Tea estate attacked for control of disputed land
25 including six policemen hurt in Tentulia clash
The office of Kazi and Kazi Tea Estate at Rawshanpur in Tentulia upazila under Panchagarh district lies vandalised after an armed group attacked the office over taking control of a disputed land yesterday. Photo: STAR
At least 25 people were injured in a clash between two rival groups at Rawshanpur village in Tentulia upazila of Panchagarh yesterday over taking control of a disputed land. A group of attackers also vandalised Kazi and Kazi Tea Estate's office and badly damaged its furniture and vehicles. Officer in-charge (OC) of Tentulia police station Mahbub U1 Alam told this correspondent over cell phone that several hundred people, equipped with sticks, iron rods and locally made sharp weapons attacked the tea estate early yesterday. Led allegedly by chairman of Buraburi Union Parishad Md Kamruzzaman alias Kamu, they entered the estate area by cutting barbed wire fence and then damaged furniture, doors, windows of the office and looted valuables. During the attack, manager operation Sohel Rana, Engineer Abu Shaheen, Dr Abdullah, officials Shajedur Rahman, Shahidur Rahman and some employees were injured. On information, police went to the spot and fired 42 rubber bullets to bring the situation under control. The attackers also hurled stones at police, leaving six of them, including OC Mahbub Ul Alam, inspector (investigation) Havibur Rahman, sub-inspector Ali Reza, constables Liton Chandra Roy, Milon Sarkar, Saiful Islam injured. UP chairman Kamruzzaman Kamu, however, refuted the allegation and claimed that police and tea estate men attacked on the villagers. "We didn't attack or vandalised the office. We just went to take possession of our land but the hired people of Kazi and Kazi Tea Estate attacked us with the help of police," he said. Tea estate general manager (GM land) Abu Hafiz told this correspondent that although a case was pending with court on the land dispute, the chairman's men attacked and damaged the estate's properties. In the afternoon, deputy commissioner Tofazzol Hossain Mian, superintendent of police Shahreer Rahman, TNO of Tentulia Prioshindhu Talukdar visited the spot and urged locals to maintain peace in the area. Meanwhile, during the clash at the estate, a third group, allegedly led by local UP member Mohiuddin alias Mohi, took control of a market owned by UP chairman Kamruzzaman at Shalbahan in the same upazila. The group vandalised and looted shops having around 50 shops. The attack was a sequel to a long-standing conflict between the UP chairman and the member, locals said.
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