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বাংলা E-Paper 📍 Dhaka 📅 Friday | 9 October 2026, 24 Ashswin 1433 PID registration number 06

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Laguna owners allege assault and false extortion charge

Published : Friday, 9 October, 2026 at 7:46 PM

Observer Online Report

A group of laguna owners in Dhaka’s Mirpur-1 area have alleged that they were assaulted over a dispute involving control of laguna stands and extortion, with one owner claiming he was beaten and handed over to police on false extortion charges for refusing to pay.

Yakub Ali, president of the Greater Mirpur Laguna Owners and Workers Union, made the allegations at a press conference at the Sagar-Runi Auditorium of the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) on Friday. He demanded an impartial investigation into the attack and the arrest of those involved.

Yakub said he went to the scene on the morning of October 5 after one of his laguna drivers reported a problem with the vehicle. There, he was allegedly asked to pay Tk 300 per vehicle. When he objected, he and two other laguna owners, identified as Nazrul Islam and Babul, were allegedly assaulted.

He further alleged that the attackers brandished firearms and threatened to shoot them.

According to Yakub, CCTV footage from the area captured the incident involving the firearms. He said that after the assault, he was handed over to Darus Salam police on allegations of extortion. He later fell ill and was taken to hospital. After receiving treatment, he was sent to court but was released when no evidence was found to support the extortion allegation, he claimed.

Yakub also alleged that police refused to accept his complaint about the assault after his release. He later submitted a written complaint to the deputy commissioner of police for Mirpur division.

Darus Salam Police Station Officer-in-Charge Dulal Hossain said Yakub had been sent to court following a local investigation. He said police did not accept Yakub’s subsequent complaint because it lacked a specific basis, but added that the matter would be investigated.

At the press conference, union leaders alleged that a group reportedly associated with supporters of S A Siddik Saju, a rebel BNP candidate in Dhaka-14, was trying to take control of five laguna stands in Mirpur-1. They also alleged that owners were being pressured to surrender control of the stands and that Tk 300,000 in monthly extortion had been demanded.

Union organising secretary Saidur Rahman accused 60 to 70 people of involvement, naming Biplob, Soleman Dewan, Faruk Hossain, Mahabbat Ali, Mavel Bhuiyan, Tayeb Ali, Alamgir Hossain, Kana Palash, Russel, Shamim and Mojibor Rahman, among others. He claimed some of them were current or former leaders of the BNP and its affiliated organisations.

Saidur further alleged that extortion was being collected from businesses and activities beyond the laguna stands, including the local fresh market, footpaths, spaces used for parking vans, and electricity and water services. He claimed a group of 20 to 30 people remained at the five stands from morning until night and attacked anyone who protested, leaving owners feeling unsafe.

Soleman Dewan denied involvement in the assault, saying a group was spreading propaganda to damage his political reputation. He claimed he was being targeted because he planned to contest a councillor election.

S A Siddik Saju said he had heard that the incident stemmed from an internal dispute among laguna workers. He said he had been told that those accused were not involved. Although he might have supporters because of his political activities, he denied that they were involved in the laguna business or the incident.

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