At least 13 people were injured in a clash between garment workers and police personnel in Ashulia this morning.

The clash took place around 9:30am as the workers of Fashion Forum Limited blocked Baipail-Abdullahpur highway, protesting the factory authority’s decision of indefinite closure of the factory.

The garment workers have been staging demonstration for some days and went on a strike from Monday on various demands including salary hike and maternity leave.

The factory authorities put the closure notice on the gate last night, which infuriated the workers when they saw it in the morning, witnesses and workers said.

As the workers started demonstration, blocking the highway, police charged truncheons and lobbed tear gas canisters to disperse them. The workers hurled brick chunks at the law enforcers, they said.

Workers said at least 10 of them were injured.

Mosi Uddowla Reza, additional superintendent of Ashulia Industrial Police-1, told our Savar correspondent that a problematic situation was developing in the factory for several days and its employees, along with workers from other factories, took to the street this morning.

As police tried to convince them to leave the highway, they hurled brick chunks at law enforcers, leaving at least three police personnel injured. Later police were forced to charge batons to disperse them, he said.

Idris Shakur, managing director of the factory, said a problem arose in the factory and a meeting was being held on the issue.

Now was not the right time to talk about the matter, he added.