Photo: Messenger
A case has been filed against a chairman and a member of Banshkhali, Chittagong, alleging irregularities in the distribution of rice allocated to fishermen. Mir Mohammad Nazrul Islam (51), personal assistant to local parliament member Mujibur Rahman CIP, lodged the complaint at Banshkhali Senior Judicial Magistrate Court on Sunday afternoon, June 23. The court has acknowledged the complaint and instructed the Chittagong unit of the Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate.
The accused include Khankhanabad Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Jasim Uddin Haider, Ward No. 3 UP Member and Panel Chairman Shahidul Islam Sikder, as well as several government officials responsible for rice distribution. Additionally, 10 to 12 unidentified individuals have been implicated in the case. Chairman Jasim Uddin Haider is specifically accused of being part of a gang involved in rice embezzlement within the government, according to the complaint. This development has stirred up controversy and concern in Banshkhali.
In the complaint, it is alleged that the government allocated 56 metric tons of rice, amounting to 56 kg per person for 1,000 fishermen in Khankhanabad Union. On the night of June 11, MP Mujibur Rahman received information from a confidential source indicating that some of the rice allocated from the Chanpur food warehouse for fishermen had been unlawfully sold and diverted elsewhere for personal gain, rather than being stored in the designated Union Parishad warehouse with the involvement of the accused.
The following day, June 12, at 8 am, the MP arrived at the location where laborers hired by the accused were prepared to distribute the rice. Fishermen eligible to receive rice were also lining up at the distribution site. When the MP inquired about the quantity of rice available from Jasim Uddin Haider and the workers, they stated they had 56 tons of rice. However, when MP Mujibur Rahman requested to personally weigh the rice stacks, Jasim Haider replied, "You go upstairs and take some rest. We are in the process of weighing it." In response, MP Mujibur Rahman insisted, "I will not go upstairs; I must oversee the weighing process myself."
At that moment, Jasim Uddin Haider and Shahidul Islam hesitated, but MP Mujibur Rahman insisted on weighing the rice in the presence of the accused, witnesses, and local residents, paying 1000 taka per person. After weighing, it was discovered that there were only 40 tons of rice in the Union Parishad's warehouse, whereas the allocated amount was 56 tons. The remaining 16 tons were missing. When MP Mujibur Rahman asked UP Secretary Mohammad Jalal Mia to show the copy of the challan (receipt), Mia responded in writing that he had not received it.
Subsequently, Chairman Jasim Uddin Haider and Shahidul Islam acknowledged that there was indeed less rice in the Union Parishad's stock. At this point, local onlookers became agitated upon witnessing the chairman's corruption. MP Mujibur Rahman promptly addressed the crowd, vowing to pursue legal action against the accused. He warned Jasim and Shahidul, threatening severe consequences if they continued their malpractices.
Messenger/Fameema
