Residents of Morelganj Upazila in Bagerhat staged a protest and held a rally demanding justice over an alleged assault stemming from a dispute over farmland.
The protest took place around noon on Saturday (September 19) in the Baniakhali area of Khaulia Union.
At a press conference following the protest, the alleged victims said farmer Ayub Ali Khan and his brother Abu Hanif Khan had three bighas of agricultural land in Baniakhali village that had allegedly been occupied by influential local resident Rustum Khan for around 30 years.
They said a local arbitration meeting later measured the disputed land and handed possession of Ayub Ali Khan’s portion back to him.
However, according to the complainants, Rustum Ali Khan disregarded the decision and planted paddy seeds on part of the land again. When Ayub Ali Khan allegedly tried to prevent this, Rustum Ali Khan and his sons came to the site on the morning of September 8 and assaulted him, the complainants alleged.
They also alleged that the group used abusive language toward local Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders and activists, triggering anger among them.
Former vice-president of the Khaulia Union BNP Md Mosharraf Hossain, farmers Ayub Ali Khan and Abu Hanif Khan, and local residents Delwar Hossain Hawladar, Matiar Rahman Akon and Ali Hossain Hawladar, among others, attended the protest and rally.
Speakers alleged that Rustum Ali Khan’s activities were causing distress among local residents and called for a fair investigation into the incident and appropriate legal action by the authorities.
Rustum Ali Khan’s son Hakim Khan, however, disputed the allegations. He said paddy was being planted on their land without proper measurement and denied that anyone had been assaulted.
