Bangladesh's government accused Sheikh Hasina of fuelling garment wage protests that shut factories. The unrest threatens exports as workers demand pay matching soaring living costs. Bangladesh's government on Tuesday accused deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina of fuelling labour unrest as garment workers' protests demanding higher wages entered a fourth day, news agency Press Trust of India reported. The violence forced hundreds of factories to suspend operations and prompted the deployment of additional paramilitary forces.

Workers are demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka, or about Rs 23,000, more than double the existing 12,500 taka, or about Rs 9,507. They said rising food, housing, transport and healthcare costs had reduced their purchasing power.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said fresh violence forced another 300 factories to close, taking the number of affected units to nearly 1,000 since the latest wave of protests began on October 31.

The unrest spread across Dhaka and nearby industrial areas, including Gazipur, Ashulia, Mirpur and Narayanganj, as well as Mymensingh district. Workers clashed with police, blocked roads and disrupted production.

Prime Minister's Information Affairs Adviser Zahedur Rahman accused Hasina of being behind the unrest. "I do not believe Sheikh Hasina will let the government remain in peace as long as she is alive. As long as Hasina would remain alive, acts of sabotage could continue," he told a media briefing, according to PTI. He alleged that the ousted prime minister was an architect of the protests.

Rahman's remarks marked a shift from his earlier assertion that Hasina and her disbanded Awami League were politically irrelevant in Bangladesh. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Monday also alleged that some garment factory owners linked to the Awami League were fuelling the unrest.

Ahmed claimed Hasina's supporters were behind the violence. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's labour and employment adviser, Mahdi Amin, said the government had found evidence that "fugitive evil powers" had entered the workers' movement, in an apparent reference to the Awami League. Amin said those involved would be exposed and face legal action.

The allegations came despite the home minister's statement in July that the Awami League had been "politically destroyed" and would never be able to return to politics in Bangladesh.

The protests have come at a critical time for Bangladesh's ready-made garment industry, which employs about four million people and accounts for more than 80 per cent of the country's export earnings. Bangladesh is the world's second-largest garment exporter after China and supplies major international brands such as H&M, Zara and Gap.

Manufacturers warned that prolonged disruption during the peak production season for spring and summer orders could delay shipments, weaken the confidence of overseas buyers and lead to cancellations.

Police arrested more than 100 people in connection with the unrest, officials told PTI. They said about 50 of those arrested were linked to Awami League politics.

Hasina fled to India after her government was ousted in a student-led uprising on August 5, 2024. A special tribunal under the subsequent interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus later sentenced her to death in absentia.

The government on Sunday formed a six-member minimum wage board to review garment workers' pay and recommend a revised wage structure. However, the board was yet to hold its first meeting as the protests continued.

Workers said scores of demonstrators were injured in clashes with police, who used batons and tear gas to disperse crowds. Witnesses said protesters threw bricks and stones at law enforcement personnel.

The Ittefaq newspaper reported fresh clashes in Narayanganj, where workers blocked a key road connecting the port town with Dhaka and set fire to discarded tyres. Police responded with tear gas and batons.

In the Ashulia industrial zone on the outskirts of Dhaka, Industrial Police fired tear gas and sound grenades after protesters allegedly threw bricks and stones at security personnel. Similar clashes were reported in Dhaka's Mirpur area.

Authorities had earlier deployed Border Guard Bangladesh personnel. The paramilitary force said it deployed additional personnel on Tuesday, positioning 12 platoons in Gazipur and two in Narayanganj amid the continuing violence.

The force said it was closely monitoring the situation in Dhaka and had established a monitoring centre at its headquarters, using drones and body-worn cameras.

The latest unrest began on Saturday. Workers said a recent pay rise for government employees had further highlighted the wage disparity. "We pay the same prices for commodities for our living," a workers' leader told a private television channel.

Bangladesh's garment sector is under pressure from rising production costs, inflation and intense competition in global markets. Workers said their wages had failed to keep pace with living costs, with inflation at about 8 per cent. As protests continued, factories remained affected while the newly formed wage board was yet to begin reviewing workers' pay.