Lakshmipur: Case Filed Against DC, 90 Others Over Possessing Tk45M Mosque Property
Photo: Agamir Somoy
A case has been filed against the district administrator and 89 others over the alleged occupation of property belonging to a Jame mosque in Kamalnagar, Lakshmipur, worth around Tk 45 million.
The case was filed on Monday afternoon by ABM Babul Munshi, president of the mosque committee, at the district’s Joint District Judge’s Court.
The accused include the district administrator, the additional district administrator (revenue), the assistant commissioner (land) of Kamalnagar, and several alleged occupiers—90 people in total.
According to local residents, Siddiq Ullah Munshi of the Charmartin area donated 69 decimals of land in 1984 and 1985 through deeds numbered 9009 and 8583. The land, recorded under Khatian No. 241, Dag Nos. 409 and 307, was endowed as waqf property for the Munshirhat Bazar mosque.
The matter came to the attention of several members of the then mosque committee, including erstwhile president late Khabirul Islam, secretary Nuruzzaman Mollah, late Syed Ahmed DA, Abdul Latif (member), Shahe Alam, Khorshed Alam (member), Abu Bakar Siddiq, Nuru Mia Darbesh, Habib Ullah Mia, and Shariat Ullah Mia.
Later, when new land records were prepared in 1989 and 1990, the accused allegedly manipulated the process to record 52 decimals of the land in their own names by showing it as market shop plots and took possession. The remaining 17 decimals were recorded as a market alley under Khas Khatian No. 1.
Over time, many of the alleged occupiers sold the properties to others for large sums of money at recorded values. For years, some people have rented out the shops after purchasing them at recorded prices, while others have been running businesses there after inheriting the properties.
Against the backdrop of these shop plots, political developments followed after the then Awami League government came to power. Faruk Munshi, the younger son of Siddiq Ullah Munshi and a Jubo Dal leader, later joined Jubo League. Using political influence, Faruk Munshi reportedly declared Mejbah Uddin Bappi, convenor of the upazila Jubo League, as president of the Munshirhat Bazar mosque committee and himself as secretary. He later claimed the shop plots as their personal property, allegedly threatening business owners to vacate and extracting various benefits. At one stage, he also lodged cases against several shop owners.
Plaintiff ABM Babul Munshi said, “My father had donated 69 decimals of land to this mosque. Later, after a market developed in my father’s name, a vested group strategically took records of 52 decimals in their own names and occupied the land. At present, shops have been set up on part of the mosque land next to the mosque, recorded in the name of Siddiq Ullah, general secretary of the union BNP. After verifying various mosque documents, we learned the true facts and therefore filed this case against the illegal occupation.”
Attempts to contact District Administrator SM Mehdi Hasan for comments were unsuccessful, as he could not be reached by phone despite repeated efforts.
