Miscreants attacked 10 families living on the bank of Bhodra River in Dumuriya upazila of Khulna yesterday leaving at least 15 people injured.
From 7am to 10am, 40/50 miscreants continued the attack with sharp local weapons vandalising homesteads and looting valuables, alleged members of the affected families who are currently living under sky.
With women and children around 40 people used to live in 15 homes around 200 yards away from the Dumuriya police station near the Bhodra trawler terminal.
Around 11am, Assistant Police Super Forhad Khan visited the spot.
He said: “If anyone claims the ownership of the land he should resolve the matter through court. Such attacks are illegal. On the other hand, I request the landless families to take lease of the land following government rules and legal procedures.”
More than 300 families currently reside on the land filled on part of the Bhodra River.
On behalf of the affected families, a man named Nazrul Islam filed a case in this connection accusing 30/40 people yesterday. Among them, he identified 14 people. Police arrested one Shahinuzzaman Sarder, member of the Dumuriya Union Parisad, following the complaint.
Abdul Hannan Sheikh, 67, member of an affected family, said around three months ago, a local man named Shimul Biswas threatened the landless people to leave the land. Yesterday Shimul and Habi, along with a group of men suddenly attacked the families.
“They drove me out of my house while I was having breakfast and hit me with a piece of wood on my back,” described Hannan.
He claimed that the land they were living on was khas land and that they had appealed for lease.
Leader of the landless people and former member of the Dumuriya Union Parishad Jahanara Begum said the miscreants had been threatening the families for the last one month.
“Today’s attacked was more heinous than the torture during 1971 Liberation War. Earlier we have informed about the threats to police several times. But police ordered the landless people to leave the place instead,” she said.
Shimul Biswas, claiming ownership of the land, said he had brought 50 decimal of land from a man named Faruq. Around 12 families used to live on the land.
“As I wanted to construct a building on the land I told the families to leave the place. Still, they were not leaving the place. The matter was informed to police and police also ordered the same. Still they did not listen so yesterday they were evicted,” said Shimul.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Assistant Commissioner (land) Md Rafiqul Hasan termed the attack on the landless people inhumane.
He added that the district commissioner had assured of helping the affected families with relief materials and money.