Hasanat Abdullah Lives a royal life in Mumbai

Abul Hasanat Abdullah, the cousin of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, left the country as soon as the July 2024 movement began and took up residence in Delhi. He has remained in India ever since the Awami League was removed from power. After spending a long time as a "Khadim" (caretaker) at Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan, Hasanat Abdullah is now living in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, with his younger son, Serniabat Ashik Abdullah. His life is currently being spent in a luxurious flat in the upscale Bandra area of the city. This information was provided to the Agamir Somoy representative by three fugitive Awami League leaders currently hiding in Kolkata.

According to the information they provided, Hasanat Abdullah, as the president of the Barishal district Awami League and a member of the Awami League's nomination board, engaged in indiscriminate nomination trading. While he could not exert influence in Bhola (due to Tofail Ahmed) and Jhalokathi (due to Amir Hossain Amu), he had control over the rest of the districts in the division. He amassed thousands of crores of taka through 'selling' nominations and committee positions, ranging from the union level up to Member of Parliament seats. He permanently settled his only daughter, Kanta Abdullah, in India long ago. Hasanat Abdullah has purchased luxurious flats and properties in Delhi, Rajasthan, Kolkata, and Maharashtra.

A fugitive central Awami League leader said, "Whenever any trouble arose in the country, Hasanat Abdullah would be the first to flee. He did exactly that during the July movement. Since he did not return to the country for a long time, we understood that something major was going to happen. He left the country after receiving information from some foreign intelligence agency."

A former Member of Parliament from Barishal, currently staying in Barasat, West Bengal, said, "We know everything, but speaking out would feel like spitting on ourselves. Hasanat bhai is a Khadim at Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan. He has traveled there for many years. After fleeing the country, he first stayed in his Kolkata flat. From there, he moved to Ajmer Sharif. After the fall of the government, he stayed for a while in his Delhi flat. Then he kept moving between Delhi, Ajmer Sharif, and Kolkata. Currently, he is in Mumbai, living in Bandra—which is the most luxurious area. He lives like a celebrity with the money he siphoned off from the country."

A fugitive leader of the Barishal district Chhatra League, currently hiding in New Town, Kolkata, claimed, "Hasanat Abdullah's lifestyle in India is much more luxurious than it was in Bangladesh. At the place where he is currently staying, just buying a single room flat costs 2 crore rupees. He is staying in a flat in Bandra—which was bought for his daughter Kanta for nearly 70 crore rupees—right where Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, and Ranbir Kapoor have their homes.

"He is living carefree with the money earned on our backs, while we are now doing day labor in a foreign country just to fill our stomachs. Conservatively, Hasanat Abdullah has at least 12 flats and houses in various states in India. We came to know these things after we fled to India ourselves."

Barishal Leader Claims Hasanat Sold Nominations, Ruined Party

Shamim Khan, an Awami League leader from Mehendiganj in Barishal, said, "Except for Bhola and Jhalokathi districts, there is not a single union in Barishal division where he did not trade the position of chairman. He used to sell nominations for Union Parishad chairman positions for Tk 50 lakh to 1 crore to unqualified candidates. The districts of Hizla and Mehendiganj in Barishal were no exception. He earned thousands of crores of taka through trading nominations for Union Parishad chairmen, upazila chairmen, municipal mayors, and Member of Parliament seats. By giving nominations to unqualified people, he sank the Awami League in Hizla and Mehendiganj."

Faruk Azad, a Youth League leader from Bauphal upazila in Patuakhali, commented, "Even though Hasanat bhai has fled to India, Allah will not forgive him. He would do nothing without money. And now he is living a luxurious life with that money. Meanwhile, grassroots leaders and activists are gasping for breath; they do not even have money to fight their legal cases. They didn't have positions or titles, yet they had to serve jail term."

Afroza Khanam Nasrin, Senior Joint Convener of the Barishal Metropolitan BNP, said, "Hasanat Abdullah and his family have destroyed Barishal. In the affidavit submitted for the 12th National Parliament election, self-educated Abul Hasanat Abdullah declared loans of around Tk 5 crore, but he has amassed vast wealth abroad while showing loans in the country. Additionally, there were 10 cases against him from 2002 to 2013, among which two were arms cases, five were corruption cases, and one was under the Income Tax Ordinance."

"Even during the Awami League's rule, he was an accused in an ACC case. Later, by using the influence of the Prime Minister's brother, Abul Hasanat became the MP for Barishal-1 without any votes and was acquitted of all cases. Our demand is that the cases from which he was exempted be reopened, and that he along with all other fugitives be brought back to the country and brought to justice."

Barishal Metropolitan Police Commissioner Ashik Said said, "We will discuss with Police Headquarters the matter of Awami League leaders from Barishal who are accused in cases and are currently fugitives abroad. We are keeping a close watch on how to bring them back to the country and put them on trial."