Outsourcing employees of the Barapukuria coal mine in Parbatipur, Dinajpur, formed a one-hour human chain in front of the mine's main gate on Sunday morning (October 4, 2026). They protested against alleged illegal recruitment processes, financial corruption by the recruitment committee favoring handpicked candidates, and the denial of permanent jobs to experienced workers who have served for 20-25 years.

Protesters highlighted that under a May 15, 2009 agreement, locals who lost homesteads, agricultural lands, and ancestral properties due to mine acquisition were promised relaxed government policies for employment.

They demanded the immediate implementation of High Court Writ Petition No. 1288/2018, which ruled in favor of permanent recruitment for petitioners, and threatened to lay siege to the mine if arbitrary recruitment attempts continue.