Police have arrested 30 people in connection with clashes, vandalism and arson during the eviction drive in Mirpur.
Police have detained 30 individuals in connection with violent clashes, vandalism, and arson that erupted during an eviction drive against illegal footpath occupants in the capital's Mirpur-10 area on Wednesday. The detentions were carried out during and after the unrest from Mirpur and its surrounding neighbourhoods, as law enforcement agencies launched a verification process to identify the active participants.
Deputy Commissioner of Police for the Mirpur Division, Hasan Mohammad Naher Rikabdar, stated that authorities are currently scrutinising the background and information of those detained. He added that individuals found not to have been involved in the violence would be released, while those complicit would face legal action under the law.
The incident unfolded at approximately 9:30 AM when the Dhaka North City Corporation initiated an eviction drive to clear unauthorized structures from footpaths, stretching from the Mirpur-10 roundabout towards Hope Market. The operation was led by Dhaka North City Corporation Executive Magistrate Marufa Begum Nelly. According to local shopkeepers and eyewitnesses, an excavator operating during the drive severed an overhead electrical wire near the Baitul Quddus Jame Masjid Market adjacent to Hope Market, triggering a short-circuit and subsequent fire that gutted five shops. Two firefighting units rushed to the scene and brought the flames under control within 15 to 20 minutes.
Shopkeeper Shariful Islam claimed that the excavator had caused structural damage inside the market boundary, leading to the snapped electrical line and the ensuing fire. The blaze destroyed five shops, incinerating stocks of women's and children's clothing, footwear, and ornaments. Enraged by the fire, hawkers and merchants attacked city corporation personnel, sparking intense clashes. When police arrived to restore order, they were also targeted by stone-throwing demonstrators, prompting law enforcement to fire tear gas shells. Several police officers sustained injuries during the pitched battles, which saw three city corporation vehicles torched and a police vehicle vandalised. Traffic movement between Mirpur-10 and Mirpur-14 remained suspended for a period due to the violence.
Journalists covering the unrest also faced severe obstruction and attacks, with eyewitnesses reporting that a vehicle belonging to Jamuna Television was vandalised. A reporter and a cameraperson from Somoy TV were chased and beaten, while attempts were reportedly made to snatch a camera from a photographer. A photojournalist from Samakal was also assaulted during the chaos.
Later, local leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its affiliated bodies arrived at the scene and engaged in altercations with the hawkers. The situation was eventually brought under control through the combined efforts of the police and local political activists. By noon, the Dhaka North City Corporation resumed the eviction drive, clearing unauthorized floating shops from both sides of the roadway between Mirpur-10 and Mirpur-13.
Later in the day, Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Mohammad Shafiqul Islam Khan visited the affected site and inspected the torched municipal vehicles. Describing the attacks and arson as a premeditated act, he announced that a formal case would be filed against those responsible, vowing that perpetrators would be identified through investigation and brought to justice.
