Mirpur-10 returned to an uneasy calm on Thursday, a day after violent clashes, vandalism, and arson erupted during an eviction drive, leaving most footpaths cleared but visible scars of confrontation spread across the area.
A visit to the Mirpur-10 roundabout, Avenue 2 – popularly known as Hope Market for the vendors surrounding Hope School – and nearby roads revealed long rows of hawkers largely gone, though broken bamboo, wood, stools, wires, and other remnants of dismantled stalls remained scattered about.
Burnt shops and charred goods were also visible at the mosque market beside Baitul Quddus Jame Mosque, where a fire broke out during Wednesday’s operation.
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) workers spent the morning removing debris left behind after the drive.
The roads leading from Mirpur 10 towards Mirpur 2 and Mirpur 14 were noticeably clearer, with temporary structures cleared from long stretches of the footpaths.
Law enforcement personnel maintained a visible presence following Wednesday’s violence, though their numbers thinned as the day progressed.
Despite the eviction, some traders began returning to the footpaths within hours. Several plant nurseries were seen operating again outside the office of a Dhaka WASA executive engineer, close to where signs of the clearance were still evident.
Traders said their stalls had been removed on Wednesday but they had returned out of financial necessity, adding that they would vacate the footpaths if provided with permanent alternatives.
The damage was more severe across the road stretch known as Hope Market, where burnt merchandise lay inside several shops. Yasin Arafat, owner of Jisan Fashion, said stock worth several lakh taka had been destroyed in the blaze. He explained that the fire started after a short circuit, and shopkeepers were unable to salvage their goods because the power supply had not been disconnected.
Local residents and pedestrians welcomed the cleared footpaths.
Anwar Hossain, a local businessman, noted that residents did not want illegal encroachments and felt reassured by the administration’s firmer stance against public disorder.
A mother watched her little girl dance along the newly cleared pavement. She shared that in all the years since her daughter was born, it was the first time they had ever been able to simply walk down the footpath.
The eviction drive also brought renewed allegations of extortion linked to illegal lease of footpath. Several local shopkeepers claimed that around 700 to 750 stalls operated on Avenue 2 and adjacent footpaths, with Tk 450 allegedly collected daily from each shop under the guise of extortion and electricity charges. They added that another 300 to 400 stalls operated in front of Mirpur-10 Ideal School and Senpara Parbata Government Primary School, where Tk 250 was allegedly collected daily per shop.
Speaking anonymously, several street vendors alleged that individuals named Jamal, Hasnat, Sultan, Shahadat, and Abu collected the money, with Shahadat and Abu now claiming affiliation with the BNP.
Meanwhile, four cases have been filed over Wednesday’s clashes, vandalism, and arson, with around 2,000 individuals accused. Three cases were lodged with Mirpur Model Police Station and one with Kafrul Police Station.
Officer-in-Charge of Mirpur Model Police Station, Hafizur Rahman, said one case concerned the burning of a city corporation vehicle, another involved an attack on police, and the third was filed by traffic police. Each of the three cases names between 400 and 500 unidentified individuals.
Kafrul Police Station Officer-in-Charge, Mohammad Saiful Islam, confirmed that the city corporation had filed a case over the torching of one of its vehicles, naming 400 to 500 unidentified suspects, adding that operations were underway to arrest those involved.
DMP Deputy Commissioner for Media and Public Relations, Md Akhtar Hossain, said that three cases had been filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act on charges of inciting public panic, sabotage, arson, and vandalism. At least 30 people have been arrested so far, he said.
The violence erupted after the DNCC launched an eviction drive around 9:30 am on Wednesday to clear illegally occupied footpaths leading from the Mirpur-10 roundabout towards Hope Market. Executive Magistrate Marufa Begum Nelly was leading the operation.
During the drive, an excavator struck an electrical wire while removing makeshift stalls beneath the mosque market beside Baitul Quddus Jame Mosque, triggering a fire that engulfed several shops. Two Fire Service units brought the blaze under control within 15 to 20 minutes.
Enraged hawkers and shopkeepers then attacked city corporation workers, triggering widespread clashes. Police intervened and subsequently came under attack as hawkers hurled bricks and stones, prompting officers to fire tear gas shells. Several police personnel were injured. Three city corporation vehicles were set ablaze, and the windows of a police vehicle were smashed.
Traffic between Mirpur-10 and Mirpur-14 was temporarily suspended, while journalists attempting to report on the clashes faced harassment.
The DNCC resumed the eviction drive later in the afternoon, clearing makeshift stalls from footpaths along both sides of the road between Mirpur-10 and Mirpur-13.
DNCC Administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan later visited the site to inspect the damaged vehicles, stating that the attacks and arson were pre-planned and that those responsible would be identified, prosecuted, and arrested.
