The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has resumed its sidewalk eviction drive under heavy security oversight at the Mirpur-10 Circle and Hope Market areas in the capital, after bringing a tense situation marked by clashes, arson, and vandalism under control.
The drive recommenced around 2:15 PM on Wednesday (September 30) near the Hope Market area amid joint security deployed by the police, Armed Police Battalion (APBn/SRB), and local administration.
Earlier at 9:30 AM, a joint team from the DNCC and police initially launched the operation to clear illegal encroachments from the footpaths surrounding Mirpur-10 Circle and Hope Market.
During the drive, a snapped electrical wire caused a short circuit and sparked a sudden fire. Misinterpreting the fire as an act linked to the eviction drive, present hawkers and local traders reacted with intense aggression.
At one point, enraged hawkers mobilized and went on a rampage, setting fire to three DNCC garbage trucks. They also vandalized a police vehicle and an excavator (veku) deployed for the eviction work.
As police fired tear gas shells to contain the violence and halt the attack, the entire area turned into a battlefield characterized by chases, counter-chases, and brickbat throwing.
By noon, law enforcement managed to disperse the hawkers and bring the situation under control. Once conditions stabilized, the DNCC resumed the eviction drive amid palpable tension.
A heavy contingent of additional police officers and security personnel remains deployed across the Mirpur area to prevent further unrest or untoward incidents.
During the operation, supporters of DNCC Administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan, alongside local BNP leaders and activists, were seen chanting slogans against illegal encroachments and marching in favor of the eviction drive.
