5 RAB men among 13 hurt in clash with Ctg tea garden workers

Eight tea garden workers and five members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) were injured when a clash ensued between law enforcement and workers during a raid at a tea garden in Chattogram's Fatikchhari upazila.

"Of the injured, RAB officer Flight Lieutenant Niaz Mohammad Chapal who suffered head injuries after being hit with lethal weapons, was initially taken to Chattogram Combined Military Hospital (CMH) and then sent to Dhaka CMH by RAB air ambulance," said Lieutenant Colonel MA Yusuf, Commanding Officer of Rab-7.

"On a tipoff, RAB went to Baromasia Tea Garden in Bhujpur on Monday night to raid an illegal liquor factory in the tea garden. RAB detained the liquor factory owner, Somoy Biplob. When they were returning with Somoy, a gang of drug peddlers swooped down on the RAB with lethal weapons, injuring five of our personnel," he said.   

The other injured RAB staff, Abdus Salam, Mostafizur Rahman, Shaheen Alam, and Mominul Hossain, were given first aid at the Fatikchhari upazila health complex.

Baromasia Tea Garden workers say that during the clash, plainclothes RAB men fired gunshots to bring the situation under control, leaving eight workers injured. Angry workers then ransacked two RAB vehicles.

On information, a police team from Bhujpur police station rushed to the spot and took the injured to hospital.

Rejecting allegations of firing on tea workers, Lt Colonel MA Yusuf said, "Workers, instigated by drug dealers, swooped down on law enforcement.  We have video footage and the drive is on to nab the primary culprits responsible for the incident."

Additional Superintendent of Police (Hathazari Circle), Shahdat Hossain, and Bhujpur police station officer in charge (OC), Helal Uddin, visited the clash site.

Despite multiple phone calls, Baromasia Tea Garden manager Md Shamim could not be reached for comment.