Puthia (Rajshahi) Correspondent

An incident of assault, vandalism, and looting occurred at Ghoshpara in Puthia municipality of Rajshahi, where local resident Mithu Ghosh was allegedly attacked and his home ransacked. The attack is said to have been led by his neighbor, Alok Ghosh.

The incident took place on Saturday at around 10 a.m. in the Ghoshpara area. Following the incident, Mithu Ghosh filed a written complaint with Puthia Police Station.

According to police sources, there has been a longstanding land dispute between Mithu Ghosh and Alok Ghosh. Mithu Ghosh’s family has been living on and using the disputed land for about 40 years. However, without any legal notice, Alok Ghosh reportedly arrived with others on Saturday morning and vandalized Mithu’s house. Items such as jewelry, utensils, a wardrobe, TV, and tin sheets were allegedly looted.

Victim Mithu Ghosh stated, “Alok Ghosh is a land grabber. He has been trying to seize my land for a long time. Taking advantage of the current situation, he destroyed my home and looted my belongings. He previously claimed ownership of the land, but during arbitration, his claim was proven false.”

Alok Ghosh, however, denied all allegations. He claimed, “Mithu Ghosh has illegally occupied my ancestral land using his influence. This is Plot No. 699, which belongs to me. Around 40 years ago, Manoranjan Ghosh and Madan Ghosh forcefully took it. There have been over 200 arbitrations regarding this matter. I received a verdict in my favor, but they kept delaying the removal of their house. So today, I demolished it myself and took some tin sheets, a TV, chairs, and wood as compensation for my labor costs.”

Regarding the matter, Puthia Police Station OC  Kabir Hossain said, “We have received the complaint and will take action based on the investigation.”