Cutting Water Body Dyke in Rangpur
Police take fish farm's case while turn villagers down
Authorities of an agricultural farm has lodged a case with Pirganj police station against 30 people of Khearpara village under Mithapukur upazila in connection with the November 22 incident of cutting embankment at the Mithpukur end of Chatra Beel, a large water body in adjoining Pirganj upazila.
During the incident, ansars at Chatra Beel fired at the villagers, causing injuries to seven of them but Mithapukur police did not accept their case in this regard, alleged the affected villagers of Khearpara.
Over forty others also sustained Injuries as men of the owners of the farm attacked them.
Bishwanath, manager of Rabea and Raida Agro Complex Ltd, lodged the case accusing 30 people of Khearpara adjoining Chatra Beel on Saturday, Officer-in-Charge of Pirganj police station Jahangir Alam said.
The villagers with sharp weapons attacked director of the project Fazlul Hoque Bachchu and a team of 20 ansars who were on duty for security at the water body, goes the case statement.
They removed an embankment across the beel and looted fish worth Tk 1.22 crore on
November 22, it adds.
The accused villagers have been on the run to avoid arrest.
Sazzad Hossain Saju, a resident of Khearpara, alleged that Mithapukur police station did not agree to record their case although ansar men fired 25 rounds of bullets on the villagers, causing injuries to several of them.
Admitting that residents of four adjoining villages removed a portion of the embankment allegedly built by the management of Rabea and Raida Agro Complex across Chatra Beel, the affected villagers said the management of the complex lodged seven cases against 200 villagers of Khearpara since 2004.
When asked about the allegation of not receiving the villagers' case, officer-in-charge of Mithapukur police station Altab Hossain said, "None of the affected villagers came to lodge any case in connection with Chatra Beel incident."
Asked if police themselves can lodge a case when a firing incident takes place, Superintendent of Police Saleh Mohammad Tanvir said, "The deputy commissioner has formed a committee for an executive enquiry to detect whether the ansar members opened fire under necessity without the permission of a magistrate."
"The enquiry has already begun and it would take time to prepare the report," said Mithapukur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Saiful Islam.
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