Al Amin, Sunamganj
It has been alleged that the money allocated for the reconstruction of an old road of Doarabazar upazila of Sunamganj was used to build a new road over the graves.
According to the locals, an UP member and some residents of the area are trying to occupy the graveyard. However, people are not using that road.
It is a 150-year-old graveyard in Goreshpur village of Doarabazar upazila of Sunamganj. The road to Goreshpur village is next to this grave. In the fiscal year 2017-18 for the reconstruction of this road, two lakh taka was allocated under the second phase of the program for the extremely poor.
According to the locals, there was a dispute between the two sides over the road connecting Purbapara of Goreshpur village and Dohalia union of the upazila. One side claims there is no cemetery on the street and the other side claims there is a long-standing cemetery there. They said that when a local die he or she is buried in this 150-year-old cemetery.
Besides, the slain minors of the Hindu community of the area were also buried. Yet, Ali Hossain, a local Dohalia Union Parishad member, has built a new road over the grave with the money allocated for the reconstruction of an old road.
Motayalli of Baitul Aman Goreshpur Jame Mosque Joynal Abedin has made various allegations on behalf of the panchayat to the Sunamganj Deputy Commissioner and Divisional Commissioner to protect the graveyard. There was no benefit in that either. The road is made over the grave and now there is anger among the locals.
Apart from the locals, Kamalon Hossain of Goreshpur village said, “The Goreshpur cemetery is very old. Here are the graves of our three men. Anyone who dies in the area is buried here. But Member Ali Hossain has built a road over the grave to occupy the place.”
Alauddin, a freedom fighter from Goreshpur village, said “It was very sad. The main road was built next to the Goreshpur cemetery except to prevent people from passing over the graveyards. But Member Ali Hossain has built a road over the grave to occupy the graveyard site.”
“I think if there is a road over the graves, there will be no place to bury people in the next couple of years. Therefore, in the interest of the locals, we demand the authorities to save the graveyard as soon as possible. Several villagers, on the condition of anonymity, said the cemetery needed to be preserved quickly or the graveyard will be occupied by local influential people.
Motayalli Joynal Abedin of the local Baitul Aman Goreshpur Jame Mosque said, “Even though the government has allocated for the construction of roads in the interest of the people, it has not benefited the locals. Instead, a road has been constructed over the graveyard of Goreshpur village.”
However, Dohalia Union Parishad (UP) member Ali Hossain, who is accused of occupying the cemetery site, denied the matter on his mobile phone, saying that complainant Joynal Abedin had contested the union council election with him. He could not compete with him. So, he has made various allegations against him.
Kazi Anwar Mia Anu, chairman of the local Dohalia Union Parishad, said there was trouble in the area over the location of the cemetery. In the presence of the then Doarbazar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Kazi Mahua Mumtaz and OC Sushil Ranjan Das, the ground work was done. The deputy commissioner is also aware of the matter.
However, when asked about taking the road over the grave, he said, there is no news here. This is done to make it easier to get around the main road. It has also cost more than allocated to work.
In this regard, Doarbazar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sonia Sultana said, “Apart from Dohalia Union of the upazila, there has been a long-running dispute between the two sides of the area over the road next to the graveyard in Goreshpur village.”
Apart from this, we had received two complaints from Joynal Abedin of Goreshpur village. We formed a committee of inquiry into the allegations. The investigation report of the inquiry committee has been sent to the higher authorities. He said that nothing more can be said on this regard.
