Worker’s death sparks unrest at Gazipur garment factory; police, army deployed

A section of agitated workersdamaged a police vehicle and engaged in chase and counter-chase in front of the Jinnat Knitwear Ltd. factory in the Nayanpur Notun Bazar area of Sreepur, Gazipur, this morning, following the death of a fellow worker who reportedly jumped from the factory's rooflast night.

During the unrest, a police Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) was damaged, and there were chase-and-counter-chase incidents between the workers and police, confirmed Sreepur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Abdul Barik.

Law enforcers fired tear gas shells around 9:00am to disperse the workers.

As of 1:00pm, members of the Bangladesh Army and police had been deployed to the area, while a large number of workers remained inside the factory premises.

"Eleven police personnel were injured, and a few tear gas shells were fired to bring the situation under control," said Inspector Abdul Latif of Gazipur Industrial Police.

Factory workers, on the other hand, alleged that at least seven were injured from the tear gas shells.

However, OC Abdul Barik denied the claim.

The unrest followed the death of Zakir Hossain, 25, who reportedly jumped from the eighth floor of Jinnat Knitwear Limited at around 8:00pm last night.

He was a resident of Barhatta upazila of Netrokona and worked as a labourer at the factory.

OC Abdul Barik confirmed this incidentto The Daily Star at midnight .

Zubair M Bashar, an officer of the factory's human resources department, said most officials had already left the factory when the incident occurred.

"I was informed that a worker had jumped from the roof. I rushed back and took him to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead," he said.