Violence ensues during eviction drive by Barisal BCC, 13 injured, 5 arrested

The police fired some hundred rounds of rubber bullets to bring the situation under control. 5 people were arrested. Barisal City Corporation’s Executive Magistrate Imtiaz Muhammad Jewel told reporters that some of their own members were injured during the clash. He said there will be another eviction drive after a follow-up decision is made. The Officer-in charge (OC) of Kaunia Thana Police, Md. Selim Reza told reporters that the Barisal City Corporation (BCC) authorities, with the help of the police, carried out the drive in Kaunia Bscic Bottola area. Illegal occupants of the area resisted the eviction efforts at first and when that failed to stop the eviction, they began to throw rocks. In order to bring the situation under control the police charged with batons, armed police battalion fired 49 rounds of bullets, Kaunia thana police fired 13 rounds, and Police Lines members fired 51 rounds. A total of 5 members of the law enforcement were injured, 3 of them were Rezaul, Asad, and Sumon from the police and two from the armed police battalion. A civilian named Mainul Islam who was present at the scene has been admitted to Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital after a rubber bullet got lodged in his leg. The five arrested for their involvement in the attack are Delowar, Wahidul, Shah Alam, Abdul Khalek and Shahidul Islam. An officer in charge at the Kaunia thana said that the situation is now under control and that additional law enforcement has been brought in to prevent any further commotion. BCC employees have informed reporters that the BCC’s security super Nikor Chandra Das, R.I. Sajjad, Sohel Khan, Imran Hossain, Mehedi Khan, Anowar, Salauddin, Mostafiz, and bulldozer driver Mohiuddin Ahmad have been severely injured after being beaten. A resident named Yassir Arafat said, “This is our land and we are being wrongfully evicted by the city corporation. We will not give up our right.” Barisal Metropolitan Police Deputy Police Commissioner (North) Md. Habibur Rahman has said, “We were compelled to fire rubber bullets as BCC workers and members of the police came under attack.”