Garment workers have been staging protests for several days in key areas of the capital, Dhaka, and various parts of Gazipur. The demonstrations have involved clashes and chases with police, as well as incidents of arson and vandalism. Prime Minister’s Political Assistant Md Rashed Khan has blamed Jamaat-e-Islami for these incidents.

According to him, Jamaat is heating up the streets, while Awami League activists are infiltrating the protests and setting fires.

Rashed Khan made the remarks in a post on his verified Facebook account on Monday morning (November 2).

In the post, he questioned whether Jamaat could avoid responsibility for the unrest in the name of workers’ movements following the party chief’s remarks at a long march: “We will destroy and demolish everything belonging to the government.”

“Jamaat is heating up the streets, while Awami League activists are infiltrating the movement and setting fires,” he wrote.

He claimed that similar incidents had taken place in Mirpur, Ashulia and Gazipur on Sunday. He also alleged that anti-national forces were moving forward with a dangerous plan to create unrest in Bangladesh in December.

Rashed Khan further wrote that despite the government’s commitment to addressing workers’ legitimate demands, Jamaat and National Citizen Party (NCP) leaders and activists had mobilised ordinary workers and brought them onto the streets on Sunday. Meanwhile, he alleged, Awami League activists posing as workers set fire to police vehicles, a private pickup truck and garment factories before leaving the scene.

He said several Awami League and Bangladesh Chhatra League activists had already been arrested in connection with the arson incidents.

Raising a question, Rashed Khan asked whether the Jamaat chief should also be brought under the law as an alleged instigator of the arson attacks carried out by the Awami League.