immediately. Soon after dark the power supply to the brothel was disconnected. The group allegedly assaulted and raped the sex workers during the blackout. Most of the sex workers fled without their possessions. The few that remained left the next day. The brothel was demolished over the next few days, allegedly by staff hired by the mayor. The Oshamajik Karjokolap Protirodh Committee denied any knowledge of the eviction. Mayor Mukti claimed the brothel house owners had ordered the sex workers to leave. District police chief Saleh Mohammad Tanvir said the house owners had made the order following pressure from Muslim clerics and civil activists. Reopening Human rights organisations protested against the closure. On 19 July 2014 the sex workers, along with representatives of the Sex Workers Network (SWN) of Bangladesh, Care Bangladesh, Action Aid, ICDDRB, HASAB, UNAIDS, Save the Children, BLAST, and ASK formed a human chain outside the National Press Club demanding to be allowed back into the brothel and calling on the government and local administration to intervene on their behalf. On 3 September the sex workers tried to repossess the brothel area but were evicted the next day and a police cordon set up to prevent them re-entering. In late 2014, the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association brought an action in the High Court of Bangladesh, claiming that the eviction of the sex workers was illegal. The court ruled in their favour. After the ruling the sex workers returned to the brothel. With the help of NGOs the brothel was rebuilt. The rebuilt brothel is surrounded by a 2-meter wall. Within the walls there are narrow streets, food stalls, tea shops and other vendors on the street and the accommodation for the sex workers. See also Prostitution in Bangladesh Daulatdia Notes and references Notes References Bibliography External links - Documentary produced by the APNSW Brothels in Bangladesh Red-light districts in Bangladesh Villages in Tangail District