Violence erupts in Kushtia as authorities evict five siblings from homes ‘without notice’
An agitated mob later vandalised the tin-shed house belonging to Rajib Hossain, the plaintiff in the eviction case
Violence unfolded in Kushtia's Kumarkhali Upazila today (27 January) when a court-ordered eviction drive without any prior notice left five siblings and their mother homeless, triggering widespread anger among locals.
The incident began around 1:30pm in the Batikamara area as a team led by Assistant Commissioner and Executive Magistrate Aditya Paul initiated the eviction process, according to locals and police.
Kumarkhali Police Station OC Md Solaiman Sheikh said, "The eviction drive was going on following the orders of the court. There was no prior notice, which created public anger and led to unpleasant incidents. The situation is currently calm. Legal action will be taken if a written complaint is received."
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Amid the eviction drive, hundreds of locals gathered at the site, creating a tense atmosphere, our correspondent reports.
Citing locals, he said the situation escalated further when the magistrate and his team reportedly left the scene in the face of the protests.
An agitated mob later vandalised the tin-shed house belonging to Rajib Hossain, the plaintiff in the eviction case.
Wishing anonymity, a local resident said the dispute centred around a 10 decimal of land in the Batikamara area, which had been allegedly settled in the name of Bulu Khatun, wife of late Asham Uddin.
Ismail Sheikh, a day labourer, had resided on a portion of this land for approximately 30 years. In 2002, Ismail reportedly purchased a portion of the land from Bulu.
However, in 2017, Rajib Hossain, Bulu Khatun's grandson, filed an eviction case against the Sheikh family. The court ordered their eviction on 27 October 2024.
Visiting the spot today, The Business Standard correspondent saw that three houses, owned by the sons of Islamil Sheikh, have been demolished.
Amiron Nesa, wife of Ismail said, "I have nothing left. I have lost everything. Where will I go? I don't even have a place to stay. All the children are daily wage labourers. Who will look after me?"
Saju Sheikh, one of the victims of the eviction drive, said, "There was a government pond here 30 years ago. We started living here first. But Rajib used the influence of the Awami League to take over the land by paying bribes to the administration. Later, I bought it for Tk25,000. Still, he filed a case in court and ruined everything with a false verdict. I want justice for this."
Syed Sheikh, brother of Saju, said, "The court did not issue any prior notice. Our houses were demolished out of the blue today."
Meanwhile, Rajib Hossain denied the allegations brought against him, "The government had given 10 decimals of the land in the name of my maternal grandparents. Out of that, they [Ismail's sons] had occupied five decimals of land. After I filed the case, the court conducted the eviction today."
Rajib alleged that the evicted Ismail's sons obstructed government work and extensively vandalised and looted his house. "I want justice for this."
When asked about the matter, Kushtia Deputy Commissioner Md Taufiqur Rahman said he knew nothing about these incidents.
TBS also reached out to Magistrate Aditya Pal and Upazila Nirbahi Officer SM Mikail Islam, but both of them refused to comment on the matter.
