NARAYANGANJ: Forty people were wounded as police fought with workers of a textile mills to hold them back from blocking Dhaka-Sylhet Highway in Rupganj on Saturday morning.

Witnesses said the angry workers of the textile mills named ACS in Rupshi area put barricades on the highway disrupting traffic over torture on two workers on Friday.

“After a while, police tried to clear the roadblocks under cover of teargas-shell firing, triggering a fight with the workers,” says a spot account of the incident.

During the rioting, amid chase and counter-chase, 40 people were wounded on both sides.

The workers went on the rampage and vandalized 10-12 vehicles. Police arrested about a dozen workers from the scene.

Rupganj thana OC Forkan Sikder said the situation was now under control. The injured members of the police were undergoing treatment at a local hospital.
 
The workers alleged that the industrial unit, owned by a Pakistani and run by majority of Pakistani officers, often torture them. They said two of their colleagues were tortured Friday for coming late for work.

During the agitation, the workers shouted various slogans in favour of their demands, including reduction of shift hours to nine from 12 hours.   

BDST: 1320 HRS, AUG 14, 2010