10 hurt, 20 vehicles vandalised as hawkers, police clash in Ctg
At least 10 people, including five policemen, were injured in a clash during an eviction drive in Chattogram's New Market area this afternoon.
The clash ensued when hawkers were protesting the mobile court drive by Chattogram City Corporation to evict them from roads and footpaths.
At least 20 vehicles were also vandalised.
"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.
One hawker named Nazim Uddin sustained a bullet injury and has been admitted to a hospital, Miran claimed.
Police, however, denied the allegation. 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.
Meanwhile, Miran claimed former CCC mayor AJM Nasir Uddin and former CCC administrator Khorshed Alam Sujan had earlier permitted hawkers to do business between 3:00pm and 11:00pm on working days and between 10:00am and 11:00pm on holidays.
Following a CCC census conducted a couple of years ago, it was decided that the port city's total 9,885 hawkers will be given ID cards from CCC to run businesses in designated locations, he said.
"Now these 9,885 hawkers have become unemployed," he added.
CCC Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury could not be reached for comments.
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