Valuable land properties of minority owners were dispossessed during early hours of Sunday and Monday allegedly by the cadres of influential land grabbers.
The police at Rahamatpur area under Barisal airport police station were informed about the grabbing attempts, but the law enforcers remained inactive, the panicked local minority community members alleged.
Local influential land grabbers Hossain Hawladar and Ripon Hawladar with a gang of armed people forcibly occupied 22 decimals of land owned by betel leaf planter Shanti Ranjan Mitra during early hours of Sunday and Monday.
Gopal Mitra, betel leaf planter and nephew of Shanti Mitra, said they owned 1.02 acres of land through inheritance after the government allotted them the property many years ago as landless betel leaf planting families near the Rahamatpur Khal of Rahamatpur Bandar under the then Babuganj and present Barisal airport police stations.
Gopal added: “Land grabbers led by Hossain Hawladar and Ripon Hawladar tried to grab our land by preparing false documents of auction and filed a case in 1992. However, the court rejected their plea and gave the judgment in favour of us in 2008.
The grabbers then filed an appeal against the verdict of the lower court but were ordered to maintain statuesque till the disposal of the case.”
However, the grabbers cordoned off a portion of the disputed land with a fence and also constructed a shop on that land on August 25 and 26 nights.
Local minority people said they informed Barisal airport police station about the grabbing attempts violating the statuesque. Police Sub Inspector Monir visited the spot four-times ensuring us about providing safety and security of our lives and properties, local minority people claimed.
Gopal said: “When we informed the police about the grabbing activities by armed cadres of the grabbers on Monday night, police assured us about sending the patrol team immediately. However, the police remained indifferent till this report and the grabbers completed their criminal offences.”
Hossain Hawladar, alleged land grabber, however claimed deputy commissioner allotted that land to them as river erosion affected landless family.
“As we were busy during day-time earning livelihoods, so my men worked at night on the land allotted to us,” explained Hossain.
Md. Shamsuddin, commissioner of Barisal Metropolitan Police (BMP), said he will investigate about the violation of statuesque and the inaction of police to ensure the safety and security of the lives and properties of minority community.
BMP commissioner also asked the minority community land owners to come to his office with related documents.
A team of Bangladesh Hindu-Buddha- Christian Oikya Parishad (BHBCOP) Barisal unit visited the spot on Tuesday to prepare a report for the central committee and various authorities, informed Suranjit Dutta Litu, city secretary of BHBCOP.
“The BHBCOP also called for interference of the Prime Minister to ensure the safety and security of the minority community and their life and properties,” said advocate Hiran Kumar Das Mithu, district president of BHBCOP.