Tension escalated near Jamuna, the official residence of the Chief Adviser, on Friday as government employees staged demonstrations demanding the immediate publication and implementation of the 9th national pay scale.
The protest began on Friday morning at the Central Shaheed Minar, from where government employees marched towards Jamuna. The procession reached the Shahbagh intersection at around 11:00am before advancing towards the Inter-Continental Hotel crossing, according to police.
Mohammad Moniruzzaman, officer-in-charge of Shahbagh Police Station, said police attempted to stop the procession at the InterContinental crossing. As protesters broke through the barricades and got closer to Jamuna, law enforcement officers used teargas shells and water cannons around noon to disperse the crowd and bring the situation under control.
The situation drew the attention of senior police officials, with Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner SM Sajjat Ali visiting the area to oversee security arrangements and also to prevent any untoward incidents.
During the demonstration, protesters chanted slogans demanding the immediate issuance of the gazette for the 9th pay scale. A female protester said they had gathered solely to press their pay demands and insisted the protest was peaceful in intent.
Another protester, who was later detained by police, said he was the only earning member of his family and could no longer meet household expenses on his current salary, which prompted him to join the protest.
The protesting employees said they had received several assurances from the authorities before, but the gazette for the 9th pay scale had yet to be published. They warned that if the gazette was not issued within the day, they would continue their movement and refuse to return home.
Amid growing tension, six platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed in the Kakrail Mosque and Hotel InterContinental areas to reinforce security around Jamuna.
