30 hurt in drug dealing turf war

At least 30 people, including many women and child bystanders, were found to have been injured yesterday as two alleged drug dealing Bihari groups intermittently pelted each other with brick chips as part of a turf war in the capital's Mohammadpur Geneva Camp.

A visit to the camp of stranded Pakistanis at noon revealed alleys and roads strewn with numerous brick chips. None has been detained by police till filing of this report last night.

Three victims took treatment at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital and local pharmacies, witnesses said.

One victim, Kamrunnessa, told The Daily Star that some 100 supporters of one Bhulu, alias Polu, on Wednesday night attacked areas where members of their rival group, led by one Anwar, reside.

Anwar's supporters put up resistance for some time before fleeing the scene while Bhulu's supporters set fire to a vegetable shop and many shops in a small market were looted, she said.

Several other Urdu-speaking residents of the camp who witnessed the incident said the situation became normal around 1:00pm yesterday and there was a delay in police response.

They said such clashes centring turf wars were frequent and police did at times conduct raids and made arrests.

SK Gulam Jilani, chairman of a Non-local Relief Committee, said Bhulu, once Anwar's accomplice, had tried setting up shop on Babar Road but was prevented a couple of weeks ago by Anwar's group, leading to a dispute.

A sub-inspector (investigation) of Mohammadpur Police Station, Jane Alam Munshi, claimed that a clash erupted around 11:30am yesterday and police, also falling victim at one point, brought the situation under control in around an hour.

The law enforcers raided the camp around 1:00pm yesterday and recovered knives and chunks of bricks, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Deputy Commissioner (Tejgaon Division) Wahiduzzman briefed journalists at the scene around 2:15pm.

The clash was a sequel to chases taking place on Wednesday, he said.