More than 24 families became homeless as the district administration on Thursday evicted them from lands acquired for Barisal University.
The victims claimed that the authorities operated the eviction drive violating the status quo under sub-judicial matter pending for final disposal at the Appellate Division of Supreme Court.
During a spot visit Thursday early morning it was found that a team of the Barisal district administration, led by Rashedul Islam and accompanied by Sadikur Rahman Khan, revenue deputy collector, Kazi Alimullah, Nezarat deputy collector, Asrafur Rahman, assistant commissioner land, Raza Mia, Sadar upazila nirbahi officer of Barisal, with 223 members and officials of police, range reserve force, armed police battalion had cordoned the village Karnakathi and surrounding areas under Sadar upazila
They also restricted traffic on the adjacent Barisal-Patuakhali–Barguna-Kuakata highway.
A total of 225 workers with bulldozer started the eviction drive at about 7:00am by pulling down the house of freedom fighter Abul Hossain.
The eviction drive continued for two hours, demolishing 24 establishments on four acres of land and sparing mosque and graveyards, said Sadikur Rahman, RDC Barisal.
Evicted freedom fighter Abul Hossain Talukdar alleged that the family graveyard of Nesar Ahmed Talukdar was demolished.
Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid, accompanied by the administrative officials and local AL lawmakers and leaders, had visited Karnakathi on October 26, 2009 and gave an order to set up Barisal University only on 200 acres of public land available in the same area without affecting the private land owners, said affected Bazlur Rahman Talukdar.
Ignoring that direction, 50 acres of private land with huge movable and immovable  property of erosion-affected  families of freedom fighters, marginal and lower income groups were selected for BU project, evicted Beauty Begum and Selim Talukdar said.
S M Arifur Rahman, deputy commissioner Barisal said position of private lands are better than public lands for implementing the Barisal University project with less earth-filling works, easy road connectivity and less costing for those infrastructural developments.