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At least 20 workers were injured on Monday during a clash with police in Gazipur as they demonstrated for extended Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.
Police said the injured were sent to nearby hospitals and Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Eight of the injured workers – Mizanur Rahman, 24, Hasan, 26, Rubel, 22, Zahid Hossain, 25, Rony, 24, Mamun, 26, Sohel, 22, and Rubel Hossain, 24 – are being treated at the emergency ward of DMCH.
Inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of DMCH police outpost, said all of them had been hit by rubber bullets.
Also read: Workers cannot leave workplaces during Eid holidays: Monnujan
Ha-meem Group declared a six-day Eid holiday for the workers on Sunday. But the workers started agitating on Monday demanding a 10-day holiday.
They blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, causing a massive gridlock on the road.
After about half an hour, members of industrial police and metropolitan police went to the scene. The workers refused to move from the highway, leading to a running battle.
The agitators hurled brick chips at police and the law enforcers responded with rubber bullets and teargas shells to disperse the protesters.
Additional Superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police Shushant Sarkar said the workers left the scene after the factory acceded to their demand for an extended holiday.
But the workers claimed that the police attack was unprovoked. Mizanur Rahman, an injured worker, said police hit a worker in the head when he came out after a heated argument with the factory management over the holiday issue.
Also read: Transport workers demand resumption of public transport, food assistance
“Police fired on us as we gathered to question them over the assault,” said Mizanur.