Police clash with Chittagong workers, 1 dead

Police Thursday fired tear gas and charged batons to disperse hundreds of jute mill workers demanding arrears, leaving one worker dead and 20 others wounded, police and witnesses said. The violence erupted after the workers of the state-owned Amin Jute Mills Ltd came to receive their overdue salary from the mill authorities, the mill's general manager Aminur Rahman told bdnews24.com. The workers demanded salary for two weeks but the authorities were just able to give them for one week, he said. The authorities' failure in going by the workers' demand sparked resentment among the workers. Panchlaish zone assistant police commissioner Mizanur Rahman said their action came after the workers put up a barricade on a nearby road and started throwing stones at them.