Three restaurants vandalized and set on fire in Kushtia on charges of anti-social behavior
Locals vandalized and set fire to three food hotels in Kushtia on charges of anti-social activities. The incident took place in the Mahishadanga area of Sadar Upazila around 4 pm on Sunday. Later, the police came and brought the situation under control.
A total of three hotels, including local Ikramul Islam’s Bhai Bhai Hotel and Shekmer Hotel, were vandalized and set on fire. In addition, Mohir Ali’s tea shop was vandalized and set on fire. The shops were burnt to ashes before the police arrived. Local sources said that several food hotels have been set up in the Mahishadanga-Bittipara area along the Kushtia-Jhenaidah highway. Usually, drivers of various trucks and covered vans plying on the highway and their associates park their cars and eat in these hotels. There are allegations that women are made to do anti-social activities there at night under the cover of the food hotels. The hotel owners have been managing the administration and have been carrying out such misdeeds for a long time.
Even though the locals forbade the hotel owners, they continued this work. Due to this, the angry locals vandalized and set fire to two hotels and a tea shop. In addition, a hotel was vandalized.
Locals said that about fifty food hotels have been built along the Kushtia-Jhenaidah highway. Anti-social activities are going on in several hotels from 11th mile to Bittipara Karimpur Link Road. Due to this, the rising youth of the area are constantly going astray. The reputation of the area is being ruined and defamed. Local residents are spending their days in anxiety and worry about their children. Locals have been seeking redress for such misdeeds for a long time. But no action is being taken by the administration.
In the afternoon, two videos of the vandalism and arson incident went viral on social media Facebook. It showed that various people aged 15 to 25 were vandalizing with sticks. They were running on the highway. After the fire was set, the hotels started burning. However, no fire service vehicle was seen there. Three restaurants vandalized
Mehedi Hasan, officer-in-charge of Islamic University Police Station, said that there are several food hotels in the Mahishadanga-Bittipara area. Truck drivers and their associates regularly eat in those hotels. Local people vandalized and set fire to three-four hotels on charges of prostitution behind the scenes. Police reached the spot after receiving the information. The matter is being investigated. The situation is currently normal.
