Twenty-one-year-old Toufiq Sheikh, who was seriously injured during the workers’ movement demanding a wage increase in Gazipur, died while under treatment on Tuesday morning at Shin Shin Japan Hospital in Uttara.
Toufiq was the son of Tabibur Rahman Tabi Khan from Choygharia village, Kochashahar Union, Gobindaganj Upazila, Gaibandha. He lived in the Banglabazar area of Gazipur and worked at local Layla Garments. Relatives said he had worked in RMG factories in the Banglabazar area for the past five years.
On Monday, during the workers’ demonstration in front of Territory Garments (Noman Group), he tried to record an attack on his mobile phone. Attackers then pounced on him and beat him severely, leaving him critically injured. Fellow workers rescued him and took him to hospital, where he died under treatment.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) Mohammad Belayet Hossain said he had heard a worker had died. He stated that outsiders had gone to pressure a factory to close; when the authorities refused, a clash broke out between the outsiders and the factory’s workers, during which one seriously injured worker died. He added that no police members were present at the scene at the time.
RMG Worker Protests, Clashes, and Government Response
Garment workers in Gazipur and nearby industrial areas (including Ashulia, Mirpur, and Narayanganj) have held multi-day protests demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000 (roughly double the current level of around Tk 12,500–13,000). The actions have included highway blockades (notably on the Dhaka-Tangail route), factory closures (hundreds of factories affected or declaring holidays), vandalism, arson (including of police vehicles and other property), and repeated clashes with police.
Police have responded with baton charges, tear gas, sound grenades, and water cannons. Dozens of people (workers and police) have been reported injured across the protests; hundreds have been named in cases, with multiple arrests. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) platoons have been deployed in Gazipur and nearby areas to restore order. The Home Minister and other officials have warned of stern legal action against violence, property damage, and attempts to destabilise the sector, while the government has announced steps such as a board to review the minimum wage.
Human rights groups, including JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), have condemned alleged police torture, excessive force (baton charges, tear gas, sound grenades), and arbitrary arrests targeting RMG workers (including women) and others during protests in Gazipur, Ashulia, and Mirpur. They have called for independent investigations, accountability, and the release of detained workers.
On the use of force, Prime Minister’s Adviser (Information and Broadcasting) Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman stated that police have the legal authority to use lethal arms—including shooting someone dead—under certain circumstances in self-defence, provided they follow due legal procedures and use proportionate force.
He emphasised handling situations with minimal casualties and distinguished the current approach from past excessive force. The remarks have drawn public and media attention and debate amid the RMG unrest.