Garment worker's death triggers violence at Savar

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SAVAR, June 3 (UNB): Thousands of garment workers went on a rampage on the Abdullahpur-EPZ Road following the death of a fellow worker in a road accident Tuesday morning.

The frenzied workers vandalised over 50 garment factories and damaged some vehicles.

The violence prompted owners to close most of the factories in the area.

Local sources said Rupali (22), a knitting operator of Sharmin Group, was crushed under the wheels of a bus at Jamgara in Narsinghapur here at about 8:15am.

The death triggered violence as some 10,000 workers of Sharmin Group immediately took to the street at about 9am.

At this stage, the workers of Medler Group, already on work stoppage for last few days to press home their demands, joined the agitated workers of Sharmin Group.

They proceeded towards Ashulia Thana, smashing windowpanes, gates and signboards of over 50 factories in the area, damaging some 20 vehicles and setting fire to a truck.

Immediately afterwards, employees of the other garments in the area closed their factories.

Then some 50,000 workers of the closed factories also joined the agitating groups of workers and put up a barricade on the Abdullahpur-EPZ Road, halting traffic on the road.

Army, RAB and police were deployed in the area to avert any further trouble.