Staff Reporter :
At least 20 people were injured, 10 of them received bullet injuries, when police opened fire and charged baton on the agitated hawkers and makeshift shop owners following a scuffle with a mobile court magistrate during an eviction drive in the city’s Banani area on Thursday.
Witnesses said, a mobile court, led by Dhaka North City Corporation [DNCC] Magistrate Mahbubur Rahman, launched an eviction drive at Banani DNCC Super Market around 11am.
The hawkers and makeshift shop owners became agitated when the mobile court went there to evict them.
Police and shopkeepers, however, gave contradictory statements over the matter.
Police said they carried out the magistrate’s order during the eviction of illegal establishments. They opened fire as per order of the magistrate when the situation went beyond control.
On the other hand, the makeshift owners alleged that the reason behind the eviction drive was nothing but ploy to extort money.
Mahmudul Hasan Azad, General Secretary of the makeshift shop owners’ association of the market, said: “I wanted to see the order about the eviction. But they did not listen; instead the magistrate began harassing me. At one stage, the magistrate ordered the police to shoot.”
“The police also fired several shots inside the super market,” he added.
Banani police, however, denied the shooting and said the clash left some people injured.
“A magistrate of a mobile court and shop keepers locked in an altercation as the magistrate came to evict some illegal shops on the footpaths in front of the Super Market,” Zakir Hossain, Sub-Inspector of Banani Police Station, said.
Of the bullet-hit persons, Rana, Halim, Mintu, Jamal, Mozammel, Alamgir, Khokon, and Arif were rushed to Kurmitola General Hospital. Others were taken to nearby private clinics.
Later, Alamgir Hossain, 35, Jamal Hossain, 30, Mintu Sarkar, 28, Abdul Halim, 35, were admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) when their condition deteriorated.
Officer-in-Charge of Banani Police Station Bhuiyan Mahbubur Rahman said, “A city corporation mobile court went on a drive to remove illegal establishments at Banani while the shop owners obstructed them and locked into clash.”
None was arrested and no case was filed in this connection till 9pm.
Meanwhile, the newly elected mayor of DNCC, Annisul Hoque, went to the spot in the afternoon to know the reason behind the clash.
“It is unexpected. As a general people, I think that shooting on people cannot be an answer to solve any crisis,” he told the reporters.
