Shawdesh Desk:

MP from Patiya in Chattogram and Jatiya Sangsad Whip Shamsul Haque Chowdhury has allegedly grabbed land of others through forgery.

He occupied a piece of land measuring three ganda and two kora in Bakalia Karnaphuli Residential Area after making a cook owner of the land.

This has been exposed through an investigation by Bangladesh Praditin.

Liberation War organiser and veteran Awami League leader Didarul Alam Chowdhury said, “The life of Shamsul Haque Chowdhury is full of forgeries. The grabbing of land through forgery after making a cook owner of the land is another example of his forgery. Many have become paupers being victims of his forgery. A family which lost its land is now on the run for fear of life due to the forgery of Shamsul Haque.”

During the investigation, it was found that Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Anwara Shafiqul Haider Majumder got the allotment of a plot in Bakalia Karnaphulli Residential Area on April 25, 1989 as a cadre of the BCS admin.

He sold the land to a businessman, Haji Mohammad Shafique Ahmed, in September 1997.

However, incumbent Whip of Jatiya Sangsad Shamsul Haque Chowdhury became greedy to occupy the land of innocent Shafique.

He sought the assistance of his then cook in Dhaka Mohammad Soleman alias Soleman Baburchi to illegally take possession of the land.

The land was registered in the name of one Khurshida Khan, a member of an influential Awami League family, in 2001 after introducing cook Solemen as Mohammad Shafique Ahmed as per the plan.

Shamsul Haque Chowdhury himself was the identifier of the deed.

Soleman came to know about the forgery in the middle of 2002. Realising his mistake, he made his position clear before a magistrate court in Chattogram through affidavit on November 24, 2002.

The family of Khurshida put pressure on Shamsul Haque to return the money after realising that they had been cheated buying the Tk 8.5 lakh land.

Apparently being forced, he handed over the ownership of the land to his brother Mahabubul Haque Chowdhury through forgery after returning Tk 8.5 lakh.

Shamsul Haque became the owner of the land in 2006 by dint of a deed.

When the incident of forgery came to light, Mohammad Moktar, son of the land owner, filed a general diary (diary No. 670) with CMP’s Bakalia Police Station. In the GD, he mentioned the name of Shamsul Haque Chowdhury as the defendant.

He said the defendant prevented him from going to his paternal property and threatened to beat him.

What was in the affidavit

When the plot forgery of Shamsul Haque Chowdhury was unearthed, cook of his house Soleman who gave the registry of the land claiming himself Mohammad Shafique Ahmed opened his mouth.

He gave an affidavit on November 24, 2002 with the first class magistrate court in Chattogram. In that affidavit, he declared, “After being introduced by Patiya’s Khorna union parishad Chairman AKM Matin, I took a job of cook in the Dhaka’s rented house of AKM Matin, Muslim Uddin and Shamsul Haque Chowdhury. While working there, I came to Chattogram on October 15, 2001 when Shamsul Haque Chowdhury told me that one of his uncles is seriously ill. He cannot move now. Therefore, a land has to be registered on behalf of him. Following his suggestion, I went to the registrar office and gave a thumb signature as an obedient employee of Shamsul Haque Chowdhury. I can read and sign. But I gave thumb sign as I was asked to do it. I didn’t know anything about the document. No one asked me anything about it. Shamsul Haque Chowdhury also signed as a witness. Recently, in the face of dispute, when the recipient party of the document asked me about the document, I told them that I don’t own the land and I gave the thumb signature following the suggestion and directive of Shamsul Haque Chowdhury. In such a situation, I’ve described everything to avoid future complications. I’ve given my thumb signature bellow to prove the truth of my thumb signature in the document registered on October 15, 2001. Everything I’ve described in this affidavit is true according to my faith and consciousness and I’m aware of everything as the declarant.”