Talking to Shibganj Awami League leaders, it was learnt that the SP League appeared on the scene after Syed Nurul Islam arranged an iftar party at his family home for local leaders and activists of Awami League and other associate bodies.

In 2020, Abu Ahmed Nazmul Kabir and Atikul Islam (Tutul Khan) were made respectively president and secretary of Shibganj Upazila unit Awami league trough a council. They both are followers of Syed Nurul Islam.

Atikul Islam lauded Syed Nurul Islam’s role in Shibganj Awami League and said that he revived the helpless leaders and activists in the upazila.

Meanwhile, the relief and social welfare secretary of upazila Awami League – Jahir Hasan Chowdhury – said Awami League, Chhatra League, Jubo League and Krishak League have been grabbed here like the illegal grabbing of a char. SP Nurul has just destroyed the party through his efforts to set the chosen ones in the party.

Even, there are allegations of attacking the rivals against the supporters of Syed Nurul.

In 2020, they vandalized the house of a follower of Karibul Haque, the former mayor of Shibganj municipality and former general secretary of AL’s municipality unit, over a posting a status on social media.

Karibul alleged that they came under attack while standing in a human chain in front of the upazila dak bungalow protesting the incident.

Asked about the issue, Syed Nurul Islam told Prothom Alo that a scuffle took place when they were standing there with placards carrying the slogan ‘bring SP Nurul to book.”

Syed Nazrul Islam, the elder brother of Syed Nurul, was elected chairman of the Shibganj Upazila Parishad with AL ticket in 2019. He is now serving the party as the vice president of the Chapainawabganj district unit.

There are speculations that he will seek nomination from the ruling party against Chapainawabganj-1 (Shibganj) constituency in the upcoming parliamentary polls.

Syed Nazrul was a demonstrator of the chemistry department at Shibganj Women’s Degree College until being elected as upazila chairman.

Abdur Razib, an assistant professor of the college, member of upazila unit Awami League, and also chairman of the Durlovpur Union Parishad, claimed Syed Nazrul to be involved in the politics of BNP for long.

Abdur Razib told Prothom Alo, “I have been seeing Syed Nazrul Islam to be engaged in BNP since I was 19. Three months before the upazila election, I suddenly heard that he had become an Awami League member.”

Even, a former BNP parliamentarian, Md Shahjahan Miyan, confirmed that Syed Nazrul was earlier engaged in BNP politics.

However, Syed Nazrul spurned the allegation and claimed that he had never been involved in BNP politics.

His late elder brother Syed Ali Hossain fought the Liberation War under Shahjahan Miya and this is why many think that there is a good relationship between them.

The former organizing secretary of district unit Jubo League, Mohshin Ali, contested in the upazila parishad election as a rebel candidate of the ruling party, against Syed Nazrul Islam.

He came up with allegation that Syed Nurul Islam, the then SP of Cumilla, influenced the election with help of Chapainawabganj police to ensure his brother’s win.

Mohshin Ali said the Election Commission exempted TM Mojahidul Islam, the then SP of Chapainawabganj, from electoral duties and replaced additional deputy inspector general of Rajshahi range Ariful Islam there.

The development came after Mohshin Ali held a press conference over an attack on his vehicle, he said.

Meanwhile, Syed Monirul Islam, the younger brother of Syed Nurul Islam, became the mayor of Shibganj municipality with the boat symbol in the election held on 14 February last year.

According to party sources, Monirul Islam was not even a member of Awami League or any of its affiliated organisations before 2020.

However, Monirul claimed that he was the general secretary of Shaheed Salam-Barkat Hall unit of Chhatra League while studying at Jahangirnagar University.

On the other hand, Syed Nurul Islam said he did not go to the area during the elections. The allegation of influencing the election is motivated.

Arifur Reza and Saif Zaman, two followers of Syed Nurul, were elected respectively president and secretary of the district unit Chhatra League in the committee that the student front’s central leaders declared on 28 April in 2018.

Arifur Reza became the office secretary of AL’s district unit and resigned from the Chhatra League, according to party sources.

However, the acting president of district Awami League, Ziaur Rahman, said that Syed Nurul has no control over the district committee.

“Syed Nurul has control over the affiliated organisations. He lobbies at the central level and includes his candidates to the committee. His influence on the Shibganj Awami League is too obvious and he started the same practice in Sadar upazila. We are noticing everything,” he said.

Syed Nurul Islam said he backs educated and talented youth so that they get engaged in politics. He claims that it is those who have been sidestepped and who fail to secure posts in the party who are raising these questions.

Being nominated by the ruling party, Businessman Mokhlesur Rahman became the mayor of the Chapainawabganj Municipality in November last year, though he was never involved with the party earlier. He is known as a close ally to Syed Nurul.

According to party sources, Mokhlesur Rahman entered the politics following a rivalry between Syed Nurul and former president of district Jubo League Samiul Haque.

He was made the vice president of Chapainawabganj Municipality unit after the position fell vacant in October, 2019. Now, he is also a member of district Awami League.

In a conversation with Prothom Alo at the Chapainawabganj municipality office on 7 March, Mokhlesur admitted that Syed Nurul contributed the most to his political career as well as to the journey of municipality mayor.

On the other hand, Samiul Haque was nominated to run in the municipal election with the boat symbol in 2015, but did not get party nomination next year. He contested in the election as a rebel candidate.

Later, he left politics after being expelled from the party. Samiul doesn’t want to talk about the issues anymore.

“I have taken loans to carry out business. I don’t want to fall in any danger talking about these issues,” he said.

AL Leaders aggrieved by ‘SP League’

Shahidul Huda and Abdul Awal Gani were respectively the president and secretary candidates in the council of district Swechchhasebak League held on 6 October last year. They both were followers of Syed Nurul.

According to party sources, the followers of district Awami League general secretary Abdul Wadud were also active to grab the posts. Later, the two sides reached a negotiation and Abdul Awal Gani was made president while Faizar Rahman, a follower of Abdul Wadud, was made secretary of the committee.

After the rise of the SP League in the politics of Shibganj, a rivalry escalated with the supporters of local MP and also joint secretary of district Awami League Samil Uddin Ahmed.

Samil Uddin repeatedly complained to the district committee that the Upazila Awami League committee was formed excluding the leaders and workers of his group.

Clashes have also taken place between supporters of the two sides over establishing supremacy in the area.

MP Samil Uddin no longer wants to talk about Syed Nurul Islam.

“The election is closer now. There are many people in that group too. We also need them during election. That’s why I don’t want to go into conflict. A lot could have been said if it was one or one and a half years ago,” he told Prothom Alo.

Abdul Wadud, the general secretary of Chapainawabganj district Awami League and a former lawmaker, alleged that the unwanted interference by Syed Nurul Islam harmed the party.

Asked if he had informed the party high ups about the matter, Abdul Wadud said, “Everyone is afraid of him (Syed Nurul).”

When the DMP office was approached to collect the police official’s statement regarding the issue around 11am on 14 March, this correspondent was taken to his room by his personal assistant, former ASI Al Mamun.

A number of residents of Shibganj were found sitting in his room. Syed Nurul said at least 50 people from Chapainawabganj come to visit him every day.

After a while, the president and general secretary of Shibganj Upazila Awami League with a group of 8 to 10 people entered the room. Then Syed Nurul Islam told this correspondent, “There is now only one center for the people of Chapainawabganj district. That is me.”

When asked if it is right to be involved in politics being a police officer, he first said that he abides by all the rules of the government. Immediately after that, he said, ‘I am a party-devotee man. As I love the party, I have connections, communications with the party men.”

Regarding the movement of political leaders to the government office, he said, “They not only come on political purpose. Many of them come with different other issues.”

However, former inspector general of police Muhammad Nurul Huda told Prothom Alo that being involved in politics or activities related to politics is against the government servants’ code of conduct. The high ups of the police should take this issue seriously and take action.