Authorities evicted a crowded cattle market that was set up in Rajnagar upazila of Panchagarh district Thursday defying a ban imposed to curb the spread of Covid infections.

Two people, known to be assistant of a lease holder, were fined Tk. one lakh for their involvement in organising the haat, which saw a huge turnout of cattle and traders  in violation of Covid-19 health guidelines.

The Panchagarh District Administrative has recently ordered all cattle markets closed in five upazilas to curb the spread of the virus.

The two men admitted that they had set up the cattle market after getting verbal approval from the UP chairman and the Municipal mayor.

According to locals, the information about the cattle market was spread by the lease holders across the area and in the morning thousands of traders and farmers started gathering with animals.

This created a huge crowd in at least at two spots. On being informed Panchagarh Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Arif Hossain and AC Lnd Aminul Islam rushed to the spot with police and BGB members.

Later, the police and BGB members evicted the people from the market and the two organisers, Ripon and Nabin, were fined for defying authority’s direction, thee UNO said.

Legal actions will be taken against the organisers too, he said.

Meanwhile, Md Mosharraf Hossain, the man who took the lease, said he got verbal approval from UP chairman Amirul Islam and Mayor Jakia Khatun.

However, the UP Chairman and the Mayor did not answer phone calls from the UNB reporter.