An Awami Leaguer is getting structures built on a piece of land that belongs to Bhabani Kanta Sen at Rasulpur of Patgram in Lalmonirhat. The Hindu family had to seek help of the police to ward off the aggression by the ruling party man. Photo: Star
A ruling Awami League leader has forcibly occupied a piece of land of a Hindu family in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat.
On February 9, Bhabani Kanta Sen and his two sons were picked up by a group of ruling party men and held hostage at the house of an AL leader, Nazrul Islam, in Rasulpur village of Bawra union.
Bhabani and his sons were forced to sign a non-judicial stamp, stating that they were handing over the ownership of a 32-decimal plot of land to Rabiul Islam Miron, president of the AL Bawra union unit.
Bidyut, son of Bhabani, said they had to sign the document as Rabiul’s men forced them to do so.
“I inherited 43 decimals of land. As a legal owner, I sold 11 decimals of land six months back,” Bhabani said, adding that he had been cultivating crops on the remaining 32-decimal piece of land.
Contacted, Rabiul said Bhabani and his sons had willingly signed the stamp stating that they did not have any claim on the land.
Meanwhile, Rabiul has started building structure on the land.
Nazrul, also a close aide of Rabiul, said a meeting was held at his house where Bhabani had willingly signed the paper.
On February 16, Bhabani filed a case with Patgram Police Station.
Bhabani had shown necessary documents in support of his ownership, but Rabiul could not produce any, Officer-in-Charge Amiruzzaman told The Daily Star on February 26.
Rabiul claimed that his documents were gutted as his house caught fire a few years back.
The OC then said they would take legal actions in this regard after the upazila polls on February 27.
When contacted on February 28, the OC said they had asked Rabiul to show his documents by March 2 (today).
If he fails, he [Rabiul] would have to give up the land, the OC added.
Upazila AL president Anwarul Islam Nazu said they would take action against the AL men, if found guilty.