At least 80 banana trees were cut down overnight at a garden in the Gobardhan area of Gournadi upazila, Barishal, in what the owner says was a deliberate act of vandalism linked to a land dispute. The incident has caused an estimated Tk 50,000 in losses and prompted alarm in the area.
The garden owner, Mohammad Kamruzzaman of South Gobardhan village, filed a written complaint at Gournadi Model Police Station on Monday (June 29).
According to the complaint, Kamruzzaman had leased 24 decimals of government land adjacent to the Gobardhan Bakultala mosque and planted more than 100 banana trees. The trees had recently begun producing bunches, and he was expecting a good harvest. On Monday morning, he found at least 80 trees of various sizes had been cut down and left on the ground.
Kamruzzaman alleged that a local group has had a long-running dispute with him over the land. He said the same group had previously seized fish from his pond by force. He believes the attack on his banana garden was a planned act of retaliation rooted in this feud.
Local resident Halan Sardar said: “People may have disputes with each other, but what kind of enmity is this against trees? Those who did this despicable act should be brought to justice and made an example of.”
Gournadi Model Police Station Sub-Inspector Saiful Islam said police visited the site after receiving the complaint and that an investigation is underway.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report