Traders clash with market developer's men
Several hundred traders in the city's Nilkhet area yesterday clashed with the hired men of a developer company, which attempted to evict some 670 traders for constructing a multi-storeyed building.
After the clash, the traders staged demonstrations putting barricades on the roads in the area for over an hour and kept the market closed for the day. At least five traders and security guards were injured in the fight.
Witnesses said around 300 men hired by Al Hasan development Ltd gathered in Islamia Market Bonik Bahumukhi Samabai Samiti market area around 5:30am and pulled off its signboard.
According to witnesses, when the market's security guards tried to resist them, the cadres beat them and snatched the keys of the market office.
On information that the real estate company was going to occupy the land by evicting all the 670 shops, the traders rushed to the place and tried to restrain them.
Sources said Khairul Hasan Khokon of Kalabagan, proprietor of the company, claims ownership of the 46-decimal land referring to a purchase agreement with its "owner" and he will build a multi-storied building there.
But Faruk Ahmed Mintu, a joint secretary of the market committee, said the committee had leased the piece of land from government about 30 years ago.
"The developer company has been claiming its ownership since last month and trying to grab it illegally evicting all the traders," Mintu said.
AM Kamrul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Nilkhet Police Station, said, "Around 200 hired people removed the market signboard and clashed with the traders."
On the land, he said, "I am not sure whether the land is a government property or owned by anybody else."
Khokon, however, could not be reached despite several attempts.
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