Gono Odhikar Parishad protests death of RMG worker in Gazipur protest

The Gono Odhikar Parishad held a programme in the capital's Purana Paltan area protesting the death of an RMG worker allegedly in yesterday's "police firing" in Gazipur's Konabari.

The parishad started the march around 11:30am, ending with a brief rally at the National Press Club.

The party's Member Secretary (Acting) Farooq Hasan said, "[RMG] Workers can barely afford 3 meals a day. So far, 3 workers have been killed in the labour unrest. We strongly condemn and protest against these incidents and demand a fair trial."

He also said the parishad demanded that the workers be paid a higher minimum wage.

On 8 November, a female garment worker was killed allegedly in "police firing" and around 10 others injured during clashes between protesting workers and law enforcers in Gazipur's Konabari on Wednesday. The clashes erupted a day after a section of workers rejected the government's newly set minimum wage of Tk12,500.

Factory owners say about 30 factories in Gazipur and Ashulia were closed on the day due to the unrest.

The deceased, Anju Manowar, 28, was critically injured in the clash and was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 10:30am, said the hospital's police outpost in-charge Md Bacchu Mia.

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"Two people, severely injured, were brought to the hospital this morning from Gazipur. After conducting medical tests, the doctors declared the woman dead.

"Another man, Jalal Uddin, 28, is currently under treatment at the hospital," he said.

An additional deputy commissioner of the Gazipur Metropolitan Police said, "When police fired rubber bullets to disperse the garment workers, they rushed to a safer spot. All of a sudden, a woman was severely injured in the head. Later, she succumbed to her injuries due to excessive bleeding."

Local workers said a group of Islam Garments workers, including one who later died, did not enter the factory in the morning. They were later chased by "outsiders" and were "shot by the police".

Islam Group Director Toufiqul Islam told TBS that the workers were protesting outside the factory. He also confirmed that one of the workers died, but did not provide details about the cause of the death. He mentioned that there are approximately 10,000 workers employed at the factory.

Meanwhile, garment workers have expressed their outrage over the death of the female worker.

Several workers organisations have announced a protest rally in the capital on 10 November to demand a minimum wage of Tk23,000 and to protest the death of workers.