Rajib Shah, a man who gained social media notoriety for constructing an unauthorised “prayer space” and other illegal structures at Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan, fled his encampment shortly before a joint eviction drive was conducted on Sunday.
Associates of Rajib confirmed that he vacated the site to “save his life” before the authorities arrived.
The drive to reclaim the government land was a coordinated effort by the Public Works Department (PWD), Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Dhaka University administration, and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
Officials involved in the operation stated that the structures were removed because they were not vacated despite multiple prior notices.
Rajib had previously drawn public attention through social media for various activities, including rice cultivation within the park.
However, his construction of a “prayer space” sparked concerns that an “interested quarter” was using a visibly mentally unbalanced individual as a front to establish the structures.
Delwar Hossain, an associate who has lived in the area for five years, said the temporary prayer space had been in use for approximately 16 to 17 days.
Delwar expressed anger toward Rajib, claiming his actions led to the demolition of 600 shops, leaving many people without a livelihood.
According to the DSCC, the construction was a “ploy to occupy a portion of Suhrawardy Udyan” under the guise of building a mosque. The corporation noted that a modern and aesthetic mosque already exists within the park as part of its development project.
A notice from the Ministry of Public Works had previously identified that “outsider vagrants” and certain groups had intentionally set up illegal shops near the temple gate and an unauthorised prayer space near the amphitheatre.
The notice further alleged that the occupants had not only refused to leave but had also behaved “rudely” and issued threats to PWD employees and members of the Ansar.
All illegal installations, which were constructed using bricks, wood, bamboo, and tarpaulin, were cleared during the Sunday afternoon operation.
