Beximco workers set fire to Grameen factory, vehicles, demand reopening of 16 closed factories
The workers blocked the Chandra-Nabinagar highway, demanding reopening of closed Beximco factories
Highlights
- Police and army personnel have been deployed to disperse the crowd
- Police fired tear gas and sound grenades to control the situation
- The worker set fire to Grameen Fabrics factory
- Vandalised around 20 vehicles, torched 4-5 of them
- Several journalists were injured during the violence
A group of agitated Beximco workers set fire to the factory of Grameen Fabrics and Fashion Ltd in Kashimpur of Gazipur this evening (22 January), demanding reopening of 16 closed factories.
Two firefighting units from the Sarabo Fire Station rushed to the scene at 7pm. Later, five more units joined them and the fire was doused around 9:25pm, said Senior Station Officer of Gazipur Fire Service Tasaraf Hossain.
The extent of damage from the fire can be ascertained after investigation, he said.
Earlier in the afternoon, the workers blocked the Chandra-Nabinagar highway, leading to a complete halt in traffic for about 7 hours. The traffic resumed normal flow after 10:00pm.
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As the situation escalated, protesters vandalised and set fire to several buses, trucks, and covered vans, according to local sources. They also attacked several nearby shops.
The workers later stormed the Grameen Fabrics building at Tetuibari after breaking through its gates around 6:40pm. Once inside, they set the factory ablaze. The fire quickly spread.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police confirmed that law enforcement initially tried to disperse the protesters using tear gas and sound grenades. However, the situation remained volatile until the army and industrial police intervened around 6:15pm, chasing the agitated workers from both sides of the highway.
Despite their efforts, the protest continued to disrupt traffic on the Chandra-Nabinagar road till the filing of the report around 9pm.
Background of the protests
The agitation stems from December 2024, when the government decided to close 16 factories under the Beximco Industrial Park due to a lack of orders and significant defaulted loans.
These factories, owned by Salman F Rahman, a former adviser to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, had been facing financial difficulties for months.
Workers have been protesting the irregular payment of wages for a prolonged period.
The workers demanded the reopening of all closed factories, affecting over 42,000 employees, and the resumption of banking services, and the payment of overdue wages.
The government had provided loans to cover wages temporarily, but the closure announcement sparked widespread discontent.
Workers have staged multiple protests, including a road blockade on 21 December last year, which was dispersed by law enforcement using tear gas and rubber bullets. On 14 January 2025, workers organised a human chain stretching 11km, followed by a mass rally earlier in the day.
Today's protest escalated as workers demanded immediate action to reopen the factories, reinstate banking services, and address their overdue payments.
