7 suffer bullet injuries during clash over extracting soil from Sangu River
At least seven people suffered bullet wounds during a clash between local farmers and SS Dredger, over the latter's equipment taking up the farmers' land from Sangu river this morning at Tulatoli village under Charati union of Chattogram's Satkania upazila.
SS Dredger is a company contracted by the Water Development Board to extract soil from the Sangu river.
The injured were identified as Abdul Malek (50), Nurul Hasan (51), Abu Taher (38), Md Manik (20), Fayez Ahmed (62), Md Kawsar (20), and Ruhul Amin (60), our Chattogram correspondent reports quoting Assistant Sub-Inspector Alauddin Talukder of CMCH Police Camp.
They are now undergoing treatment at Chattogram Medical College Hospital.
Tayan Kumar Tripura, executive engineer of Water Development Board, Chattogram, said they gave the contract to SS Dredger for dredging the river and the deadline of the work is June 22 next year.
Local farmers have alleged that SS Dredger has been assembling dredging materials on their field for months without their consent to dredge the river.
The owners of the field, mainly farmers of the village, have been protesting but the contracting company allegedly did not listen to them and instead contacted politically influential people to handle the matter.
Locals alleged that that Ruhullah Chowdhury, brother-in-law of Awami League lawmaker from Chattogram-15 (Satkania) constituency Abu Reza Muhammad Nezamuddin Nadvi, led the attack on the farmers.
The Daily Star tried to contact Ruhullah Chowdhury for his comment over phone but it was found switched off.
However, he reportedly told the local journalists that he was not involved in the incident.
Locals said Ruhullah introduced himself as the general secretary of Charati unit of Bangabandhu Parishad.
The farmers had earlier submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner of Chattogram on September 12 informing him about the matter following which the AC Land of the upazila was scheduled to visit the spot today in a bid to consult with both sides, said local people.
Ahead of the visit, farmers gathered there around 10:30am in the morning but the contractor's men asked them to go back. When they did not go back, they were attacked by the contractor's "hired" men with firearms, local farmers said.
Seven people with bullet injuries were admitted to the Surgery ward of CMCH. According to a doctor in the ward, health condition of one of the injured Nurul Hasan was critical while the other injured were out of danger but they need inclusive treatment at the hospital.
Injured Taher, a farmer by profession told The Daily Star that the contractor company did not talk to them before placing dredging materials on their field.
"We cannot cultivate our lands. We protested but the company officials did not pay any heed to us rather they contracted local politically influential people to occupy our land forcibly."
"We submitted a memorandum to the DC and the AC land was supposed to come to talk to us today. In a bid to foil this programme, the contractor's hired goons attacked on us with firearms," he said.
Preferring anonymity, an injured person alleged that the attack was conducted by Ruhullah Chowdhury.
Anwar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Satkania Police Station, said on information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
Asked who conducted the attack, the OC said they were investigating the matter.
Mehedi Hasan, site supervisor of SS Dredger said, "We did not have any involvement in the incident. We had just 15 to 20 labourers at the site. How would they attack scores of locals? That too with firearms?"
"So far I have heard, two groups of politically involved locals locked in clash over supremacy," Mehedi Hasan added.
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