Local AL leader Insan is also an assistant public prosecutor of Rajshahi court
In 2011, local Awami League leaders and the governing body of a school in Rajshahi’s Bagmara took one decimal land from a woman as a bribe for appointing her as an assistant teacher.
The land was later registered in the prime minister’s name without taking permission from the Prime Minister’s Office – an act considered an offence by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sadiqul Islam. A party office has been built on that land.
AL President of Ganipur union unit in Bagmara Harun-or-Rashid, however, does not see any offence in the process as “money is taken everywhere while recruiting teachers. Sultana Parveen’s father-in-law has given the prime minister one decimal land. We did not register it in our names, but in the prime minister’s. There is nothing unfair [in the process].”
President of Mohanganj High School governing body Insan Ali said the land had been taken from the teacher to construct an office for the local Awami League.
Local AL leader Insan is also an assistant public prosecutor of Rajshahi court.
Sub-Registrar Azharul Islam of Bhabaniganj registered the piece of land illegally while Mozammel Huq, president of ward 4 unit under Ganipur union AL, signed the document as receiver in favour of the premier.
Mozammel was also contacted for comments on the issue, but could not speak because he was undergoing medical treatment.
Sultana said after the authorities had demanded Tk2 lakh from her, she paid them Tk1 lakh. It was agreed that she would pay the remaining amount in phases once she started drawing a salary.
“But [as the governing body demanded], my father-in-law registered one decimal of land in the name of the prime minister for the job,” she added.
Assistant Teacher Lutfar Rahman said after being given the task of acting headmaster of the school, he investigated the appointments of four teachers, including Sultana, and found that they had submitted fake index documents (of teachers’ registration) during recruitment.
Lutfar then lodged a written compliant with the director general of secondary and higher secondary directorate. The charge of investigation was later handed over to the deputy-director of Rajshahi zone.
The probe found the allegation of fake index cards to be true and unearthed the issue of the exchange of land for Sultana’s job.
Lutfar said he had been suspended by the governing body for filing the complaint.
He has been replaced by Roksana Parveen, who is the daughter-in-law of Insan, the governing body president.
The school’s students have been boycotting classes for the last one week while the guardians padlocked the school gate, protesting Lutfar’s suspension.
Deputy Director Dr Sharmin Ferdous Chowdhury of secondary and higher secondary directorate said a report had been submitted to the director general after conducting the investigation. She confirmed that the index cards of the four teachers had been forged.
Sadiqul Islam, who is also serving as the Bagmara assistant commissioner (land), said the salaries of the four teachers had been withheld.
“It is a crime not to take the approval of the Prime Minister’s Office before registering land in the name of the premier. The person who conducted the registration committed an offence. I will recommend that the authorities take punitive actions against the sub-registrar,” he added.
Bhabaniganj Sub-Registrar Azharul first asked this correspondent not to report the matter in the media.
He, however, said: “They came to the office under the [ruling] party’s banner; I just registered the land. It was not on my mind that I needed to take permission from the Prime Minister’s Office.”
Source: Dhaka Tribune
