At least 10 people, including police officers, were injured in clashes during an eviction drive against illegal occupants in Khulna on Sunday.
The violence broke out at the Muktijoddha Colony in Boyra Basthuhara area, where residents resisted the eviction attempt.
During the operation, agitated local people vandalised a bulldozer belonging to the roads and highways department. Police responded with baton charges and several rounds of tear gas to disperse the crowd.
According to police and local people, at around 9:30am, officials from the national housing authority arrived with a magistrate to clear illegal settlers from the colony.
Residents confronted them, throwing bricks at police, prompting a retaliatory baton charge. Protesters later blocked roads, lit fires, and fought with police for nearly an hour.
The colony spans about two acres of land and shelters nearly 200 families.
Khalishpur police station officer-in-charge Mir Atahar Ali told BSS that they were assisting the housing authority during the eviction when the illegal settlers, who were prepared in advance, attacked the police with brickbats. Several policemen were injured.
Additional commissioner-crime of Khulna Metropolitan Police Rashidul Islam confirmed that the eviction drive was halted after the clashes.聽
鈥楾he situation is now stable, and a case will be filed over the incident,鈥� he said.
