Inspection of Demolished Radda Health Centre
‘It seems government is on the side of land grabbers’: Hasnat Qaiyum
Collected Photo
Bangladesh Rashtra Sanskar Andolan President Hasnat Qaiyum has said, at the height of land grabbing, it seems there is either no government in the country, or the government exists only to support the land grabbers—not ordinary people.
He made the remarks while visiting the site of the attack, vandalism and looting at the Radda MCH-FP Center, a private healthcare facility in Mirpur, Dhaka, on Sunday.
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) General Secretary Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan also visited the site.
Hasnat Qaiyum said, “A healthcare centre where low-income mothers and children would come day after day for treatment and vaccinations was demolished under the cover of darkness, yet we saw no effective role from the administration.”
“This is not an isolated incident. Just yesterday (Saturday), following a land dispute in the Cantonment Police Station area of the capital, several establishments, including content creator Salman Muqtadir’s studio, were similarly attacked and vandalised under the cover of darkness. These incidents occurring one after another prove that land-grabbing groups are operating recklessly in the capital, while the government and administration are facilitating them,” he added.
During the visit, JSD General Secretary Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan said, “There may be disputes over land, but they should be resolved through the courts. However, seeing buildings being demolished through organised attacks under the cover of darkness and the police’s failure to prevent them, it seems that nothing remains in this state—not law, order, administration or government.”
After the visit, JSD and Rashtra Sanskar Andolan jointly made four demands:
Those involved in the Radda health centre incident and all recent cases of land grabbing and attacks must be arrested promptly and given exemplary punishment.
The allegations of negligence of duty by police must be independently investigated, and action must be taken against the responsible officers.
The administration must take a firm role to ensure that business and personal disputes across the capital and the country are resolved through legal procedures rather than force.
Necessary assistance must be provided to affected institutions to compensate for their losses and resume operations quickly.
