Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Executive Magistrate Atish Darshi Chakma faced a hostile confrontation from local residents and business owners while conducting an eviction drive against illegal sidewalk encroachments in the capital on Wednesday afternoon (November 6). The situation escalated at the Pakar Matha area of Road-18, Sector-3 in Uttara, where the magistrate was surrounded and physically harassed following allegations of bribery, eventually requiring police intervention to depart the scene safely.
The controversy originated from claims by local traders who alleged that a member of the eviction team, acting under the magistrate’s authority, had demanded and accepted 1,500 taka from a shopkeeper under the guise of reducing a fine. Although the authenticity of the bribery claim remains unverified, the dispute over the collection of fines and the lack of official documentation sparked intense agitation. Uttara West Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Khalid Mansoor confirmed that police escorted the magistrate to safety after a heated verbal altercation broke out between the official and the vendors.
In a formal report submitted to his superiors following the incident, Magistrate Atish Darshi Chakma characterized the confrontation as a pre-planned attempt by a local faction to discredit the mobile court's operations. The magistrate stated that the trouble began after he was unable to produce his official identity card when challenged by the gathering crowd. He claimed that after retreating to a nearby local press club, police personnel from the Uttara West station arrived to diffuse the tension, allowing the team to withdraw. He further advocated for more robust, high-security operations to clear sidewalks along major gateways like the airport-adjacent roads.
1, Mohammad Kamal Hossain, expressed significant reservations regarding the magistrate's conduct and management of the operation. In his review submitted to the DNCC Chief Executive Officer, Hossain highlighted critical failures, including a lack of adequate police protection for the eviction team and a clear absence of leadership control over the members present.
The evaluation underscored that the magistrate failed to convincingly establish his identity when questioned by onlookers and journalists, and did not take any immediate or decisive action regarding the grave corruption allegations leveled against his team member. Consequently, the regional executive officer has formally recommended that Magistrate Atish Darshi Chakma be suspended from leading future mobile court operations due to his inability to handle the field situation effectively and his failure to maintain professional oversight during the November 6 operation.
