of their colleagues for breaking discipline," he said.
“The EPZ authority will form an inquiry committee to investigate the incident” he added.
The GM also said the EPZ authority discussed with the workers the wage hike but he did not know why they had gone berserk.