Garment workers in Savar and Ashulia staged demonstrations on Thursday, demanding justice for a fellow worker who died after being injured in an attack in Gazipur.

Witnesses said workers from around 30 garment factories in Hemayetpur, Fulbaria and Ulail areas of Savar municipality left their workplaces after marking attendance around 8:00am and staged demonstrations on the Dhaka-Aricha highway and adjoining roads.

Similarly, workers in Ashulia took position on the Abdullahpur-Baipail road, disrupting traffic. Police dispersed them from several points, forcing the demonstrators to move to adjoining roads.

The workers said they were continuing their protests as the wage board had announced that wages would be increased in December but had yet to specify the amount of the proposed hike.

Amid the unrest, around 70 garment factories in Ashulia declared a general holiday for Thursday to prevent any untoward incidents, said Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, Superintendent of Ashulia Industrial Police-1.

Toufiq Hossain, who was beaten while recording a video of an attack on a garment factory in Gazipur on November 2, died at a hospital on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, protesters blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway in Savar, while a police van and a motorcycle were set on fire during the unrest.

Despite the fresh demonstrations, the overall situation in the Savar industrial belt remained relatively calm on Thursday.

Security measures have been strengthened across the industrial areas to prevent vandalism and further unrest. Members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have been deployed alongside police, while police armoured vehicles have been kept ready at key points.

Meanwhile, BNP leaders and activists held a roadside rally and brought out a motorcycle procession in Ashulia on Thursday, saying they wanted to prevent disorder in the garment industrial belt.

The rally was held in front of Joy Restaurant in Nabinagar around noon.

BNP leaders and activists later brought out a motorcycle procession along different points of the Dhaka-Aricha highway before returning to the starting point.

Dhaka-19 MP Dr Dewan Mohammod Salahuddin attended the rally as the chief guest.

Reserved-seat MP Nipun Roy Chowdhury, former Joint General Secretary of Dhaka District BNP Lion Mohammad Khorshed Alam and Dhaka District Swechchhasebak Dal Convener Nazmul Hasan Abhi were also present.