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Authorities on Sunday demolished all illegal structures inside Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan, including a makeshift structure allegedly erected as part of an attempt to occupy a section of the park under the pretext of building a mosque.
The joint eviction drive was carried out by the Public Works Department (PWD), Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), and the University of Dhaka, with police assistance.
Officials said the operation was launched after repeated notices to remove the illegal structures were ignored.
According to the DSCC, despite the presence of an existing mosque inside Suhrawardy Udyan, a group led by one Rajib Shah had recently attempted to occupy part of the park by setting up another makeshift prayer facility in the name of constructing a mosque.
The group had erected brick, wooden and bamboo structures covered with tarpaulin. After videos of the installation circulated on social media, the PWD issued a notice ordering its removal.
In the notice, the authorities alleged that a group of outsiders had also set up illegal roadside stalls and occupied land near the park’s amphitheatre by establishing a temporary prayer area.
The notice stated that a modern mosque already exists within the park under an ongoing development project, and alleged that the temporary structure was intended to serve personal interests rather than public needs.
It further said those involved had ignored repeated requests to vacate the site and had behaved aggressively towards PWD staff and Ansar personnel.
Following the operation, authorities confirmed that all illegal structures in the Suhrawardy Udyan area had been removed.
