United News of Bangladesh

Two people, including a poultry farmer, were killed in a collision between a pickup van and an unidentified vehicle on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Gazipur Sadar upazila early Friday, said police. The deceased were poultry farmer Ziarul Islam, 40, and his assistant Raju Mia, 35. Details about them could not be known. Salna Highway police station’s Sub-Inspector Habibur Rahman said the duo went to Dhaka to deliver chicken by the pickup van driven by Ziaurl early Friday. An unidentified vehicle crashed into the pickup van from the opposite direction on its way to Gazipur in Hotapara area in the early morning, he said. 2 killed, 21 injured in Bogura road accident The accident left the two dead on the spot, the police official said, adding that the bodies were sent to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital for autopsy. Legal action in this regard was underway, he added.

Workers of a readymade garment (RMG) factory blocked Dhaka-Mymensingh highway for one and a half hours demanding to extend their vacation by two days on the occasion of the holy Eid-ul-Fitr on Thursday. The protest caused severe traffic tailback on the both ends of the highway, causing suffering to commuters. Locals said workers of Utah Knitting & Dyeing Ltd in Gazipur’s Hotapara took to the highway and put a barricade to press home their demand in the morning. The blockade enforced by the workers continued till 9:30am beginning at 8am. Earlier, the factory authorities announced a 10-day holiday for the workers marking the Eid, but they rejected it demanding to extend it by two days. Unfit launches won't be allowed on Chandpur-Dhaka route: DC At one stage, the workers staged demonstration and later took to the highway disrupting traffic movement. Joydebpur police station’s officer-in-charge Abdul Halim said normalcy returned to the highway after workers left when the factory authority accepted their demand.

Workers of a readymade garment factory on Friday morning blocked Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Gazipur to press home their 14-point demand, including Eid and production bonus. Vehicular movement on the highway remained suspended for one and half hours till 11:30am, causing suffering of commuters. Police and locals said workers of SMUG Sweater Ltd in Telipara area started demonstrations inside the factory around 8am. Spinning mill workers block highway in Gazipur over unpaid wages At one stage at 10am, the protesting workers took to the highway, halting vehicular movement, they said. The workers alleged that despite years of service, around 1,200 employees of the factory have not received their overtime pay, night shift allowances, maternity leave benefits, or annual bonuses. They also claimed that their production rate payments were inconsistent, forcing them to go for movement. Workers block highways over unpaid wages, assault protest in Gazipur The demands include payment of Eid bonuses, overtime dues, and the resignation of the general manager of the factory. AKM Zahirul Islam, superintendent of police for Gazipur Industrial Zone-2, said workers staged demonstrations and blocked the highway over their demands, including the Eid bonus. Gazipur Metropolitan Police and industrial police removed the workers from the highway around 11:30am, resuming operation of vehicles, he added.

Garment workers in Gazipur blocked key highways on Tuesday over unpaid wages and protesting the assault of a fellow worker. The workers staged demonstrations on the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways causing severe traffic congestion and disrupting daily commutes. Spinning mill workers block highway in Gazipur over unpaid wages Law enforcement agencies, including the army, intervened to restore order. Tongi East Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Faridul Islam said efforts were underway to remove the protesters and restore normalcy. The unrest began in Tongi’s Hossain Market area, where workers of BSIS Apparels garment factory took to the streets, demanding a month’s unpaid wages. Their protest escalated into a highway blockade, leading to widespread traffic disruption. Commuters faced immense difficulties as the demonstration brought traffic to a standstill. Upon receiving reports of the protest, law enforcement officials arrived at the scene and attempted to negotiate with the workers. In a separate incident in Mouchak, Kaliakair upazila, garment workers staged a protest after one of their colleagues was assaulted at a factory. In response, they blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway, leading to further congestion. Police and other security personnel reached the area to bring the situation under control. Keya Group workers stage protest over dues, layoffs in Gazipur Fearing an escalation of unrest, authorities declared several garment factories in Itahata and Islampur areas closed for the day. Additionally, multiple chaotic incidents were reported across different garment factories, leading to at least five factory closures.

Battery-run auto-rickshaw drivers on Tuesday blocked the busy Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Gazipur for three hours protesting the killing of one of their fellows allegedly by bus workers on Monday. The protest continued till 11am starting 8 am on the highway in Gargaria Master Bari area under Sreepur upazila of Gazipur, witnesses said. The commuters were the worst suffers due to the blockade as vehicular movement came to a halt on both sides of the highway. Sources said a looking glass of a Taqwa Paribahan bus broke when it hit an auto-rickshaw from behind in the Gargaria Master Bari area on Monday afternoon, leading to an argument between the bus helpers and the auto-rickshaw driver. ‘Worker’s death’ sparks protest in Gazipur; vehicles torched At one stage, the bus helpers took away the driver in their bus and left his body in Natun Bazar area allegedly after killing him. Officer-in-Charge of Sreepur police station Joynal Abedin Mandol said the auto-rickshaw driver died after he was thrown off from the moving bus. A murder case was filed with the police station in this regard, he said, adding that drives were underway to arrest those involved in the killing.

Workers of TNZ garment factory have withdrawn their blockade on Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway after the authorities assured them of paying their overdue wages by November 30. The decision to lift the blockade was taken at 10:30pm on Monday after a tripartite meeting among factory owners, worker representatives and Secretary to the Ministry of Labour AHM Safiquzzaman, said Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ershad Mia on Tuesday morning. The meeting decided to pay the first installment of the workers' outstanding wages by Sunday next, with the remaining amount to be settled by November 30. The government will provide a total of Tk 16 crore as a loan to TNZ Apparels. Of this amount, Tk 6 crore will come from the central fund and will be used to pay the first installment of wages. Read more: RMG workers block Dhaka-M’sing highway demand dues The remaining Tk 10 crore will be provided by the Ministry of Finance, which will cover the remaining dues. The factory owners will later repay this amount to the government. Moreover, the workers will be paid regular salary from the factory’s own income from December. After the meeting, the workers accepted the decision and withdrew the blockade allowing traffic to resturn to normal.

Three students were injured when a private car hit them on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway near Dhaka’s Airport Road on Sunday. The accident occurred near the third terminal of Shahjalal International Airport, said Mustafizur Rahman, inspector (Investigation) of the Airport Police Station. The identities of the injured students have not yet been confirmed. One dead, 15 injured in Dinajpur bus accident Local residents rushed them to a nearby hospital. Upon receiving the information, police seized the private car and arrested the driver. The footage of the incident went viral on social media, showing a white private car ploughing through a group of students in front of the third terminal.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) say they caught a central leader of BNP’s student wing, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), "red-handed" when he was about to set a bus on fire on Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway in Abdullahpur area this morning (November 13, 2023). The detainee, Mamun Majumdar, is an assistant organising secretary of JCD's central executive body. Md Parvez Rana, senior assistant superintendent of police (ASP) at RAB-1, told journalists that RAB personnel in plainclothes took position in Abdullahpur this morning after being tipped off that some miscreants would obstruct vehicles and set them on fire. Read: Crude bombs hurled at police vehicle in Dhaka's Uttara, JCD activist arrested Members of the elite force caught the JCD leader when he was trying to set a bus of Projapati Paribahan on fire, the RAB official said. “The JCD leader admitted that they have activists positioned in several Dhaka areas to carry out subversive activities with the aim of destabilising the country,” said ASP Rana. JCD men, who aspire to land higher posts in the next committee, are determined to carry out destructive acts, the RAB official said, quoting the detained JCD leader. Read more: JCD leader dies, 3 hurt in Chandpur road crash

At least six workers of a garment factory were dead and eight others were injured when a speeding bus ran them over while they were waiting to board another bus on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Trishal upazila, under Mymensingh district, today (October 11, 2023). Four of the deceased were identified as Jesmine Akter, 35; Sirajul Islam, 40; Sohel Mia, 28; and Liton Mia, 30, of Sadar upazila while the identities of two others could not be known immediately. Quoting locals, Main Uddin, officer-in-charge of Trishal Police Station, said a Dhaka-bound bus of ‘SS Travellers’ from Sherpur made a sudden stop at Chelerghat around 7:30 am today, as one of its tyres got punctured. Read: Man, grandson drown in Mymensingh pond Passengers of the bus got off and were waiting on the highway for another bus. Around 8 am, a bus arrived at the spot, and they tried to board it. At this time, another bus, speeding on the highway, hit the people standing on the road -- leaving three dead on the spot and 11 injured. Read: Mother, minor daughter found hanging in Mymensingh house Of the injured, three died on the way to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. Vehicular movement on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway remained halted for some time after the accident. Read: Lightning kills 2 students in Mymensingh

As done during the first phase of Bishwa Ijtema, Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) has issued some traffic directives to ease devotees commuting to and from the congregation ground. Movements of vehicles from Tongi to Bhogra Bypass on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, Kamarpara Road, Abdullahpur to Bypile on Ashulia Road will remain suspended from 6 am Sunday (January 22, 2023) till the end of Akheri Munajat, said GMP Commissioner Mollah Nazrul Islam. Also read: 22km long tailback from Tongi to Moghbazar in Dhaka The GMP commissioner requested commuters to use the bypass road to avoid traffic gridlock. The second phase of Bishwa Ijtema started on Friday (January 20, 2023) morning and it will end through the Akheri Munajat on Sunday morning. Read More: Second phase of Bishwa Ijtema to end tomorrow