Bangladesh Deploys Thousands of Police Amid Garment Worker Protests

The Government of Bangladesh deployed 10,000 police officers and paramilitary forces to industrial hubs around Dhaka as garment worker protests entered their fifth day on November 4, 2026. Workers are demanding a monthly minimum wage increase from 12,500 to 30,000 takas, citing high inflation and rising food prices. The unrest has shut down hundreds of factories in areas including Mirpur, Savar, Gazipur, Ashulia, and Mymensingh, threatening a $40 billion export industry that generates over 80 percent of national export earnings.

Clashes between workers and law enforcement escalated in Savar, Gazipur, Mirpur, and Narayanganj. Police utilized tear gas, stun grenades, and baton charges to disperse crowds, while protesters burned a police van and blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway. In Gazipur, 50 factories closed following the death of an injured worker. The Border Guard Bangladesh deployed up to 24 platoons to these belts, utilizing drones and body-worn cameras for surveillance.

To quell the unrest, the government established a six-member wage board and accelerated the implementation of a new wage structure to December 1, though Wage Board Chairman Syed Azad Subhani stated workers would receive first salaries under the new scale in January. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and Information Affairs Adviser Zahedur Rahman alleged that industrialists and the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are instigating the sabotage to destabilize the current administration. Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs of India stated it is monitoring the situation while seeking to maintain a constructive bilateral relationship.