Miscreants have attacked a mother hilsa protection drive in Zajira, Shariatpur, injuring eight members of the fisheries department. The attack happened late on Tuesday night (29 October) on the Padma river in the Baburchar area of the upazila.

The injured are Riad (28), a field assistant at the Zajira upazila fisheries office; driver Md Sagar (30); speedboat driver Sekendar Hossain (29); and their associates Habib (22), Zillur Rahman (45), Mushfiqur Rahman (27), Jamil Hossain (28) and Sekandar Hossain (35).

Upazila fisheries officer Md Rezaul Sharif said fisheries staff were on duty on Tuesday night for the mother hilsa drive in one speedboat at Sidarchar, two speedboats at Baburchar and one speedboat at Charatra in Zajira. Suddenly, people arrived in 18 to 20 engine-driven boats and attacked the two speedboats at Baburchar. The attackers hacked and beat the eight fisheries department members with local weapons, bamboo poles and oars, and then fled.

On learning of it, Naria upazila fisheries officer Zakir Hossain and other fisheries staff went and rescued them and admitted them to Zajira upazila health complex. As two were in critical condition, the doctor on duty sent them to Dhaka for better treatment.

District fisheries officer Hadiuzzaman said: "We have informed senior fisheries department officials about the attack. We will inform the deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police. Action will then be taken according to the investigation. Because the drive is getting tougher, they have become aggressive and are attacking us. But our drive will continue."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.