Eviction drive in Mirpur 11: Contempt of court plea filed against Mayor Atiqul, 6 others

A contempt of court petition has been filed with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Atiqul Islam and six others for conducting an eviction drive in Dhaka's Mirpur 11.

The other accused are DNCC Chief Estate Officer Mozammel Haque, Chief Engineer Brig Gen Aminul Islam, DMP Commissioner Shafiqul Islam, its Deputy Commissioner (Mirpur zone) Mahtab Uddin, DNCC Ward 5 Councillor Abdur Rauf, and Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Mirpur police station Kazi Wazed Ali.

The petition was filed on Sunday by Maqsood Alam, general secretary of the Urdu-Speaking Youth-Student Movement, and Md Jibon and Nader Islam Annu, its vice-presidents, reports Bangla Tribune.

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The petition also sought compensation of Tk34 crore for the Biharis – former Pakistan citizens who were stranded after the 1971 Liberation War – over the eviction drive.

Sayed Mahbubur Rahman, representing the petition, said that the DNCC had earlier tried to evict the Bihari camp in Mirpur. 

“On November 23 last year, we had applied to the Appellate Division, seeking an injunction on eviction drives against the camp. Following the application, the court had directed all the parties concerned to maintain the apex court’s chamber judge's order of status quo on eviction activities till May 2, 2021,” the lawyer added.

“But by disobeying the Supreme Court’s order, on January 21, the DNCC conducted eviction drives at the Mirpur Bihari camp,” said Mahbubur, adding, “And this is why the contempt of court petition has been filed against them.”