Bakkhali river eviction enters fourth day: Another case filed against 400 amid protests
Eviction drives resumed this (4 September) morning, the fourth day of operations along the banks of the Bakkhali River in Cox's Bazar, after remaining suspended yesterday following resistance from locals.
At around 10am, demolitions began in the Badr Mokam area, west of Kasturaghat, where excavators were used to dismantle illegal structures. The previous day's operation had been disrupted, leading to a case being filed against 400 people, including 11 named accused.
The case was lodged by Md Abdul Wakil, port officer of Cox's Bazar River Port under the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), confirmed Cox's Bazar Sadar Model Police Station OC Md Elias Khan. Police say charges were filed for obstructing government work, and efforts to arrest the accused are underway.
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On Tuesday (2 September), another case was filed against 250 people, including nine named accused, following an attack on police during an eviction drive in Kasturaghat. Four individuals were arrested and sent to jail through the court.
Residents erected bamboo barricades and blocked roads in Peshkarpara, where hundreds of men, women and schoolchildren staged sit-ins, vowing not to leave their homes "until death."
According to BIWTA Director AKM Arif Uddin, yesterday's suspension was due to security concerns. He confirmed that the operation will continue until all encroachments are cleared.
The 81-kilometre Bakkhali River, originating in Naikhongchhari, has suffered severe encroachment. A six-kilometre stretch between Nuniarchhara and Majhirghat alone has seen more than 1,000 illegal structures built over the past decade.
Although the government appointed BIWTA as conservator of the river port in 2010, instructing the transfer of 721 acres of riverbank land, the handover was never completed, allowing illegal occupation to flourish.
A major eviction in early 2023 demolished 600 structures and freed 300 acres, yet much of the land was quickly re-occupied. On 24 August, the High Court ordered a full clearance within four months. Since Monday, BIWTA has reclaimed at least 70 acres.
