Move to construct market grabbing century-old mosque
#Deal signed with developer company owned by BNP-Jamaat men
#Plan to make Tk 150cr from shop allotment
#Discontent within police department
MP from Chattogram-12 constituency (Patiya) and Jatiya Sangsad Whip Shamsul Haque Chowdhury and his son Nazmul Haque Chowdhury Sharun have proved again that thieves can't be preached.
They have always been making headlines committing various irregularities and corruption. Now, they are facing the allegation of grabbing century-old Patiya Thana Mosque to create a multi-storey market there.
The duo has changed the name of the mosque to implement their evil plan. For protesting the move, some police officials faced their wrath. The authorities administration is unhappy with the matter.
The whip and his son are so vindictive that police officials are afraid of making any comment on the mosque issue.
Wishing anonymity, a police official said, “Whip Shamsul Haque Chowdhury and his son Nazmul Haque Chowdhury Sharun want to grab 22 gandas of land of the thana mosque to create a 10-storey market at the area.”
As part of the plan, the duo has constituted a mosque committee comprising of a loyalist leader and changed the name of the ancient mosque.
The committee has entered right into a manage a developer company linked to BNP-Jamaat leaders of the area. They are finished with all procedure to demolish the mosque and construct the high-rise market.
According to the layout, the market could have 400 shops. Whip and his son are allocating the shops to the interested people at Tk 30-40 lakh each.
The Shamsul Haque family is defined to make an against the law business to the tune of Tk 150 crore in the name of allocating shops.
Police officials, who objected to your choice, are facing frowning from the whip and his son.
“We’ve been seeing the thana mosque since childhood. A couple of years ago, the whip and his son grabbed the mosque through their loyalists. They remained behind the scene. They completed all procedure to demolish the mosque and construct a market there. We’re facing an uncomfortable situation because of their activities,” said an Awami League leader wishing never to be named.
An investigation discovered that Patiya Thana Jame Mosque was constructed on 22 gandas of land in 1890. Usually, the mosque is run by a committee with ASP (Patiya circle) or OC as its president and a representative of devotees as secretary.
In 1994, a merchant account of the mosque was opened with Patiya branch of Janata Bank Ltd. Transaction in the account used to occur under joint signatures of Patiya OC and another person. The existence of the Patiya thana mosque was evident in a variety of government surveys.
Within the last decade, the worthiness of land in Patiya doubled and redoubled. Shamsul and Sharun became greedy to seize the mosque land due to its commercial value.
They formed a seven-member new committee with then municipal mayor Harunur Rashid as its president in 2013. In addition they made a decision to construct a 10-storey market demolishing the mosque. They signed a deal with pro-BNP-Jamaat farm Nusrat Development Company Limited. Among the owners of the farm is upazila BNP leader Shafiqul Islam Chairman. Other owners are also associated with BNP-Jamaat politics.
In 2018, the pocket committee of the whip family renamed the mosque as Patiya Thana Chadu Talukder Jame Masjid.”
Carrying out a case in 2019, Senior Assistant Judge passed a judgment voiding renaming the mosque and declaring the deal signed with Nusrat Development Company illegal.
Defying the court’s judgment, the whip and his son 're going ahead with their intend to demolish the mosque and construct the market.
They are also taking Tk 30-40 lakh from each of the aspirant allottees. They are set to earn Tk 150 crore from the project.
A police official said the home of Harunur Rashid is found in a place which is 4 km away. He was never at the helm of the mosque. Whip and his son put him near the top of the committee in order to grab the land and construct the marketplace.
