A scuffle and scuffle broke out between two BNP groups over sand mining in Nawabpur Union, Sonagazi No. 9, Feni on Tuesday.
It is learnt that former general secretary of Union BNP, Sohag Master Kalidas, filed a written complaint with the Feni Deputy Commissioner alleging that sand was being illegally extracted in some parts of Nawabpur and Amirabad unions of the Pahalia River, destroying the homes and croplands of villagers. Based on the complaint, on Tuesday afternoon, during an inspection of the spot, including ADC Revenue Manjur Ahsan, Romain Sharma and Sonagazi Upazila Executive Officer Rigyan Chakma, there was a scuffle and scuffle between two groups of Union BNP in the presence of administrative officials. His supporters have accused Nawabpur Union Parishad Chairman Zahirul Alam Zahir of insulting him.
According to the complaint, Belayet Hossain Bachchu, former chairman of Farhad Nagar Union in Feni Sadar Upazila, and BNP leader and chairman of Nababpur Union Parishad in Sonagazi Upazila, Zahirul Islam Zahir, are embezzling huge amounts of money by filling up the land, ponds, and water bodies of various people in the vicinity through irregularities in dredging and sand extraction under the river diversion project.
When asked about the complaint, Belayet Hossain Bachchu Chairman said, "The Deputy Commissioner has given UP Chairman Zahir the responsibility of dredging the river to straighten the crooked river and protect the bridge built on the river. Chairman Zahir rented a sand dredging machine from me. I have no responsibility beyond this."
Nawabpur Union Parishad Chairman Zahirul Alam said that since the Deputy Commissioner passed a resolution in my name to dredge the river, former general secretary of the union BNP, Sohag Master and his follower Shamsuddin Selim, district Jubo Dal leader Mozammel Hossain Arif and upazila Jubo Dal leader Yunus Khan Arif, have been making false and baseless allegations against me out of revenge. Today, in the presence of administrative officials, they and their associates tried to attack me without provocation and created a ruckus.
When asked, Additional Deputy Commissioner Romain Sharma and Sonagazi UNO Rigyan Chakma told The Country Today that in order to straighten the river path and protect the bridge of public importance over the river, the Deputy Commissioner has given the responsibility to UP Chairman Zahirul Islam to straighten the river by dredging the river with the funding of PIO. The next Deputy Commissioner has also decided to throw the excavated sand back into the river via geobags. As a result of dredging, no houses or cropland will be lost in the river. We inspected the scene in response to the complaint and found no evidence of houses or cropland being lost in the river.
When we went to the scene, a faction of the local BNP did not get the work done, and due to some misunderstanding, the two conflicting parties tried to create trouble.
