Three rice mill workers were killed and 3 others remained after a crusher machine laden with sacks of rice fell on them at Dubail area of Tangail’s Gopalpur upazila on Sunday night. The victims were identified as Nurul Islam of Ghorahara village in Kurigram, Nazmul alias Arif and Naimul Islam of Bhabdar Bazar village in the same district. Read: 2 killed in Bogura road crash Quoting witnesses, police said the incident took place around 9 pm at the Akota Agrofood Products Limited. Around 1000 sacks of rice fell on the workers breaking off the newly added crusher machine, leaving Nazmul and Naimul dead on the spot, said Mosharof Hossain, officer-in-charge of Gopalpur Police Station. Later, Nurul Islam was rushed to Gopalpur Hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Two firefighting units from Gopalpur and Madhupur upazilas are conducting an operation to rescue the missing workers, added the OC.  

Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP), a platform of over a dozen labour rights bodies, has demanded exemplary punishment to those responsible for the Banshkhali incident in which five workers of a coal-fired power plant were killed. The federation also demanded judicial investigation into the incident, providing proper compensations for the victims and ending harassment of workers. The demands came from a virtual meeting of SKOP held with its joint coordinator Shahidullah Chowdhury on Monday afternoon. SKOP also announced new programmes to press home their demands, said a press release on Tuesday. Also read: 2500 sued over Banshkhali incident SKOP leaders Mesbah Uddin Ahmed, Anwar Hossain, Razekuzzaman Ratan, Kamrul Ahsan, Chowdhury Ashikul Alam, Naimul Ahsan Jewel, Shakil Akter Chowdhury, Ripon Chowdhury, Shamim Ara, Ahsan Habib Bulbul, Abul Kalam Azad and Firoz Hossain, among others, spoke at the meeting. They said five workers were killed and over 50 others injured in a sudden and indiscriminate firing on agitating workers of the coal-fired power plant of S Alam Group who were demonstrating to press home their 10-point demand including payment of arrears and reducing the daily work hours to 8 during Ramadan. They demanded identifying those responsible and bringing them to book through investigation. They said it is essential to mete out exemplary punishment to everyone who is responsible for this killing in order to change the irresponsible and arrogant mindset developed among the government’s employees towards the working people who are real owners of the country. They said the district administration announced to provide nominal compensation and the superintendent of police blamed the workers. Also read: Police firing in Chattogram leaves five workers dead Terming the incident a cold-blooded killing, the SKOP leaders said the case was filed accusing the workers and villagers but those who opened fire were not arrested. SKOP will continue its programmes including demonstrations and rallies to ensure punishment to those responsible through a fair investigation. It will also place a memorandum before the Home Minister in this regard. SKOP will stage a demonstration in front of the Jatiya Press Club at 11am on Wednesday (April 21) to press home its demands over the Banshkhali incident. Besides, the federation of labour rights bodies decided to observe April 24 as the garment worker mourning day on Saturday next on a small scale maintaining health hygiene rules amid the Covid-19 lockdown in a bid to mark the eighth anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy. Moreover, SKOP has taken programmes to observe the International Workers’ Day on May 1 next.

Five workers of a coal-based power plant of S Alam Group were shot to death and 25 others injured in a clash between police and workers over payment of their dues in Banshkhali upazila of Chattogram district on Saturday. The victims were identified as Ahmed Reza, Rony Hossain, Shuvho, Mohammad Rahat and Mohammad Raihan. Quoting locals, Azizul Islam, officer-in-charge of Banshkhali Police Station, said a tense situation had been prevailing among workers of the power plant since Friday over the payment of their dues. Also read: BNP activists fight with police in city; 2 cops injured On Saturday morning, union leaders sat in a meeting with the local administration to settle the issue. At one stage, an altercation broke out around 11:45 am, triggering a chase and counter chase.

Two workers were killed on Saturday as an under-construction wall came tumbling down on them in Chattogram city’s Lovelane.