Clash Over Hawker Eviction: 3 cops among 15 hurt in Ctg

At least 15 people, including three policemen, were injured in a clash between police and hawkers in Chittagong's New Market area over an eviction drive yesterday.

According to witnesses, when police went to evict them from a street in the area around 3:30pm, hawkers chased them and hurled brick chips at them.  

Police then made a counter chase, fired rubber bullets and teargas shells to bring the situation under control. 

When police went to tell the hawkers not to sit on the street, which created a hindrance to public movement, they attacked the police, said Jashim Uddin, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station. 

Three policemen were wounded as the hawkers hurled brick chips at them, he claimed, adding that they detained nine hawkers from the spot. 

Miran Hossain Milon, president of Chittagong Sammilita Hawkers' Federation, claimed that some 10 to 15 hawkers were injured as police beat them up and also fired rubber bullets. 

He, however, could not ascertain whether any of the hawkers was hit by rubber bullets. 

Police had evicted the hawkers, who used to do business sitting on drain and footpath in the New Market area, on the second day of Ramadan, he said.

He added that the hawkers sat there again yesterday.

Miran said for the last couple of days, they had been demanding that police allow them to run their business there 10 days ahead of Eid.