Grameenphone, a unit of Telenor in Bangladesh, has allegedly attacked former employees staging a demonstration at the mobile network operator’s head office on Tuesday.

Police have arrested 11 protesters in front of GP House in the capital.

“Police launched a brutal attack on the peaceful Grameenphone workers’ movement, which is a blatant exposure of Telenor and Grameenphone’s authoritarian character,” stated the terminated employees under the banner of the Grameenphone Terminated and Rights-Deprived Workers Unity Council.

The demonstrators announced a 72-hour programme demanding the reinstatement of their jobs and other benefits. “We continue to protest, demanding a 5 percent share of the company’s profits, delay penalties, and reinstatement of our jobs. GP authorities have previously misled us, falsely promising a meeting with the protesters,” said one agitator to Daily Sun, requesting anonymity.

Bhatara Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mazharul Islam confirmed the arrests, stating, “We detained them for staging a protest at GP House.”

The protesters accused police, led by OC Mazhar, of attacking innocent workers with water cannons, calling it a “heinous example of corporate slavery.”

Among the detainees were three women and eight men, with names including Sumon, Meherul, Jahidur, Prince, Arup Prasad, Rony, Sarwar Jahan, and Shah Alam, according to sources.

“Water cannons were fired at peaceful demonstrators, they were baton-charged, and 11 workers— including three female colleagues—were recklessly arrested. Many were beaten severely and dragged into police vans,” the protesters’ statement added. Citing Article 37 of the Constitution of Bangladesh, which guarantees the right to peaceful assembly, the statement further accused Grameenphone and Telenor of disregarding constitutional rights in favour of “corporate fascism.”

Grameenphone issued a statement on Tuesday similar to previous ones, avoiding mention of attack and arrests.

“For the past few months, some former employees have been gathering in front of GP House, raising various demands relating to employment and benefits. To our knowledge, most of them separated from Grameenphone long ago and have received their lawful entitlements,” the statement read.

The company claimed that the demands raised are subject to legal proceedings in court. “Grameenphone has high regard for the judicial system, and legal matters will be resolved through court proceedings. While we respect the right to peaceful assembly, these individuals have illegally blocked the entry and exit points of our premises on multiple occasions.” The statement also justified the presence of law enforcement, claiming their deployment was necessary to protect individuals and property.