Dozens of people including law enforcement members were injured in intermittent clashes between police and stranded Bihari residents at Geneva Camp in Mohammadpur area of Dhaka.
At least 15 to 20 police members have been injured in the clashes. The Bihari people also vandalized a police van, said police.
Few Biharis were also injured, at least one critically, as police fired tear shells and rubber bullets.
At least seven Bihari people have been detained in connection with the incident, said Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Anisur Rahman of Tejgaon division under Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
Police raided houses and business establishments at the Geneva Camp lanes and was seen firing shots after 3 pm, this correspondent reported from the spot.
The remains of the vandalized police van in the area of the clash in Mohammadpur Geneva Camp in Dhaka on Saturday, October 5, 2019 Mahmud Hossain Opu/ Dhaka Tribune
Though, at the early moment of the raid, Bihari threw brick-chips. But when police started pursuing them, the whole camp went vacant. Shops and houses were closed, almost everybody hid inside their houses.
Tear shells and rubber bullets miss the mark injuring Md Roky Hossein badly
Md Roky Hossein, 22, a Bihari whose eye was severely injured was sent to Dhaka Medical College &Hospital [DMCH].
Mousumi Sultana, medical officer of DMCH said: “One of his eyes came outside of the socket. We will be able to comment more about the condition of the patient after conducting a few more tests.”
Roky Hussain’s family alleged that police fired tear shells and rubber bullets at them and one of the tear shells hit Roky in the eye.
Bihari residents said they took position on Gaznabi Road peacefully around 12:30 pm yesterday demanding uninterrupted power supply, as they have been suffering immensely due to frequent power cuts for days.
They alleged that police suddenly started charging batons on them as supporters of a local ward councillor instigated the law enforcement members.
Hridoy, one of the Bihari protestors, claimed several of them were injured in the police attack.
The agitated Bihari people set tyres and other objects on fire and hurled brickbats at the police, while police lobbed tear gas shells to disperse them.
The intermittent clashes triggered panic among the residents of adjacent areas.
A huge number of law enforcers along with Rapid Action Battalion [RAB], were deployed in the area to maintain law and order.
Reason behind clash
The Biharis claimed there were frequent power cuts in the camp for the last one month, driving people and children sick.
When asked, Bikash Dewan, managing director of Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC), told the Dhaka Tribune that Tk 32 to 33 crore electricity bill has been due from Bihari camp.
“Earlier, the electricity bill was paid by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. But after the Bihari got their citizenship the ministry is not willing to pay the bill anymore,” he informed.
Agitated Bihari residents buring wooden furniture at the Mohammadpur Geneva camp in Dhaka on Saturday, October 5, 2019 Mahmud Hossain Opu/ Dhaka Tribune
“We received the bill for the last time in 2017. But now the ministry is saying that Biharis got the citizenship of Bangladesh and now the ministry will not pay their (Biharis) electricity bills anymore,” he said.
DPDC held a meeting with Biharis last week and sent them a notice also, he said, “but they refused to pay.”
One of the Biharis, Asma, said: “We will not pay the bill as we have not paid the bill for the last 50 years [from 1971 when they got stuck in Bangladesh].”
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Anisur Rahman said the Biharis were protesting for the last few days.
Police officials in pursuit of the agitated Bihari residents during the clash at Mohammadpur Geneva Camp in Dhaka on Saturday, October 5, 2019 Mahmud Hossain Opu/ Dhaka Tribune
“[Today] they suddenly went violent. Then in retaliation, we were bound to fire tear shells and rubber bullets at them,” he said.
Police said they will file several cases over hindering police activities, vandalizing police car and so on against the Biharis.
About Bihar camp
Geneva Camp in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur is a colony of the stranded Pakistanis who migrated to the then East Pakistan from the Indian state of Bihar during the partition of 1947.
This camp is one of more than 60 camps in Bangladesh since former East Pakistan emerged as an independent country in 1971.
Some 300,000 Urdu-speaking Biharis live in Bangladesh.
Our DMCH correspondent Aminul Islam Babu also contributed to the story.