A garments factory official died after falling ill during a protest demanding unpaid wages and benefits in front of the ‘Shrom Bhaban’ at Bijoynagar, Dhaka on Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Ram Prasad Singh, 40, a senior assistant manager at Style Craft Limited in Joydebpur, Gazipur and hailed from Fulgazi upazila in Feni.
Din Islam, a quality executive at the factory, said that Ram Prasad became unwell at around 12:30pm while participating in the demonstration.
“He was first taken to Islami Bank Hospital and later shifted to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) as his condition deteriorated. After a medical examination, doctors declared him dead at 4:00pm,” he said.
Amir Hossain, a section manager at the factory, said that Ram Prasad Singh had worked at the Gazipur-based garment factory for several years. “Since 2019, wages at the factory have been irregular, with workers receiving only one month's salary every few months.”
Currently, 14 months' worth of wages remain unpaid and the workers have been protesting for a long time to demand their dues, and in the last five days, around 250 workers staged a demonstration in front of the Shrom Bhaban in Dhaka, he added.
Inspector Md Faruk, in charge of DMCH Police post, said that the body had been sent to the morgue for an autopsy.
Ram Prasad Singh hailed from Fulgazi upazila in Feni.