Joynal Abedin Khan :
At least five persons, including two old women, were kept confined in two abandoned buildings in the city’s Asad Gate New Colony area on Tuesday morning.
The victims persons did not get any cooperation from the authorities of Housing and Public Works Department when they requested for ‘reasonable time’ to leave the buildings.
The evicted residents claimed that the furniture and other goods and necessary things were thrown indiscriminately from the buildings with the help of local terrors and hired goons.
They also claimed that the country’s Apex Court instructed the authorities concerned not to evict or break the building Nos. 9, 13 and 15 in the colony of Asad Gate area under Mohammadpur Police Station of the capital till the disposal of the stay order. The Apex Court fixed January 21 for hearing on the stay-order.
But the Housing and Public Works Department conducted the eviction operation by violating the order of the country’s Apex Court,” they alleged.
A Rahim, witness of the incident, said that at least five persons were rescued from the building since Tuesday afternoon and they were admitted to some local hospitals. Shahidul Haider, resident of the building No 15, said that Housing and Public Works Department has started breaking of the buildings suddenly and they did not allow us time to remove their furniture and goods till 3:00pm to contain an ill motive.
“My 80-year-old mother and wife were confined in the building for four hours,” he said.
Jasim Uddin, Executive Magistrate who also led the eviction drive, rejected the allegation and said “The eviction operation was conducted in the morning and the residents were asked to vacate the buildings before 10:00am on Tuesday.”
He said that they conducted the drive to as per rules and regulations, but the dwellers did not cooperate.
Ziaur Rahman, Engineer of Sub-Division of Housing and Public Works Department, said that there was no legal bar.
Zamal Uddin Mir, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Mohammadpur Police Station said that police only helped the authorities concerned where two executive magistrates were present.
However, no causalities have been reported regarding the matter, the police official said.
