Shyamoli slum dwellers evicted defying HC order

Law enforcers today conducted an eviction drive at Shyamoli slum in Dhaka and demolished about 500 shanties, defying a High Court stay order in this regard.

The 1.25-acre land of Shyamoli No. 2 slum, which has been occupied illegally since 1962, has been cleared today in the drive, said Imrul Hassan, an executive magistrate of Dhaka District who lead the eviction drive.

This land area has been allotted to Copyright by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs a few years ago, he added.

The slum dwellers did not move their valuables assuming that the eviction would not take place due to the stay order of HC, our staff correspondent reports quoting the slum dwellers.

The slum dwellers have no where to go after suddenly losing their abode and were seen sitting on the road side on March 14, 2019. Photo: Star/ Shaheen Mollah

One slum dweller, Mintu Mia, was handcuffed and later taken to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station as he asked for more time to move his belongings.

The slum dwellers could not fathom where to go after suddenly losing their abode and were seen sitting on the road side.

Md Selim, one of the 45 owners of the shanties in the slum, said that they tried to show the documents of the HC stay order to law enforcers, but no one paid any heed to them.

Mintu Mia, a dweller of the slum, was handcuffed and later taken to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station as he asked for more time to move his belongings. Photo: Star/ Shaheen Mollah

“The HC had stayed the eviction drive at the slum following a writ petition filed by Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) on April 9, 2017,” said Advocate Shahinuzzaman, a lawyer of the rights organisation.

“After the period of the stay ended, the HC extended its order for another six months on February 6 this year,” he also said.

“ We will inform the court about this eviction,” the lawyer added.