The slum in Kalyanpur area has allegedly been set on fire by some people, a day after the Housing and Building Research Institute officials conducted eviction drive at the slum.
Fire broke out at the slum, locally known as Pora Bosti, around 9:55am Friday.
Four units from the fire service went to the spot and doused the blaze around 12:15pm.
Locals claimed that the fire was instigated to oust them from the area.
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Slum resident Ayesha Begum said: “A group of people entered my house in the morning and when I asked them about their identities, they pushed me and set my house one fire.
“They had tied their heads with red clothes. The same type of clothes that were tied to the heads of the labourers of Housing and Public Works ministry who had come to the slum yesterday [Thursday] for the eviction drive.”
Another dweller Joinal Mia also alleged that some people tried to set his room on fire around 11pm Thursday.
At least 50 to 60 shanties burnt in slum no 8 while two to three shanties gutted in slum no 10.
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The slum dwellers said electricity and water supply remained disconnected there since Wednesday.
Earlier in the morning, Mirpur SI Masud Parvez said: “The fire rangers went to the spot but could not start their work as the dwellers were not allowing them to enter the slum.
However, the locals claimed that the supporters of local MP Aslam were not allowing the fire rangers to work.
An eviction drive was conducted in the slum on Thursday that mounted tension in the area.
The nine slums in Dhaka's Kalyanpur area cover some 50 acres of land and are home to around 22,000 people.
After the drive on Thursday, the High Court directed the government to halt the eviction and issued a stay order on the drive for three months.