Hours after the New Market area in Chittagong turned into a battleground as clashes erupted during an anti-encroachment drive, the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) has filed a case naming 11 people among 1,200 accused.
Meanwhile, the police lodged a separate case as five members of the law enforcement agency were attacked during the brawl that took place nearly 1km west of the Kotwali police station on Monday afternoon.
None of the accused could be arrested as of 8pm on Tuesday.
Hawkers say they demanded proper rehabilitation as the raid affected them after they had already invested crores ahead of Ramadan, the peak season of their business.
Bench assistant Abu Zafar Chowdhury of the CCC Executive Magistrate’s Office filed one of the cases under the Law and Order Disruption (Speedy Trial) (Amendment) Act 2019 at the police station around 4am yesterday, said its officer-in-charge (OC), Obaidul Haque.
The named accused are Chittagong Metropolitan Hawkers’ Samity General Secretary Masum, its president Miron Hossain Milon, joint general secretary Shah Alam Bhuiyan, Chittagong Footpath Hawkers’ Samity President Nurul Alam Ledu, its general secretary Jasim Mia, Chittagong Metropolitan Hawkers’ Samity members Shahin Ahmad and Nur Mohammad, Chittagong Hawkers’ League former president Rishi Biswas, its general secretary Harunur Rashid Roni, and hawker leaders Tareq Haider and Sohel.
The clashes ensued when the CCC started a mobile court raid to remove illegal structures erected by hawkers on the footpaths and even on parts of the roads in the New Market and Station Road areas.
In the middle of the raid, the hawkers in great numbers appeared, chanting slogans against the drive and demanding it be stopped.
When the mobile court led by CCC Executive Magistrate Chaiti Sarbabidya was heading for New Market after conducting a raid in the Station Road area near Chittagong Railway Station around 3:30pm, the hawkers started pelting brick chips at them. The agitating hawkers also vandalized several vehicles, including four belonging to the city corporation.
After the police tried to disperse them, the latter attacked them too. At least five policemen and two CCC staff members were injured in a series of chases and counter-chases.
Attesting to Monday’s tense situation, Chaiti said: “We carried out the raid as the hawkers kept occupying the area despite our actions.”
The clashes turned so severe that the CCC team was forced to take shelter in a public toilet adjacent to the railway station.
Chaiti herself was injured in a leg while the two CCC employees suffered serious head and waist injuries.
When asked about the accused yesterday, OC Obaidul said they were trying to arrest them.
The police finally calmed down the nearly hour-long violence after firing rubber bullets and hurling tear gas shells.
In the meantime, Milon Hossain, president of Chittagong Hawkers’ Federation, said many hawkers were injured in the police action.
“One of them lost an eye in police firing while another is being treated at the ICU of a Chittagong hospital after being shot in the head,” claimed Milon.
Demanding rehabilitation of the evicted hawkers, Chittagong Footpath Hawkers’ Samity President Nurul Alam Ledu on Monday said they were peacefully protesting the drive.
“The magistrate fined some of the hawkers. That’s why we marched peacefully to protest the fine. But our procession was attacked following the magistrate’s order, leaving at least 10 of our hawkers injured,” he said.
He said those who attacked the police were “outsiders”.
Earlier, the CCC evicted hawkers on February 8 and recovered 1km of occupied footpaths in the New Market and Station Road areas. But the hawkers again started business occupying the space, leading to the mobile court drive.