Villagers foil land grabbing bid in Lalmonirhat

Villagers foiled a local gang's attempt to grab 23 decimals of land of a family at Ananda Bazar village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila early hours yesterday.

Earlier on Friday morning, the alleged land grabbers assaulted six members including two women of the family when they were planting aman paddy on the land.

On February 28 in 2013, the same gang grabbed 15 decimals of lands owned by the family.

"Alam Miah, 42, son of late Abdul Mahmud, and his 40 to 50 cohorts of the same village made several attempts to grab the 23-decimal land of an innocent family from early hours to dawn on Saturday, but the attempt failed as the villagers guarded the land," Delowar Hossain, 45, of the village said.  

Dhaneshwar Chandra Robidas, 45, son of late Bachcha Ram Robidas, said he and his three brothers are legal owner of the 23-decimal land and they have been using it since their late father purchased it in 1977.

"We filed a case against land grabber Alam Miah and his cohorts with the court as they grabbed our 15 decimals of lands and built a house on it on February 28 in 2013," said Dhaneshwar's elder brother Bahadur Chandra Robidas, 55.

"The case is under trial, but the alleged land grabbers again tried to occupy our more 23 decimals of land last night. We foiled the bid with the help of villagers," he said.

Contacted, the alleged land grabbers' leader Alam Miah said, "We took possession of the land and built house on it on February 28 in 2013 as we are its legal owner as per the land survey report in 1962. We also tried to take possession of another piece of land early Saturday, but villagers prevented us."

He, however, did not reply why they tried to take possession of the land at dead of night.

A written complaint was lodged in this regard with Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station and police visited the spot, said Mahfuzur Rahman, officer in charge of Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station.

Legal step will be taken after investigation, he said.