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Download PDF Former lawmakers and local leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP-Naziur) in Satkhira are making frantic moves to conceal their misappropriated corrugated iron (CI) sheets meant for relief to the underprivileged.
The immediate past BNP-led four-party alliance government had disbursed thousands of CI sheets to its partners-in-coalition for distribution among the destitute, whereas the recipient leaders used those for constructing houses for personal use or structures for their parties.
Sources said after the joint forces started to seize such misappropriated relief goods, many leaders receiving CI sheets for relief are now allegedly trying to paint over the imprints on the CI sheets that read “Relief material of Relief and Rehabilitation Department: Not for sale.”
Many of the local Jamaat and BJP leaders who used relief materials for personal purposes or stockpiled those in their properties have allegedly been dumping the relief goods in nearby ponds to evade arrest, sources claimed.
Moreover, in another bid to confuse the law enforcers, names of at least 12 party offices of Jamaat-e-Islami built with relief materials in different areas of the district have been changed to “Islamic Library”. The CI sheets for relief have been hurriedly removed from those structures as well. Local Jamaat leaders also changed signboards of their offices to dodge arrest, locals said.
This correspondent found out that Jamaat leaders used CI sheets for relief to construct party offices at Ghona bazar, Baikari bazar, Kathanda bazar, Panchrakhi, Jhhaudanga bazar, Kalini Chhoygharia, Agardari, Banshdah, Bhomra, Dhulihar, Fingri, Mrigidanga and several other places in sadar upazila.
At Jhhaudanga bazar, local Jamaat leaders switched two party signboards with new ones saying “Young Muslim Generation” and “Sramik Kolyan Federation,” police said.
A police team led by Superintendent of Police (SP) Abdullahel Baki yesterday recovered 36 pieces of CI sheets for relief from “Young Muslim Generation” at Jhhaudanga bazar in sadar upazila, police sources said.
Jamaat-e-Islami won three seats the 2001 parliamentary election while BJP secured one in Satkhira. The elected lawmakers are Principal Maulana Abdul Khaleque from Satkhira 2 (sadar), Maulana Riasat Ali from Satkhira 3 (Ashashuni), Gazi Nazrul Islam from Satkhira 5 (Shyamnagar) and Kazi Alauddin from Satkhira 4 (Kaliganj-Debhata).
Locals in these constituencies alleged that their lawmakers deprived the poor of the relief goods and distributed those among their party activists, influential people and a number of fictitious organisations.
This correspondent came across structures of a kitchen and a barn at Machhkhola in sadar upazila where CI sheets for relief were used illegally. The owner of the structures is Nazibullah, personal assistant of former Jamaat lawmaker Maulana Abdul Khaleque.
Another Jamaat activist, a “Rukan”, Anisur Rahman from Reyui of the same upazila, built his house with CI sheets for relief, sources said.
Local Jamaat leaders have already removed most of the CI sheets illegally used on office structures and hid those in a local leader’s house, sources said.
After former Jamaat lawmaker Mizanur Rahman of Nilphamari was arrested, the authorities of Agardari Alia Madrasa in sadar upazila removed the misappropriated CI sheets worth over Tk 40,000 from the madrasa and dumped those in a nearby pond, said Kawsar Ali from Agardari village. Former Jamaat lawmaker Maulana Abdul Khaleque is principal of the madrasa.
Police recovered at least 200 CI sheets from Khalilnagar Mohila Madrasa in Sadar upazila.
There have been widespread corruption and favouritism allegations against former Jamaat lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam. Shyamanagar Sadar UP Chairman Jaglul Haidar said, Gazi Nazrul Islam distributed CI sheets to party leaders who used those for personal purposes or for constructing party offices at Munshiganj, Banshipur, Kashimari, Iswaripur, Atulia, Noornagar and other places in Shyamanagar upazila.
Gazi Nazrul Islam also allotted CI sheets for relief to his cousin Manzur Sardar. Manzur used the materials to build structures at Chakbara, Bashar Dhali and Khalsebunia. He has been trying to cover up the government markings on the sheets, said Liaquat Ali, chairman of Hurulia UP.
Another former Jamaat lawmaker Maulana Riasat Ali distributed CI sheets among his party leaders, sources said.
Riasat distributed the relief items to local leader Abdur Rahim of Anulia who used those to build a shop. He also erased government markings from the relief goods. Police recovered the CI sheets, but failed to arrest Abdur Rahim.
Maulana Riasat Ali also gave away over 185 pieces of relief CI sheets to Lal Chand Gazi, father of Anulia UP Chairman Ruhul Quddus of Eksara village in Ashashuni upazila, sources said. The UP chairman is now in jail.
Ashashuni police said Lal Chand used the CI sheets on his house. To evade arrest, he removed the materials from his house and sunk those in a pond on Wednesday night. Police recovered the sheets, but failed to arrest Lal Chand.
Meanwhile, police recovered 54 pieces of CI sheets from a canal in front of the house of local Jamaat leader Omar Farooque of Fatepur in Kaliganj upazila.
Quoting villagers, Kaliganj police said Omar Farooque constructed his house with CI sheets that he had received from former BJP lawmaker Kazi Alauddin for distribution among the destitute. He removed those from the structure and dumped them in a nearby canal to dodge the law enforcers.
Police also recovered a large number of relief CI sheets from Kazi Alauddin College at Kaliganj upazila. The college is named after the local lawmaker.
Police said local leaders of different parties who received relief CI sheets are now busy erasing or painting over government imprints on the materials to evade arrest.
Denying allegations of disbursing government relief materials to party men, Maulana Abdul Khaleque and Maulana Riasat Ali said over telephone that they had distributed the CI sheets only to the destitute. The CI sheets for relief found from the “Islamic Libraries” might have been purchased from the destitute.
This correspondent following repeated attempts could not reach Gazi Nazrul Islam.
SP Abdullahel Baki and Officer-in-Charge of sadar police station Safiqur Rahman said more drives would be launched in other areas to recover relief CI sheets.
“Preparations are underway to file cases against the accused,” the SP said.
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