15 injured in Ctg hawkers-cop clash

Staff Reporter :
At least 15 people, including five policemen, were injured and about 20 vehicles were vandalized in a clash during an eviction drive in Chattogram’s New Market area on Monday afternoon.

The clash occurred when hawkers were protesting the mobile court drive by Chattogram City Corporation to evict them from roads and footpaths.

At the time, one hawker named Nazim Uddin sustained a bullet injury and has been admitted to a hospital
Earlier, “The mobile court sentenced three hawkers to one month’s jail each and a hawker leader Md Masum to six months’ jail.

This agitated the hawkers and led to the clash. Police personnel charged batons and then opened fire upon the magistrate’s instruction to disperse the hawkers,” alleged Miran Hossain, president of Chattogram Sammilito Hawkers’ Association.

In this regard, SM Obaidul Haque, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said police opened fire to bring the situation under control, but no one sustained bullet injuries.

“Five policemen were injured from brickbats thrown by hawkers,” he added.

Contacted, CCC executive engineer Chaiti Sarbabidya said, “We were conducting drives to evict hawkers from roads and footpaths, but they obstructed the drive and started hurling brickbats.”

“We were compelled to instruct police to open fire to disperse them,” she added.