Garment worker dies after attack by unidentified assailants in Gazipur

A 21-year-old garment worker died in hospital on Tuesday after being beaten by unidentified assailants while filming unrest during ongoing wage protests in Gazipur, police said.

The victim, Toufiq Hossain, worked at Layla Garments in Gazipur’s Banglabazar area. He was from Gobindaganj upazila in Gaibandha.

On Monday, he was reportedly filming an attack near Noman Group’s Territory Garments factory on his mobile phone when a group of people assaulted him, leaving him critically injured.

Fellow workers rescued him and took him to a hospital, where he died the following morning while undergoing treatment.

Mohammad Taherul Haque Chowhan, additional commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police, told Daily Waadaa that Toufiq was taking pictures of vandalism when the attackers turned on him.

“He was an ordinary garment worker taking pictures of the vandalism when a group of miscreants attacked and beat him,” Chowhan said.

Police said the confrontation began when a group of outsiders attempted to force a factory to shut down. When the management refused, a clash broke out between the outsiders and factory workers, leaving Toufiq seriously injured.

Police also said no officers were present at the scene when the assault occurred.

Police were collecting CCTV footage from the scene to establish the circumstances surrounding Toufiq’s death, UNB reported, quoting Amzad Hossain, superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police-2.

“Investigation to identify those involved is underway. Police will arrest those involved soon,” Chowhan told Waadaa.

Chowhan said police completed the necessary procedures before handing over the body to his family, while the government covered the cost of transporting it to his hometown.

Syeda Yasmin Sultana, upazila nirbahi officer of Gobindaganj, confirmed to Waadaa on Wednesday that Toufiq had been buried in his hometown following his death.

Toufiq’s death comes amid continuing garment workers’ protests demanding higher wages across several industrial areas.

On Wednesday, workers staged fresh demonstrations in Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur and Narsingdi, blocking roads in several areas before police dispersed protesters using tear gas and sound grenades.

In Gazipur, most factories reopened under heightened security, although tensions flared in Noljani, where protesters blocked the Dhaka-Gazipur road by setting fire to garbage, according to UNB.

Police dispersed the demonstrators with tear gas and detained two people. Seven others had been detained on Tuesday over alleged vandalism near Bhogra Bypass, UNB reported.

The government deployed 12 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh personnel and 25 executive magistrates alongside other law enforcement agencies to maintain order in Gazipur.

Meanwhile, the government-appointed wage board was scheduled to meet on Wednesday to discuss workers’ demands for a higher minimum wage.