20 hurt in clash between foresters, land grabbers
At least 20 persons were injured yesterday in a clash between land grabbers and Forest Department employees who came to free their land at Kewa in Sreepur forest from the illegal occupiers.
Sreepur forest bit officer Samir Ranjan Saha, 30, was critically injured in the clash and was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Police arrested four injured land grabbers--Khoka, Qaiyum, Kalam and Shafiqul--when they went to Sreepur Upazila Health Complex.
Sreepur Forest Range officer Mokhlesur Rahman said the illegal occupants swooped on the Forest Department staff when the latter went to Kewa of Sreepur forest in Gazipur to demolish illegal establishments.
The Forest Department had notified the land grabbers about the demolition drive, he added.
Eight persons were injured when the forest officials opened four-five rounds of fire in defence. The attackers damaged three motorbikes of the Forest Department, Mokhlesur said.
Occupants Mojammel, Sharifa and Jamila said the piece of land has been under their occupation for a long time and that a case is pending with the court for gazette revision as the land is included in the gazette of the Forest Department.
They claimed that they were not notified about the demolishing and that the Forest Department staff opened fire when the occupants tried to resist them.
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