Dhaka, July 30 (bdnews24.com)–The Dhaka city's police chief has urged the demonstrating readymade garment workers to not fall into the 'trap' of the 'conspirators'.

A K M Shahidul Hoque also asked workers' leaders to lead in a responsible and patriotic way.

He was speaking at a press briefing at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Headquarters in the wake of the workers' protest in the city.

Dissatisfied with the new pay scale announced on Thursday, the workers took to the streets on Friday morning demanding Tk 5,000 as a minimum wage, instead of Tk 3000.

The agitation continued from 8:30am to around 12:45pm on Friday except about one hour in between and then traffic came to a halt on Mohakhali-Banani and Mohakhali-Gulshan roads.

The police said there are some 400 garment factories in the area, of which most workers have taken to the streets. Traffic on these roads again ground to a halt until the police again baton-charged the workers.

Hundreds of workers vandalised some banks and shopping malls at Gulshan, and several cars, with one car being set on fire, at Tejgaon.

Peace on all the roads that ground to a halt during the agitation, however, came back to normal at around 12:50pm.

Hoque said vandalism and deterioration of law and order had taken place at Moghbazar, Mohakhali, Gulshan, Tejgaon in the capital.

"Steps will be taken after filling of cases against those who have caused and instigated it."

He alleged that a section of workers' leaders want apparel industries to close down and other countries to take advantage of it. "So they have been creating instability in this sector."

"There are lists of those instigating workers' leaders with intelligence agencies. They will not be spared."

Asked if vandalism, road blockade and arson are acts of sabotage, he said, "It may be sabotage."

On the police's not taking any precautionary steps to pre-empt vandalism and road blockade, he said, "Most readymade garment factories are in Mirpur and so the police were on guard there."

The police were, however, late in taking steps against the workers' rampage at Mohakhali and Gulshan. He said the police were late in taking action as there were three centres for BCS preliminary exams there.

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