Tk60 lakh monthly extortion dispute becomes flashpoint

A long-standing dispute over alleged monthly extortion of around Tk60 lakh from footpath shops at Anarkoli and Mouchak markets in the capital is believed to have fuelled tensions leading to the killing of former Ramna Thana Swecchasebak Dal convener Billal Hossain Talukder, according to market insiders.
Abdul Motaleb, president of Ward No 19 BNP, said around 300 illegal shops has been set up inside the two markets.
“On average, if Tk20,000 is collected from each shop, a huge amount is being extorted monthly,” he said, adding that illegal structures had been removed three times but reappeared each time.
“We have removed the shops from the markets three times, but criminals set them up again. If the footpaths can be cleared permanently, the problem will be resolved,” said Motaleb, who is also general secretary of Centre Point Market.
He also alleged that Didarul Islam Babu, convener of the Ramna Thana Jubo Dal, and others were involved in the extortion. Motaleb and several others further claimed that a senior leader of the Dhaka Metropolitan South unit of Jubo Dal was sheltering Babu.
How Billal was killed
Billal Hossain Talukder, who reportedly faced 85 political cases during the Awami League government, was stabbed to death in the Mouchak area of Ramna on Monday night following an altercation with Ramna Thana Jubo Dal convener Didarul Islam Babu, who was expelled from the party hours after the killing.
His nephew, Mobarak Hossain Akash, said several associates of Babu assaulted him near Anarkoli Market earlier in the evening.
Following the incident, he called his uncle to intervene. An arbitration meeting was later held at the scene, during which an argument broke out between Billal and Babu.
At one stage, Billal was stabbed in the chest by associates of Babu acting under his direction, he alleged.
The injured was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where doctors declared him dead at around 9:15pm, Mobarak said.
Family mourning
“My son struggled in BNP politics for 17 years. Now that BNP is in power, he has been killed,” said Billal’s mother at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue on Tuesday.
As she spoke, post-mortem examinations were being conducted on her son’s body.
“As a mother, I used to visit prisons where he was held at different times over the last 17 years. My son’s life has ended after such a long struggle,” she said tearfully.
The grief of his mother, along with his two wives, children and relatives, created an emotional scene at the morgue.
After the autopsy, the body of Billal, who reportedly faced 85 political cases during the previous Awami League government, was handed over to his family at around 2:45 pm.
His eldest son, Hridoy Hossain Talukder, said the burial would take place in their ancestral village in Naria upazila of Shariatpur.
Following the incident, supporters of Billal, along with Swecchasebak Dal activists, gathered at the scene and staged demonstrations demanding exemplary punishment for those involved. The protest continued on Tuesday.
Police statement
Deputy Commissioner Sheikh Zahidul Islam of the Ramna Crime Division under Dhaka Metropolitan Police said two suspects were arrested from Dhaka and Munshiganj early on Tuesday.
The arrested were Al Amin, convener of Ward No. 19 Jubo Dal, and Riazul Islam, an activist of the same ward, he said.
Police are working to arrest others involved in the incident, he added.
On the motive behind the killing, the senior officer said investigations were ongoing.
Meanwhile, Billal’s wife, Ambiya Khatun, filed a murder case with Ramna Police Station on Tuesday against 21 named individuals and five to seven unidentified persons, according to the duty officer.