Terrorist threats and vandalism have been alleged against a neighboring family due to a land dispute in the Phul Dhalua area of Barguna Sadar Upazila.
The complaint has been made by Jordanian expatriate remittance fighter Md. Monirul Islam, son of Mohammad Noor of Dhalua Union.
Monirul Islam has called for the real truth to be revealed through investigation and justice to be ensured.
Locals said that for many years, Monirul Islam's family members had been occupying the land. We have seen this. However, now we see that since the land is next to the road and there is no one in the family who can afford to live there, many people are trying to occupy this land by creating trouble. We think this is a crime in the eyes of the law.
Locals also said that the tension in this land dispute should not escalate further and that both sides should get justice. This is what the common people of the area are hoping for.
Expatriate Monir's father said, on Friday, June 13 this year, at around 2 am, local neighbor Mrityu Rashid Akon's son Md. Alamgir (52) and Alamgir's wife Khadija (30) Gangra broke the boundary wall in front of my house, cut down trees on my land, and threatened to kill and injure me, my wife and younger son who were in the house. When the police were informed, the police came to the scene and caught them red-handed with country-made weapons. I am an old man and I cannot even protest. I am demanding fair justice from the administration.
Expatriate Monirul Islam's mother, Mosa. Laili Begum, said that a civil case is ongoing in the Barguna Senior Assistant Judge's Court regarding the land (Case No. 171/24). In the wake of the case, a ban has also been issued by the court. According to the complaint, the opponents have indulged in the said incident in violation of this ban.
The day after the incident, on June 16, I filed a case with the Barguna Speedy Trial Tribunal as the plaintiff. After the initial hearing in the court, the Barguna police station was ordered to investigate.
Expatriate Md. Monirul Islam said, "Six members of my family are contributing to the country's economy by sending remittances to Jordan. But my family is in extreme fear due to repeated threats, wall demolition and tree cutting at home. In this situation, it is not possible for me to work abroad with concentration. I am demanding fair justice from everyone, including the administration."
In this regard, a local neighbor, Md. Sentu Mia, said, "We have seen since childhood that Mohammad has been occupying this land. Suddenly, Khadija and her people came and claimed the land for themselves and tried to build a house there in the dark of night and take possession. At that time, when the police came to stop them, they left the place along with the people. In fact, we do not know on what basis Khadija and her people are claiming ownership of the land."
"For many years, we have been seeing Mohammad occupying this land," said Sahib Ruhul Amin, the imam of another neighboring mosque. "Suddenly, in the dark of night, some people came and tried to take possession of the land and claimed that it was their property. However, we do not know how they are claiming ownership of this land. I have heard that a piece of land can have multiple plots and they are probably claiming the land as heirs."
A prominent person in the area, Md. Zakir Hossain Molla, said that there is a court order on this land. The matter has been discussed several times locally and through the Union Parishad. Although Khadija claimed the land, the local arbitrators could not hand over the land to her as they could not present any valid documents of their land.
BoxA land can have multiple plots and different partners had purchased that land and had been occupying it for a long time. As the demand for Mohammad's land on the side of the road suddenly increased, an attempt was made to forcibly occupy the land in the dark of night. At that time, the police arrived at the spot and stopped the occupation process and seized the country-made weapons from them.
In this regard, the accused neighbor, Mosa Khadija Begum, said, "We are the legal owners of this land and we have the necessary documents as proof. We brought students from Dhaka and built a house on the land. But the opponent demolished the house we built and destroyed it. We want a proper and fair trial in this incident."
Barguna Sadar Police Station Investigating OC Md. Inus Ali Farazi said, when the police reached the spot after receiving a call on 999 about an attempt to encroach on the land of an expatriate in the dark of night, the encroachers fled after realizing the presence of the police. However, they claim that the land belongs to them, so they were preparing to build a house there. But the question arises - if the court verdict is in their favor, then why did they try to build a house secretly in the dark of night?
