Allegation of land grabbing has surfaced against former lawmaker of Kurigram-3 (Ulipur) constituency MA Matin.
Even though the incident took place in 2019, the families of the victims could not open their mouths because of the fear as he was an MP of the then ruling party.
When the victims went to the land on August 20, they were again intimidated and threatened. Then on August 26, a complaint was filed against 12 named persons, including ex-MP Matin, and 80-90 unknown persons with Ulipur Police Station.
According to the complaint given to the police station, there is a land dispute between Abdun Nasir, 46, son of late Abdul Latif of Kishorepur Baraipara village under Thetrai Union in the Upazila, and Phulbabu, 48, son of Zahur Uddin of Ramdas Dhaniram Noorpur area, over the 31 decimals of ancestral home. A case is pending in court since 2012 about that. Abdun Nasir is the son-in-law of former MP MA Matin's elder brother Abdul Karim.
Sources said when the case (210/12) was pending in the court, the former MP’s men with weapons, vandalised seven houses on that land and looted the goods on May 21 in 2019 following the orders of former MP MA Matin. The estimated value of the houses and goods is Tk 60 lakh. Later, godown house was constructed there. In this situation, when the victims went to the disputed land on the morning of August 20, they were chased away with threats, said Phulbabu Mia.
Victim Phulbabu said that former MP MA Matin was in power at the time of the incident (2019). At that time, he went to the police station to file a case, but the police did not take the case. “We will go where we need to go to get justice,” he said.
Ulipur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abu Bakkar Siddique admitted receiving the complaint and said that the matter is under trial in the court. It is not possible to take legal action without the direction of the court, he said.
This correspondent tried to contact former MP MA Matin over his mobile phone but he did not receive the call.
