Residents Reject Proposed Union Names in Bogura
State Minister for LGRD Mir Shahe Alam. Photo: Collected
A public hearing was held on Tuesday regarding the renaming of three controversial newly formed unions in Shibganj and Mokamtola upazilas of Bogura. During the hearing, residents rejected the proposed names Mirbari, Simanta, and Diganta and instead put forward several alternative names. The day-long hearing, which ran from 10 am to 4 pm, was attended by local residents, public representatives, journalists, and people from various professions.
Recently, the naming of the three newly formed unions sparked widespread criticism as the names matched the ancestral home and the names of the two sons of local Member of Parliament and State Minister for LGRD Mir Shahe Alam. Following the controversy, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman issued instructions to change the names. On Saturday, a letter signed by Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister A BM Abdur Sattar reached the Bogura Deputy Commissioner’s office.
Following this, Deputy Commissioner Taufiqur Rahman formed three separate committees to change the names of the three unions. Accordingly, the public hearing for Mirbari Union was held at Betgari Mirbari Government Primary School. At the same time, the hearing for Simanta Union was held at the field of Jagannathpur High School in Syedpur, while the hearing for Diganta Union took place at the field of Bhoria High School.
During the day-long hearings, locals participated spontaneously and proposed their preferred names.
“The area was earlier known as Syedpur Union. Since it has now been split, we have proposed the name Jagannathpur,” said Yasin Ali, a resident of Jagannathpur village in Simanta Union.
Committee heads overseeing the renaming process said the proposals collected from the public hearing would be submitted to the upazila administration in accordance with regulations.
Abdul Hannan, head of the naming committee for Mirbari Union and Upazila Agriculture Officer of Shibganj, said at least 460 people participated in the hearing. He said the most commonly proposed names included Betgari, Aliarhat, Ramkandi, Gopinathpur, Haripur, and Gorna.
Mahbub Hasan Chowdhury, head of the naming committee for Simanta Union and Upazila Livestock Officer, said people from various professions, including journalists, proposed new names. He said Jagannathpur, Abhirampur, Mankoir, and Amjhuppi were among the most frequently suggested names.
Md. Al Mamun, head of the naming committee for Diganta Union and Upazila Rural Development Officer of Shibganj, said Bhoria and Pakurtola were the most commonly proposed names. He added that public hearings were arranged separately in two areas of the union. While the hearing in Bhoria was completed on Tuesday, another hearing will be held in the other area on June 25.
On June 14, a government gazette issued as part of the administrative restructuring of Shibganj and Mokamtola upazilas created four new unions. The unions were named Mirbari, Simanta, Diganta, and Swarnagram.
Of these, the name Mirbari matches the ancestral home of Bogura-2 constituency Member of Parliament Mir Shahe Alam. The names Simanta and Diganta also match the names of his two sons, Mir Shakrul Alam Simanta and Mir Saklain Alam Diganta, sparking widespread criticism among locals. The issue later went viral on social media and became a national talking point. The following day, Jamaat-e-Islami MP Shafiqul Islam Masud raised the matter in Parliament through the Speaker.
However, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam described the matter as “coincidental.” He said the names were selected based on geographical location, administrative necessity, and public hearings. He added that one union was named Simanta due to its border location, while another was named Diganta due to its distance. He claimed the similarity with his sons’ names was purely coincidental and said that if the intention had been to name the unions after his children, the prefix 'Mir' would have been used.
Following the controversy over the naming of the four newly announced unions, the administration stated that names were finalized based on public opinion collected through public hearings. However, visits to the locations mentioned in official documents revealed a different picture.
Local residents said they had not heard of any such public hearings taking place. Two of the individuals cited as proposers of the new union names are leaders of the Jubo Dal.
Shahinur Rahman of Bhoria-Biharipur village, who proposed the name Diganta Union, was identified as the president of the Shibganj Upazila Deuli Union Jubo Dal. He also teaches in the technical branch of Moslemganj High School in Kalai Upazila of Joypurhat.
Meanwhile, the proposer of Simanta Union, Belal Hossain from Kukibazitpur village, is the president of Syedpur Union Jubo Dal and a local Union Parishad member.
