Staff Reporter :At least 150 people, including 10 police personnel, were severely injured when a three-hour long clash again broke out between the hawkers and the shop owners of Dhaka Trade Centre in the city’s Gulistan area on Friday. Of the injured, the Motijheel Division Deputy Commissioner Anwar Hossain was admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital in a critical condition instantly, said Tarique Bin Rashid, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Motijheel zone) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. The clash took place over evicting hawkers from the area around 11:00am. Shop owners of the centre had asked them to clear off the premises of the market ahead of Eid sales.”The clash continued for almost three hours ‘over setting up shops on footpath and road’. Police were compelled to fire teargas shells to bring the situation under control,” the ADC said.Police have also arrested 190 people from the area in this connection. They have been sent to jail following a court order in the afternoon, said Ehsanur Rahman, Assistant Commissioner (Motijheel Division). Vehicular movement halted during the clash in the area and its adjacent areas, the police official said. “The market will be closed for an indefinite period to avert any further untoward incident. The next decision would be taken after analysing the situation.” the AC said. Police had to use water canon, tear gas and rubber bullets to take control over the situation, he said.Police also have filed three cases in this connection, the police official said. “The vendors and the traders were having a discussion since morning on Friday. At one point, a shop owner and an employee were beaten by the hawkers. Then the shop owners along with the employees entered the market building and closed the collapsible gates of the market. They started to throw brick bats towards the hawkers, and the clash began.” the AC said. He said, “This is the second day that the hawkers and the shop owners of Dhaka Trade Centre clashed each other. The shop owners argue that they are having fewer customers because of those hawkers as the entrances of the market were almost blocked by them. But the hawkers demanded at least some places for their business.”Police fired several rounds of tear shells to control the clash that broke out in front of the Dhaka Trade Centre around 11:30am. Meanwhile, DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia visited the spot and told reporters that police would take action against the hawkers.But, the hawkers refused to leave the area and attacked the traders, forcing the latter to retaliate, the traders claimed.When contacted, Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokon did not receive the call after several times trying. One of traders of Dhaka Trade Centre Sohel Rana said, “The market’s committee members have asked the hawkers to leave the area. But the hawkers attacked them and the traders retaliated.” A hawker leader sought anonymity to tell The New Nation that over 100 hawkers were injured in the clash. “We run our businesses on the footpaths. Now it is Eid time. What do we do?”He expressed his willingness to reach an understanding with the shop owners. “Otherwise, we have to beg on the streets.” A shop owner seeking anonymity claimed that hundreds of shop owners have been arrested. “The police have chosen sides with hawkers.”Earlier, Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka Metropolitan Police conducted a drive against footpath-based hawkers in Gulistan area on Thursday.The clashes exploded on Thursday afternoon following an inspection by DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon the footpaths in Gulistan area that were cleared for pedestrians by evicting the hawkers.
