Residents of Dhamoirhat upazila in Naogaon staged a human chain on Wednesday to protest Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shahriar Rahman and Municipal Engineer Abdur Salam’s alleged assault of a pregnant woman.”
Following the protest in front of the upazila premises, demonstrators staged a sit-in, prompting police to arrive and restore order.
Speakers at the event said a municipal garbage truck had dumped waste in the residential area of Mangolkotha, triggering verbal disputes between the upazila administration, municipal staff, and residents.
Locals claimed that around 11am on Tuesday, UNO Shahriar Rahman and Municipal Engineer Abdur Salam went to the site, where another altercation occurred. During the incident, the UNO allegedly assaulted Abdul Kuddus’s pregnant wife, Mst Mitu Akhter, and Habibur Rahman’s wife, Mst Samiron.
Samiron said during the human chain: “When municipal staff came to dump garbage, we, the residents, informed the UNO about the problem in our living area. Despite this, without listening to us, he himself beat me and Mitu with sticks. We, the residents, demand the UNO’s removal and his strict punishment.”
UNO Shahriar Rahman, however, denied knowledge of the alleged assault. He said the locals had behaved badly towards him and municipal staff when they went to dispose of the waste.
Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Awal said municipal cleaners had been obstructed and verbally abused while dumping waste on a vacant khas land. “When the UNO, municipal staff, and Ansar men went to the site, some illegal occupants, men and women, created disorder and laid hands on the laborers and Ansar men,” he added.
He also claimed that after the UNO left the site, some illegal occupants falsely accused him of assaulting women and staged a human chain at the Upazila Parishad gate.
The matter was later resolved through mediation by upazila parishad officials, local dignitaries, and the district administration, the DC said.
