Dhaka range DIG and Dhaka SP claim third-party involvement in violence and vandalism, say several people have been arrested but cannot confirm the total number.
Police have alleged that local and foreign conspiracies, along with the involvement of a third party, are behind the violence and unrest surrounding the ongoing garment workers’ protests in Savar and Ashulia.
Senior police officials claimed that while the government had already formed a wage board in response to workers’ demands, certain groups are deliberately trying to create instability in the industrial areas.
They also claimed to have intelligence about those involved in the alleged activities and their instigators, warning that strict legal action would be taken against anyone involved in violence, vandalism or disorder, regardless of political affiliation.
Police also said several people have already been arrested over the violence, although officials could not immediately confirm the total number.
Dhaka Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Mostafizur Rahman and Dhaka Superintendent of Police (SP) Shamima Parveen made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists during a visit to the industrial areas today (2 November).
Speaking in front of Al-Muslim Group on the Dhaka-Aricha highway in Ullail, the officials discussed the ongoing unrest and security situation.
Asked whether a third party was instigating the continued protests and violence despite the formation of the wage board, DIG Mostafizur Rahman said the board had been formed on Sunday morning and was continuing its work.
He urged workers to return to their respective workplaces and maintain normal operations, assuring them that police were working to ensure their security.
Those trying to create instability in the industrial areas despite the formation of the wage board had a different agenda, he said.
"Their objectives are different. Their objectives are not related to the labour sector. They have other intentions. Under no circumstances will they be allowed to achieve those objectives. The police will take whatever measures are necessary within the law," he said.
The DIG said police were continuing to gather information about those creating unrest and their instigators, adding that they already had intelligence in this regard.
Asked whether any of those arrested are members of the Awami League or its student wing, Chhatra League, he said their political identities and involvement are being verified.
He said anyone found involved in creating instability would face legal action, regardless of political affiliation.
Police working to identify masked protesters
Asked whether police have identified people who took part in the protests wearing helmets and covering their faces with masks or cloth, Dhaka SP Shamima Parveen said several people have already been arrested and police have intelligence about the matter.
"You have seen who the helmet groups were over the past 17 years. We know about those helmet groups and are working on the matter," she said.
She said police are trying to identify the individuals using CCTV footage, videos collected by journalists and their own intelligence.
The SP alleged that some individuals had infiltrated the workers’ protests and were involved in violence and vandalism. She said police do not consider those involved in such acts to be genuine workers.
"Those who are vandalising factories are not workers. Workers do not vandalise their own organisations or garment factories," she said.
She further alleged that some miscreants are using the protests to create instability in the country and said efforts to identify and arrest them were ongoing.
Police unable to confirm number of closed factories
Asked how many garment factories in the Savar and Ashulia industrial zones have shut down or declared general holidays, the SP said she could not immediately provide a figure.
She said factory authorities have declared holidays on their own decisions, adding that factories are not being forced to close because of security shortcomings.
According to her, Dhaka district police have strengthened security across the industrial areas from Monday morning following attempts to create unrest the previous day.
Police are working to ensure the security of garment factories in Ashulia, the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) and Savar. She claimed that police vigilance prevented attacks on factories on Monday.
She said police are coordinating with industrial police, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and garment factory owners’ organisations to ensure security.
Police have also urged factory owners to keep their facilities open and workers to return to work, she added.
The SP said the garment sector is crucial to workers’ livelihoods and their families’ financial security, as well as to the national economy, making it important to maintain normal operations in the industrial areas.
Police unable to provide total arrest figure
Asked how many people have been arrested so far in connection with the unrest, Shamima Parveen said several law enforcement units, including Dhaka district police, industrial police and Ashulia and Savar police stations, are conducting operations in different areas.
Several people have already been arrested, but the total number had yet to be consolidated as multiple units were carrying out separate operations, she said.
She expected the figures from all units to be compiled and shared with journalists by the evening.
Workers assured of security if they return to work
Responding to allegations that outsiders were preventing workers from joining their workplaces, the SP urged workers not to be influenced by provocations.
"To our worker brothers and sisters, please do not fall into the traps of any conspiratorial group or those who are provoking you. This is your livelihood and the source of your income. Return to work. Ensuring your security is our responsibility," she said.
SP defends police response during protests
Asked about allegations that some police personnel on the ground remained inactive during the protests, Shamima Parveen said officers were performing their duties professionally.
She said police sometimes have to adopt strategic approaches depending on the situation, which should not be interpreted as inaction. "My main responsibility is to protect the garment industry and the workers," she said.
The SP explained that when only 20 police personnel were deployed to manage a situation involving 500-600 workers, officers had to use different strategies to maintain control.
She said the objective was not to injure anyone but to ensure the safety of both workers and factories. Police did not always take an aggressive stance because they had to consider the possibility of either side being harmed, she added.
DIG declares zero tolerance for attacks on police
Regarding police personnel injured during clashes, DIG Mostafizur Rahman said the law and order situation had been much better on Monday.
He reiterated that police had a zero-tolerance policy towards those involved in violence and those instigating it. "Strict legal action is being taken and will be taken against anyone who creates disorder or instigates others to do so," he said.
Police claim intelligence foiled larger disruption plan
Shamima Parveen alleged that a group had planned a larger-scale disruption in the industrial areas amid the ongoing labour unrest.
She claimed that police have prevented the plan from succeeding through advance intelligence, operations and arrests.
Many garment factories in Savar, Ashulia, the EPZ and Hemayetpur remain operational, she said, adding that advance measures based on intelligence have helped prevent the kind of damage and vandalism seen in previous incidents.
Police suspect ulterior motives behind continued protests
Asked why workers were continuing protests and road blockades despite the government’s formation of a new wage board, police officials again alleged that outside groups were instigating the unrest.
According to the police, the government had demonstrated its commitment to addressing workers’ demands by forming the wage board. However, the continuation of vandalism and violence have raised suspicions about the involvement of other groups.
The SP claimed that local and foreign conspiracies are at work to damage the country’s economy and destabilise the law and order situation. She said police had information about the alleged conspiracy and are taking action based on it.
However, she did not disclose the identities of those allegedly involved in the local and foreign conspiracy or provide details of the intelligence gathered so far.