At least 30 people were injured in clashes between police and local residents during an eviction drive at a settlement in Mujgunni, Khulna, on Sunday morning (21 September). Police could not immediately confirm the identities of the injured.
According to the Housing Authority, around 200 families have been living on a two-acre land in Mujgunni’s Bastuhara Colony. The land was sold as residential plots back in 1987, but 42 buyers have yet to take possession even after 35 years. Following lengthy procedures, authorities launched an eviction drive on Sunday to hand over the land to its rightful owners.
Residents, however, resisted the drive by setting tires on fire and blocking the area with tree logs. After 10 am, police began a baton charge to disperse the crowd. In retaliation, locals hurled bricks at the police, forcing them to retreat. Police later responded with tear gas.
During the chaos, a bulldozer brought in for the eviction was vandalized. Locals insisted they would not allow eviction unless proper rehabilitation arrangements were made.
Khulna Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Tajul Islam said the eviction drive has been temporarily suspended by order of a magistrate. He added that several people, including the officer-in-charge of the local police station, were injured in the incident. “Further details will be shared later,” he noted.
