A group of traders took to the streets against local extortionists allegedly led by expelled BNP leader Abdur Rahman in Dhaka’s Kawran Bazar area on Monday morning.
The traders, armed with sticks, confronted those who had been collecting extortion from businesses for years, disrupting normal trade activities at Kawran Bazar, one of Dhaka’s busiest commercial hubs.
According to the traders, Abdur Rahman had been demanding money from them for a long time. They said today’s protest was organised to resist this extortion.
A clash broke out as the protesters chased away the extortionists. Army personnel were deployed to control the situation. Several traders were reportedly injured during the incident, witnesses said.
During the clash, Khalek Mondol, a trader, suffered losses. Speaking to TIMES of Bangladesh, Khalek said he had parked his van loaded with oranges by the roadside when the trouble began.
At one point, some people tried to dismantle the wooden parts of his van to use as sticks. Two sacks of oranges then fell from the van, were trampled, and spoiled. Khalek estimated his loss around Tk 4,500.
The protest follows a human chain by traders against extortion, during which the extortionists allegedly attacked the participants, escalating tensions in the area.
