.jpg )
Police have filed six cases against 195 inhabitants of Sitakunda’s Jongol Salimpur area on charge of attacking police and carrying out vandalism during their demonstrations blocking Dhaka-Chattogram highway.
The cases were filed between Tuesday night and Wednesday noon.
Among the 195 accused, 45 were named and the rest unnamed, said Abul Kalam Azad, Officer In-charge (OC) of Sitakunda Police Station.
Read:Eviction drive at Salimpur: Local residents block Dhaka-Ctg highway for 5 hrs
On Tuesday, thousands of people from Sitakunda’s Jongol Salimpur and Alinagar areas blocked the busy Dhaka-Chattogram highway protesting the local administration’s attempts to evict them from their lands and disconnecting electricity and water supply lines to their houses.
The blockade created a 30-kilometer long tailback on both sides of the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, the country’s main economic lifeline. Thousands of commuters had to undergo immense sufferings due to the gridlock.
Around 5:00pm, a clash began between the protesters and the police when the latter tried to put an end to the blockade.
A chase and counter-chase along with hurling of brickbats turned the area into a battlefield.
Police used tear gas and mortar shells which finally dispersed the protestors.