Protest against propaganda against two Jamaat-e-Islami leaders in Kamalnagar

Protest against propaganda against two Jamaat-e-Islami leaders in Kamalnagar

National Desk :    |    ০৭:৩১ পিএম, ২০২৫-০৭-২৬

komolnogor Correspondent: The victims strongly condemned and protested against the news published in Kamalnagar, Laxmipur, accusing two local leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh of stopping the ongoing work of the Meghna bank protection dam demanding extortion. On Friday (July 25) evening, Master Lokman Hossain, President of Saheberhat Union of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Kamalnagar Upazila, and Anwar Hossain, President of Ward No. 7 of the same union, gave this reaction. During an hour-long private conversation at a Signage and Restaurant in Hazirhat Bazar of the upazila, they said that Jamaat-e-Islami is an idealistic and disciplined organization. There is no question of any leader or activist of this organization being involved in any kind of anti-state or anti-social activities or even extortion. The victims, who reacted angrily to the news, said that a person named Harunur Rashid, a resident of Lakshmipur district town, took a lease from the "Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA)" as an inland waterway wharf from Nabiganj on the Meghna River to the Patarirhat area of the upazila. When the lessee, Harunur Rashid, a resident of the district town, explained the reason for the manpower shortage, the victims' masters Lokman Hossain and Anwar Hossain agreed and took the responsibility of collecting the commission against the original lessee. After taking responsibility, they also submitted all the documents in favor of the lease to all the necessary offices as per the rules. Meanwhile, on Thursday morning, several cargo ships and bulkhead traders of sand and stone suppliers, employed by Md. Yusuf, a bulkhead trader and a contractor for the construction of the CC block of the bank protection dam of the Meghna River, were hit by a collision with a ship carrying sand and stone. The victim masters Lokman Hossain and Anwar Hossain went to discuss the lease documents and commission collection with Fazle Rabbi. At that time, they got into an argument with two local youths on various issues. This caused the workers to stop lifting the blocks made on the pontoons parked at the wharf for a short time. The victim Jamaat leaders Lokman Hossain and Anwar Hossain said, as the responsible people of the lessee, we went to talk to the person appointed by Yusuf, a businessman who transports sand and stones through cargo ships and bulkheads, about the collection of the lessee's commission. At that time, two local youths named Raju and Anwar came and created a ruckus. They did not allow any kind of commission to be collected from that wharf, and openly threatened that those who wanted to collect commission would be killed. At one point, we decided to sit down and settle the matter later and left from there. They also said that the contractor company, M/s Western Engineering, has been working on the Meghna River bank protection dam there for a long time. But another person named Yusuf is transporting sand and stones there using cargo ships and bulkheads using river routes and Matbarhat wharf for the construction of the CC block. Basically, we were talking about collecting commission from the cargo ships and bulkheads transported by that businessman as a wharf lessee. They said that there was no question of stopping the work of the contracting company or demanding bribes from them. They said that Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is an ideological and disciplined organization, a politically defeated party is our life organization and has presented the news with complete baselessness and motives out of hatred towards us. We urge those who are spreading such propaganda with motives to refrain from spreading such propaganda. If they spread such propaganda in the future, they will be brought under the law. Meanwhile, when asked about the stoppage of work on Thursday, at least 15 workers employed by the contractor said that they stopped loading blocks on the paltun for an hour due to an argument between the two people with locals Raju and Anwar over the lease issue. Later, they resumed work as usual. In this regard, BIWTA official Md. Fazle Rabbi said that Master Lokman has explained to him all the documents against the lease. The documents are formally valid. There is no obstacle for the lessee to get the commission from Master Lokman. Manager Borhan Uddin of Western Engineering Company refused to comment on this matter. The lessee Harunur Rashid said, "I am the main lessee of Matbarhat Ghat. Due to manpower, time and busy schedule, I have given the responsibility of collecting the lease to Master Lokman. From now on, he will collect the toll from that ghat on behalf of the lessee." In this regard, Upazila Jamaat Amir Maulana Abul Khair said, "As Jamaat-e-Islami has become a popular organization among the people day by day, a group of evil-minded circles have engaged in propaganda against the party. If the propaganda is not stopped, legal action will be taken against those responsible." The leader said.