Over 100 vehicles vandalised, hundreds suffer as vehicles go off the roads
RMG workers vandalise a CNG-run three-wheeler at Rampura in the capital on Friday protesting deaths in the Savar building collapse.
Angry over the deaths in Savar building collapse, thousands of garment workers vandalised over 100 vehicles in different parts of the city disrupting vehicular movement on several city streets for long time.
While many splinter groups demonstrated in many parts of the city, the main vandalism took place at Gabtoli, Kalyanpur, Shyamoli, Mirpur, Pallabi, Gulshan, Badda, Rampura and Malibagh, our correspondents reported as death toll from the collapse shot up to 292.
Hundreds of people were seen walking to their destinations as passenger vehicles kept off the road for quite some time following the vandalism.
The aggrieved workers swung into action at Rampura in the morning as rescuers kept on pulling out more bodies from inside the rubble two days after the nine-storey Rana Plaza in Savar was razed to the ground.
A few hundred workers marched the DIT Road, chanting slogans demanding arrest and punishment of the people responsible for the deaths in the building collapse.
They vandalised a few vehicles there.
Several other groups meanwhile brought out similar processions in Badda and Malibagh.
Our correspondents reported that aggrieved garment workers came out on Dhaka-Aricha highway at Gabtoli and Kalyanpur.
With bamboo and wooden sticks in their hands, the RMG workers attacked all kinds of vehicles that were plying the busy road.
They kept the highway blocked for a few hours, suspending vehicular movement.
After being stranded for quite some time, scores of people later started to walk to their destinations on feet.
Normalcy returned there around 1:00pm.
At Shyamoli, hundreds of workers carrying bamboo and wooden sticks vandalised at least 15 vehicles, including BRTC double-decker bus, covered van and private cars, plying on the Mirpur Road around the noon.
At least 15 people, including 10 bus passengers, were hurt this time.
Garment workers also demonstrated in Mirpur and Pallabi area where they also vandalised vehicles.
They chanted slogans demanding punishment to the owners of RanaPlaza and also the factories housed in the building, said Abdul Latif Sheikh, officer-in-charge of Pallabi Police Station.
The agitating workers vandalised a number of factories at Shewrapara, Mirpur and Pallabi areas which remained open on Friday.
Following the vandalism, most of the factory authorities in the areas suspended their operation for day fearing further unrest, the police official said.
Meanwhile, five demonstrators sustained injuries when vehicles tried to speed away in a bid to avoid the vandalism in Gulshan-1.
Source: The Daily Star
