At least 40 residents, including women and children, of the Miranzillah Sweeper Colony in Old Dhaka were injured in an attack allegedly carried out on Wednesday by supporters of councillor of Ward 33 under the Dhaka South City Corporation Md Awal Hossain.
The residents said that Awal Hossain supporters attacked them at about 12:40pm in the presence of DSCC executive magistrate Md Moniruzzaman who, according to a notice issued by the city corporation on July 9, went there as part of a two-day drive to handover quarters allotted to south city corporation employees, including six Muslims, and 60 Hindu sweepers from the Harijan community.
At least four supporters of the ward councillor were also injured in the clash.
The clash began when the councillor and his supporters, accompanied by the magistrate, entered the colony and refused to leave as they were asked by the residents to do.
A five-judge bench, chaired by chief justice Obaidul Hassan, meanwhile on Wednesday, asked the south city authorities not to demolish the Miranzilla Harijan Sweepers Colony and evict its residents until it heard an appeal from the south city authorities.
July 11 has been set for the hearing of the appeal filed against a High Court order prohibiting eviction of the sweeper colony residents without their relocation.
The High Court also asked the government to explain in four weeks why the eviction of sweepers without their relocation and rehabilitation would not be declared illegal.
Defying, however, the June 13 High Court directive ordering the government and south city mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh not to evict the sweepers from their century-old Miranzilla Harijan Sweepers Colony in Bangshal until they were relocated and rehabilitated within 30 days, the south city wrote to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police requesting an adequate police force to conduct the eviction drive in the colony.
The notice, signed by south city corporation chief executive officer Md Mizanur Rahman, read that it requested police deployment at the colony in July 10鈥�11 as a group of sweepers not associated with the city corporation were interrupting the handover process.
South city executive magistrate Md Moniruzzaman told News Age that he neither knew about the drive nor was he aware of the councillor鈥檚 supporters accompanying him.
He added that he went to the colony to inquire about the gas, electricity and water connection problems.
Shima Datta, a member of the Miranzilla Harijan Colony Bhumi Raksha Committee who was present during the attack, said that at least 40 residents were injured.
Rehan Lal, a resident of the colony, said that at least 150 men wearing helmets and armed with sharp weapons, sticks, glass bottles and bricks attacked them.
Another resident, Tushar Das, said that the electricity and gas lines were cut off about 10 minutes before the attack and the services were restored after the police arrived at about 1:45pm.聽聽
Several residents alleged that they could not reach the police over telephone despite repeated attempts during the attack.
Bongshal Police officer-in-charge Moinul Islam told 抖阴精品, 鈥楾here was tension between the councillor and the colony residents regarding the drive. When the magistrate entered the colony with the councillor and his supporters, a clash occurred following a verbal exchange between the two parties.鈥�
When asked why the police arrived late at the scene, the officer said, 鈥楾he police were deployed for the security of DSCC mayor Taposh as he went to inspect a school in the area, as well as to Bangobazar and Chankhar Pool, where students had blocked the areas over quota protests.鈥�
No case was filed regarding the incident, he added.
Councillor Awal could not be reached for comment as an unidentified person answered the call saying that the councillor was busy in a meeting.聽
Meanwhile, tensions ran high in the colony as residents fear further attacks.
A resident of the colony Priti Rani said, 鈥榃e are constantly in fear of eviction. We don鈥檛 have any other place to live except this one. But we do not have any security here.鈥�
Dhaka Medical College Hospital police out-post in-charge Md Bachchu Mia told 抖阴精品 at least 20鈥�25 people injured in the clash took treatment at the hospital.
The injured who took treatment at the hospital were, among others, Mokbul Hossain, 50, former Juba League organising secretary of Ward 33, Md Naim,40, Awami League Asadgate unit member, Md Rubel, 38, and Rubel Gazi, 35.
The colony residents who received treatment were Shuvo Das,36, Karan, 22, Niranjan, 65, Niloy Das, 18, Ripon Das, 25, Ajoy Kumar, 22, Biru Das, 44, Sakal Das, 24, Monoj Kumar, 30, and Somir Das, 35.聽
Harijans, who were brought to the region by the British colonial administration to work as cleaners, alleged that mayor Taposh reassured them that only 20 houses would be demolished. But the corporation was now evicting at least 87 out of 400 families to expand the kitchen market located in the area.