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AL leader's musclemen ransack Kuakata hotel

Hoteliers on strike as owner, staff beaten up

14 June 2009, 18:00 PM

NATIONAL

Our Correspondent, Patuakhali

Vandalised reception of Hotel Sky Palace at Kuakata yesterday. Goons of a local AL leader attacked the hotel and took away computers, cash and other materials.Photo: STAR

A gang of about 50 hoodlums, led by a local Awami League leader, ransacked a residential hotel at Kuakata, beat up the owner and staff and looted cash and computers on Saturday night. Following the attack, the Hotel Owners Association in Kuakata yesterday began an indefinite strike shutting over 50 hotels in the area demanding exemplary punishment to the perpetrators. Police, hotel owners and local sources said the gang, led by Monir Bhuiyan, a local AL leader and a notorious land broker, reached there at around 4:00pm as part of a deal to forcibly evict the disputed owner of Golden Palace Hotel and hand over its possession to one of his relatives. Having evicted the owner of Golden Palace, the hoodlums partied there until late in the evening and attacked the nearby Sky Palace Hotel at around 10:30pm. A local source said the Awami League activists were not happy with the owner of Sky Palace Hotel Golam Sarwar as he had allowed former ministers and BNP central leaders Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and Dr Moieen Khan to use the hotel premises a few days ago for distributing relief among the Cyclone Aila victims. Sources also said during the attack on Sky Palace, police from the Kuakata police camp were present there but remained totally inactive. Ironically, the incident occurred when incumbent Patuakhali Police Superintendent Shaibal Kanti Chowdhury and officer-in-charge (OC) of Kalapara Police Station Ishaq Ali were present on Kuakata sea beach on a pleasure trip. The criminals damaged sofa sets, computers, DVD players in the hotel and took away Tk 1.4 lakh by breaking the cash counter. They also looted seven computers, five DVD players from the hotel. The reception counter and three rooms were totally destroyed. Hotel owner Golam Sarwar, staffs Mamun, 26, Sohel, 25, Shah Alam, 35, 11,and driver Nazrul were roughed up by the criminals as they tried to resist them. Following the attack, police arrested four 'boarders', alleging that they are sex workers. The Sky Palace officials immediately brushed aside the allegation and said the boarders were tourists from Dhaka who had checked in two days ago. Soleman, 22, one of the attackers sustained serious cut wounds while smashing glass windows. He was sent to Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in a critical condition. A protest meeting was organised by Kuakata Hotel and Motel Owners Association at Kuakata Press Club at about 5:30pm where the association leaders demanded their security to run business peacefully. Kuakata police camp chief ASI Hasis was closed to Patuakhali Police Lines last night. The law enforcers arrested two gang members, Alamgir, 25, and Jasim, 26. Additional police and Rab personnel have been deployed in the area. When contacted, SP Sahibal Kanti Chowdhury said, "We will take proper action against the culprits."