Shops owners on Wednesday blocked roads and staged demonstration at Dholaikhal in the Dhaka city’s Gendaria, protesting at extortion by local thugs for long.
Over a hundred angry shop owners took to the streets in front of Sadek Hossain Khoka Math at Gendaria at about 11:00am and held demonstration, blocking roads for three hours, said an angry shop owner wishing not to be named.
Local goons, including Nazrul Islam and Sirajul Islam, with the help of a section of police officials, have long been collecting Tk 1,000 a month from each of over 100 shops.
This month the goons demanded Tk 1 lakh from every house owner and Tk 2,000 from each shop per month, added the shop owner.
He said, ‘I went to the Gendaria police station to file a case against Nazrul but the police asked me to file a general dairy. Later I filed compliment with nearby office of the Rapid Action Battalion, but no measures were taken this time too.’
The roads remained blockaded till 1:30pm, created huge traffic jam in the area.
‘Shop owners would demonstrate again if police do not take action against the culprits,’ the shop owner said.
Over 20 cases were filed against Nazrul and his cohorts with the Gendaria police, the shop owner added.
On-duty Gendaria police, however, declined to make comment and asked the reporter to talk to the officer-in-charge.
Gendaria police officer-in-charge Mehedi Hasan did not receive phone calls.
However, officer-in-charge of the neighbouring Sutrapur thana Rafikul Islam confirmed the incident of the shop owners demonstrating against extortion.
-With New Age input
