Forest department staff and tourists clash at Gazipur Safari Park leaving several injured
Photo Collected
A female tourist, her two sons, and their private driver were allegedly assaulted by forest department staff at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park in Gazipur on Saturday, following a dispute over the cleanliness of a tourist vehicle.
The incident, which took place around 4:00 p.m., prompted authorities to terminate the employment of an outsourced worker, identified as Farhad. M.K.M. Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury, Divisional Forest Officer for the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Division, confirmed the dismissal of the staff member.
Salma Mostary, the complainant, stated that she and her family entered the park and purchased tickets for a tourist bus to view wildlife. Upon boarding, the family informed park staff that the vehicle was littered with trash. According to Mostary, the interaction escalated when employees responded with verbal abuse. When the family protested, the bus driver was instructed to bypass planned stops and proceed directly to the park’s administrative office, where the family and their driver, Rasel, were allegedly beaten with steel rods.
Mostary further alleged that during the altercation, her gold necklace weighing approximately 3.5 bhoris was stolen, and 80,000 taka was taken from her bag. She also claimed that her mobile phones and those of her sons were smashed on the ground. Following the assault, the family stated they were detained in an office room and threatened. They were eventually rescued by police from Sripur Police Station after contacting the 999 emergency hotline. Mostary reported suffering from health complications following the incident and stated she is preparing to file a formal complaint with the police.
Conversely, park authorities have accused the tourists of assaulting a staff member named Momin, who was on duty wearing a formal forest department uniform. Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury stated that Momin was injured during the confrontation and received medical treatment at the Sripur Upazila Health Complex. He characterized the subsequent event at the office as a physical altercation between the two parties.
Sripur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Shahinur Alam did not respond to multiple requests for comment regarding the status of the investigation.
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