Quarry workers in Panchagarh's have clashed with police leaving one dead and at least 30 others, including law enforcers, injured.
The incident was reported on Sunday (Jan 26) from the northern district's Tetulia Upazila.
The local police said lifting stone and sand using heavy machineries in the upazila --the northern tip of the country -- have been stopped for the last five months.
Use of heavy machineries and tractors leading to indiscriminate quarrying and unscientific mining has become a cause of concern for environmentalists for quite some time now.
On Sunday, thousands of people, belonging to platforms of stone-lifting business owners and workers, blocked the Panchagarh-Banglabandha Highway at Tetulia's Bhajanpur to demonstrate.
Agitated workers attacked the police, when they intervened. Law enforcers charged batons, fired tear gas canisters and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters when several people were injured.
"The workers took to the streets as they were incited by business owners. Armed with sticks, they attacked members of police and RAB [Rapid Action Battalion] as well as hurled stones," Panchagarh's Superintendent of Police Yousuf Ali said.
He said that the workers even obstructed police from taking the injured to hospital.
"Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to bring the situation under control. The workers vandalised several police vehicle, when at least 11 law enforcers were injured," said the district police chief.
At least 30 people were taken to the state-run Panchagar Sadar Hospital in the district town from the scene, where 55-year-old worker Jumaruddin died.
"The cause of the death can't be said before an autopsy, but he was bleeding," said the hospital's Resident Medical Officer Siraz Uddin.