Protesters Demand Release of Arrested Jute Mills Leaders

The Ganasanghati Andolan on Tuesday demanded the release of two workers' leaders of state-owned Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC).

The party brought out a procession and held a protest rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club at noon, Ganasanghati said in a press release.  

Addressing the rally, Chief Coordinator of Ganasanghati Zonayed Saki said jute mills leaders, Nurul Islam of Platinum Jubilee Jute Mill and Waliar Rahman of Eastern Jute Mill were picked up on July 5 by some plainclothes men from their homes.

They were picked up to create panic among protesters who are marching ahead with the movement to save the jute mills, he said.

''They are playing a cruel game; pushing 25,000 permanent and 25,000 contractual workers towards unemployment by shutting down the state-owned jute mills amid the Covid-19,'' Saki said.

Each year the jute mills count loss of Tk 200 crore, he said adding that the burden of loss has been brutally imposed on the workers which was caused by wrong policy and corruption of BJMC and the ministry.

Earlier on June 28, Textiles and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi said 25 mills under BJMC will be shuttered in the face of staggering losses. All workers will be released with ‘golden handshakes’.

Ganasanghati Andolan central leaders Abul Hasan Rubel, Taslima Aktar, Bachchu Bhuiyan, Julhasnain Babu and Moniruddin Pappu also spoke at the demonstration among others.

Source: UNB