MP's son 'grabs' land of 4 ship-breakers

A worker erects a fence around occupied land at a ship-breaking yard at Sitakunda in Chittagong yesterday.Photo: STAR

An Awami League lawmaker's son yesterday allegedly grabbed land of four ship-breaking yards along the coast of Sitakunda upazila.
SM Al Mamun, son of ruling AL lawmaker ABM Abul Kashem Master of Chittagong-3, encroached on the land and attached it to his under-construction ship-breaking yard.
Hired goons of Mamun also assaulted journalists, who were there to cover the land grabbing in the afternoon.
They beat up Prothom Alo reporter Pranab Baul, Samakal reporter Sekander Hossain and snatched away the camera of Prothom Alo photographer Rashed Mahmud.
Sources say about 200 men led by Mahmudul Hossain Manna appeared on the 10 acres of land owned by ship-breaking yards -- Pakija Enterprise, Asad Ship Cutting, Moslema Steel and Prime Steel -- in Kumira around 7:00am.
They started cooking in a vacation mood and side by side erected signboards and put up boundary fences around that land.
The signboards claim that the piece of land belongs to Mamun's under-construction Unique Ship-breaking Yard, witnesses say.
A tensed situation followed as men from other yards rushed there to protest the grabbing, but police intervened.
Acting Officer-in-Charge of Sitakunda police SI Bayes Alam said, "We have asked both the sides to come to the police station with their documents and settle the matter peacefully."
"We left the spot after things were under control. But trouble erupted again after journalists went there at around 2:30pm," the SI claims.
The assaulted journalists say they saw Mamun's younger brother Noman having meal with some 200 men on the spot.
"The Unique signboard was erected replacing others. When we reached there, they attacked us suddenly and took away our camera," said Pranab Baul.
"Mahmudul Hossain Manna intercepted us introducing them as Mamun's men," said Forkan Abu, president of Sitakunda Press Club.
Pakija Enterprise proprietor Sirajud Doula said the four yards have 10 acres of land with all necessary papers.
"Mamun's men removed our boundary fencing and signboards," said Sirajud Doula who alone owns five acres of land.
"Police remained inactive when the land was grabbed in their presence," he alleged. He said the situation came under control as a team of Rapid Action Battalion arrived at around 5:30pm.
Asked, Assistant Commissioner (Sitakunda Circle) Ruhul Amin Siddique said, "We have asked both the sides to come to us with documents. We'll try our best to solve the problem."
Mamun said his younger brother went there to demarcate and fence some small pieces of land they "bought" from different people on several occasions.
Land dispute with Pakija was settled earlier and there is no dispute with any other persons, he claimed.
On the gathering of a huge crowd, he said maybe the former owners went there with relatives to hand over the land we "bought" from them.
Asked about the assault on journalists, he said he doesn't know anything in this regard as he was in the city.
He however regretted if any of his men had attacked the journalists.