BIWTA Executive Magistrate Mostafizur Rahman said he ordered Labu be detained for obstructing government activities, which caused his cohorts to flee the scene. Meanwhile, BIWTA Joint Director AKM Arif Hossain, who is leading the drive against the encroachment on the Buriganga and Turag rivers, was summoned to his office during the crackdown. Previously, on February 13, BIWTA was forced to suspend its drive while demolishing a two-storey building owned by the father-in-law of Anti-Corruption Commission lawyer, Mosharraf Hossain Kazol. On February 5, the BIWTA drive dismantled several semi-concrete structures owned by Haji Mohammad Selim, Awami League lawmaker from the Dhaka 7 constituency. The crackdown on illegal establishments started on January 29, and is supposed to end on Wednesday.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 20, 2019 09:45 UTC