Dhaka-Mymensingh road blocked after female worker dies in road accident

Readymade garment workers blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Gazipur on Wednesday morning, protesting the death of a female worker in a road accident.

Jannatul Ferdous, 32, a sewing operator at Golden Refit Garments Ltd., was fatally injured in an accident in front of the factory around 6:00 am.

Following the incident, over 100 workers began demonstrating with bamboo sticks in hand around 8:00 am, halting traffic in both directions and causing severe disruption for commuters.

The protesters accused the factory authorities of keeping Jannatul's body inside the premises to suppress their demonstration.

As of 11:00 am, the protest was still ongoing.

Workers claimed that Jannatul had applied for leave the previous night due to her child's illness, but instead of granting it, the factory authorities confiscated her ID card and expelled her. While attempting to cross the road to reach the factory in the morning, she was struck by an auto-rickshaw and a truck. She later succumbed to her injuries on the way to the hospital.

In response, Golden Refit Garments Ltd. workers launched protests in the Bagher Bazar area of the highway around 8:00 am. Most factory employees, except security personnel, have taken shelter inside the facility.

Industrial police and local law enforcement officials were seen negotiating with the demonstrators in an effort to defuse the situation.

Joydebpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Halim told Prothom Alo, “Workers have blocked the highway in protest of a colleague’s death in a road accident. We are working to restore order through dialogue.”