Published : 29 Sep 2026, 01:50 AM
Updated : 29 Sep 2026, 02:01 AM
Four attacks in just three days involving land disputes, land grabs, vandalism, and looting have brought a troubling new pattern into focus in Dhaka.
In some cases, dozens of people joined the attacks. In others, the numbers ran into the hundreds. Heavy machinery was even used in at least one incident to raze structures to the ground.
Land grabbing, the occupation of pavements and vacant plots, obstruction of construction work, and extortion are hardly new to the capital.
What is igniting fresh concern is the way some of the latest incidents have unfolded -- groups arriving together, forcing their way onto properties, vandalising structures, and removing valuables.
Some journalists and others who have followed crime in Dhaka for years see echoes of the wider pattern of “mob” or organised group violence seen in recent times.
They point to one striking parallel: bulldozers were used at the Radda health centre in Mirpur in much the same way heavy machinery was used to demolish structures at Dhanmondi 32.
The demolition of the Radda MCH-FP Centre in Mirpur has been followed by intense discussion over several other incidents.
An attack and vandalism at an office in Chand Udyan in Mohammadpur, an assault on a building under construction in Shekhertek in Adabar, and an attack on a New Gini Properties project in Manikdi under Cantonment Police Station, where content creator Salman Muqtadir’s studio was also vandalised.
Allegations of involvement by leaders and activists of the ruling party have surfaced in some of the cases. Police have arrested several people.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, like his predecessors, has said: “No criminal will be spared.” But victims say extortion and land grabbing are increasing.
They say buildings under construction have become routine targets for demands for money.
Site engineer Ismail Howlader put it this way: “The boys have understood that there’s big money in land. Now they’re just looking for an opportunity.”
‘Can’t Visit Own Land, Own Home’
Victims say land-related extortion has reached alarming levels in rapidly developing parts of Mirpur and Mohammadpur.
Their allegations go beyond the occupation of pavements and vacant spaces for shops.
Privately owned plots and buildings under construction are also being targeted for widespread extortion, they say.
Contractors and site engineers working in construction say demands are now being made even over the removal of rubble from construction sites.
Many smaller incidents involving occupation and extortion occur without attracting public attention, they say. Usually only cases involving prominent or influential people make the news.
One such victim is a landowner in Bosila.
He says he and his partners built an eight-storey structure on their own plot, only to be driven away by people he describes as extortionists and land grabbers.
After repeated threats, he says they no longer dare to go near the property.
The man works at a bank in Dhaka and asked not to be named because he fears for his safety.
In 2013, he and five other salaried professionals bought land in a housing project called Bosila Garden City.
After the housing company handed over possession, they were given permission to build there.
They believed buying land inside a housing project would offer greater security. That was why they chose the plot despite the higher price.
Construction began during the Covid pandemic in 2020. Financial difficulties forced them to stop after completing three floors.
Work resumed in the middle of 2025. Within two months, however, a group of around 40 to 50 people arrived and ordered them to stop construction, the banker said.
The group also put up a signboard in front of the plot. He said they approached both the housing company and police but could not resolve the dispute.
Eventually, he alleges, they were forced off their own land without the rival claimants producing any documents.
“By then, we had completed the roof of the eighth floor,” he said.
“For the past six months, we have not been able to go to our own plot, where our eight-storey building stands.”
The banker broke down while recounting what happened.
“There is no law in this country. There is no police,” he said.
“Our lifetime savings are buried in that land. We are going from place to place seeking help, but we cannot even go there because we fear for our lives.”
Obstruction at Construction Sites
Diploma engineer Ismail Howlader has worked as a site engineer in Mohammadpur and Adabar for years.
He says pressure and interference at construction sites have become more common recently.
“People turn up at any time and start causing trouble,” he said. “You see these videos going viral all the time, people entering buildings with weapons, attacking others and stopping work.
“If they can get control of a piece of land, it can mean crores (millions) of taka.”
Md Hasan once worked as a painter. He now contracts painting work for buildings.
He described his own recent experience to illustrate how much pressure contractors can face.
“Last week, I had only just entered a building in Adabar,” he said.
“We were arranging our equipment when suddenly there was shouting downstairs. They said they would not let us work.
“So we quietly came back out. There’s no point losing your life trying to do a job.”
Hasan said contractors can face demands as soon as they enter a new site.
“If a new contractor starts work in a building, they demand money. Otherwise, they say the work has to be given to them.”
Kobad Ali, who is in his 60s, works as caretaker of a building under construction in Bosila.
He says even removing construction waste, commonly called “rubbish”, has become a source of demands for money.
“A man used to come with a small dump truck and take away the rubble from our building,” he said.
“We would pay him Tk 1,500 to Tk 2,000. He would then sell the rubble to other people to use as filling material.
“But since last month, local boys have stopped that truck from entering.
“They told us the rubbish has to be given to them, and we have to pay Tk 5,000 for every truckload.
“So now we’re dumping the rubble on the road to raise the road level.”
Four Incidents in Three Days
Beginning around midnight on Sept 24, several hundred people attacked and vandalised the premises of the NGO Radda MCH’s health centre in Mirpur for several hours.
Heavy machinery was used to demolish the building completely.
Equipment and materials from the health centre were loaded onto trucks and taken to scrap dealers.
Allegations have surfaced of involvement by local BNP leaders and activists, and the name of a BNP MP has also appeared in media reports about the incident.
There have also been allegations that police directly facilitated the attack on Radda.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed has said any negligence by police will be examined.
While that incident was still being widely discussed, another attack took place in broad daylight on Sept 26 at an office on land beside Rose Villa in Chand Udyan, west of the Mohammadpur embankment.
Police said an estimated 150 to 200 people entered the property, broke down the tin fencing, vandalised the office, and tried to erect a new boundary fence.
Police say both sides in the dispute claim to have documents establishing ownership of the land.
CCTV footage circulated on social media shows a group breaking the lock on the office and entering the premises. People can later be seen removing items.
The SMP later said eight people had been arrested over the incident.
Earlier that morning, an attack was reported at a house in Shyamoli Housing in Shekhertek of Adabar following a dispute over land.
A group of around 20 to 25 people allegedly arrived carrying machetes and heavy cleavers and damaged the gate, windows, and security cameras.
Parts of the attack were captured by surveillance cameras.
That night, firing shots around 50 people allegedly entered a project belonging to New Gini Properties Ltd in Manikdi under Cantonment Police Station.
They attacked, vandalised, and looted several structures inside the project, including Brownfish, the studio belonging to content creator Salman Muqtadir.
Salman initially alleged that the attack was linked to extortion.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed later said the incident was primarily a dispute over land ownership and control.
‘The Pattern is Different Now’
Parvez Khan, who has covered crime for nearly four decades, says organised attacks linked to land grabbing are not new in Dhaka.
“(Former Awami League MP) Haji Selim took control of many plots in Old Dhaka by using people to carry out vandalism,” he said. “He used local criminals or party activists for such activities.”
But Parvez sees a difference in the recent incidents. He regards them as part of the “mob culture” that has taken shape over the past year or two.
“One trend is that hundreds of people come together and carry out an incident,” he said.
“They think that if they act this way, there will be no trial. That culture of impunity is encouraging them further.”
Parvez also questioned the role of police. “Many people say police are no longer what they used to be,” he said.
“But I would say police have gone back to exactly where they were before. What those in power want becomes the law for them.”
Political parties frequently say criminals will not be protected, he noted. “If they followed even a fraction of what they say, these things would stop.
“None of these incidents actually serves the interests of any political party. Some greedy people use a party’s name for their personal interests.
“We see people in government and police condemning these incidents as well. But their job is to ensure that offenders are punished. They have not been able to set that example.”
Human rights activist Nur Khan, a member of the interim government’s commission on enforced disappearances, said the incidents of the past few days -- the demolition of the Radda health centre, the vandalism of the YouTuber’s studio, and the attempts to seize houses in Mohammadpur and Adabar -- clearly show that the law-and-order situation is steadily deteriorating.
He also referred to allegations that police have remained inactive even when officers were present.
“Instead of suppressing the offenders, police are often seen keeping a safe distance.
“This has created a perception among ordinary people that when a very powerful group is involved, particularly people linked to the ruling party, police do not want to intervene,” Nur added.
‘Criminals Have No Party’
Home Minister Salahuddin rejects allegations that police have been inactive or that political affiliation offers protection to those involved in recent incidents.
Speaking at a briefing at the Secretariat on Sunday, he said: “Strict action is being taken against criminals regardless of party or political opinion. A criminal has no political identity.”
The vandalism at content creator Salman Muqtadir’s studio also came up at the press briefing.
In a Facebook Live broadcast after the incident, Salman described the BNP as a party of extortionists.
The home minister responded, “The victim later admitted himself that no one had demanded extortion money from him.
“Blanket allegations without a specific complaint or case have no legal basis.
“If the victim files a case, police will investigate the entire matter thoroughly and specifically.”
Asked about allegations of police inaction, DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin told bdnews24.com that police had acted in all four recent incidents.
“In each of the four incidents that recently took place in the capital, police went into action as soon as they received the information,” he said.
“Several offenders have already been arrested.”
He said police were making an “all-out effort” to keep the law-and-order situation normal.
“Police are quite active now, and several measures have been planned for the coming days so that crimes of this kind do not happen again.”
