DHAKA — A nearly five-decade-old healthcare centre serving low-income communities in Dhaka’s Mirpur-1 was looted and demolished in a midnight attack by a large masked group, prompting a police investigation into whether officers failed to intervene despite being alerted to the incident.
The Radda MCH-FP Centre was attacked around midnight on September 24–25 by an estimated 200–250 masked people carrying sticks, hammers and other locally made weapons, according to the case documents and police. Two security guards were reportedly beaten and tied up before the attackers looted medical equipment, medicines, government vaccines, cash and other property. The attackers subsequently used heavy machinery to demolish the centre’s buildings.
Police have so far arrested four people — Sohel, 22, Jewel, 23, Jihad Hasan, 21, and Rabbi, 20 — in connection with the attack. They were sent to court, while police are conducting further raids to identify and arrest other suspects. Police said the four initially admitted involvement and that they had been paid to participate in the attack.
The case was filed at Shah Ali Police Station by Radda MCH-FP Centre Executive Director Dr Nasrin Akhter. The complaint names Hanif Mia and 200–250 unidentified people, accusing them of trespassing, theft, threats and vandalism. The centre has estimated its losses at more than Tk 1.5 crore, while details in the FIR put the direct damage at around Tk 1.09 crore.
Police presence raises questions
The police response has become a central part of the investigation.
Shah Ali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Jahangir Hossain acknowledged that police were present at the scene while the attack was taking place, but did not provide a clear explanation for why the attackers were not stopped or arrested at the time. Reports and CCTV footage have also raised questions over the apparent movement of looted equipment from the premises while police were nearby.
Following an inspection of the site on September 26, DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed formed a three-member committee to determine whether police officers were negligent or failed to respond appropriately.
The committee has been asked to submit its report by October 3. The commissioner said disciplinary or legal action would be taken against any police personnel found responsible.
The investigation will examine, among other issues, whether officers reached the scene in time and whether there was negligence in responding to the attack. The centre was located roughly 1.5 kilometres from Darus Salam Police Station, according to the DMP commissioner.
The attack has also triggered allegations of a long-running dispute over the property.
According to reports, groups had previously attempted to take control of the land, and the attackers reportedly put up a signboard bearing the name “Sammona Dokandar Samabaya Samity Limited” after demolishing the centre.
Local sources have alleged links between the land occupation attempt and a faction associated with Jannatul Ferdous Misty, a reserved-seat lawmaker and Dhaka North City BNP joint convener. The allegation remains part of the ongoing investigation. DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin said authorities would investigate anyone found involved, regardless of political or social identity. �
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Misty has denied involvement in the vandalism, saying police should investigate the matter according to law.
Nearly 50 years of healthcare disrupted
The Radda MCH-FP Centre began operating in 1974, providing maternal and child healthcare, reproductive health and family-planning services, antenatal and postnatal care, vaccinations and other primary healthcare services to disadvantaged communities.
The centre was also scheduled to support a government measles-rubella vaccination programme, but the demolition disrupted those services just before the campaign was due to begin. Medical equipment, vaccines, medicines, computers, refrigerators, air conditioners, furniture and other supplies were reportedly looted or damaged.
Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan visited the site and said CCTV footage was being reviewed to identify those involved. He also said disputes over land or structures should be resolved through legal channels rather than through force.
Meanwhile, DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin has said that no political or social identity will shield anyone found involved in the incident, while the police-negligence inquiry is expected to provide a clearer account of what happened during the attack.
The immediate investigation now has two parallel tracks: identifying and prosecuting those who carried out the looting and demolition, and determining whether police inaction or negligence allowed the attack to continue. The police committee’s October 3 report is expected to be a key next development.
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