A press conference was held at the Bogura Press Club where Roksana Khanam delivered a statement protesting the attempted land grabbing and continuous harassment regarding her under-construction house by Delowar Hossain Pashari Hiru—an influential former ward councilor—his associates, and a local alleged land grabber named Zohurul Islam Khan Sojol.
Respected Journalists,
I am Roksana Khanam, widow of the late Hossain Maksudul Alam (Murad), residing at Gohail Road, near the southwest corner of Akbar Ali Khan Chowdhury’s house in Khandar, Bogura. Having inherited property from my late husband and brother-in-law, and after registering it under my children's names, I approved a building design for 13.21 decimals out of 13.5 decimals of land located at plot (dag) no. 1276 in Malgram Mouza, subsequently beginning construction. Prior to this, I had sold the old structure situated on the plot.
However, former BNP leader and former ward councilor Delowar Hossain Pashari Hiru, along with notorious land grabber Zohurul Islam Khan Sojol, set their eyes on our under-construction property. They have been obstructing our construction work through various means. When the old structure was being dismantled by the buyer, Hiru first sent Saddam, a leader of the Bogura city unit Youth Wing (Jubodol). Leading a gang, Saddam claimed, "We were in hiding for 17 years; you must hand over this structure to us." I informed them that if they paid the buyer the purchase amount, the buyer might hand it over. But Saddam refused to pay, demanding the entire structure for free. Furthermore, he demanded that all construction materials—bricks, sand, and rod—must be purchased exclusively through him, with full payment upfront before delivery. When I refused, he threatened, "We will see how you manage to build this house."
Journalist Friends,
You always stand for the truth, and your pens remain vocal against injustice. Later, when I initiated soil excavation for the foundation, Zohurul Islam Khan Sojol arrived and ordered the workers to stop. When asked why, he claimed they had purchased the land. He then instructed the machine operator to speak over the phone. Upon taking the call, the person on the other end identified himself as former councilor Delowar Hossain Pashari Hiru and threatened: "That land is mine. Take your machinery and leave immediately. Otherwise, we will kill the person who hired you, and none of you will escape either." Terrified by this threat, my construction workers stopped working.
If someone were the legitimate owner of a piece of land, they would present proper ownership documents to support their claim. When asked how Hiru became the owner, he claimed an heir had mortgaged the property to a bank in 1984, and he subsequently bought it from the bank. However, he failed to name the bank. When requested to show the deed, he refused and merely held up paper from a distance, asserting it was the land deed and mutation record. I strongly suspect he has fabricated forged documents to commit fraud.ঞ
Using the same modus operandi, Delowar Hossain Pashari Hiru and Zohurul Islam Khan Sojol attempted to grab land and shops belonging to two other victims. For instance, they tried to seize a six-story building (including a Bata showroom) next to 'Touch & Tech' in Joleshoritola, Sutrapur, Bogura. Showing fake documents, they even sold the land belonging to the building's rightful owner, Syeda Nujahat Sultana. A case regarding this matter is currently pending in court. Additionally, Syeda Nujahat Sultana filed a 50-lakh taka extortion case against Sojol, which is currently ongoing in court.
Furthermore, in the Khandar area, Hiru Pashari and Sojol used their terror operative Saddam to demand extortion money from a woman named Shabnam Hafsa. When she refused to pay, they forcibly occupied one of her three shop units. In response, Shabnam Hafsa filed a 25-lakh taka extortion case against Sojol, which is also underway in court.
Friends of the Truth,
Hiru Pashari and Sojol did not stop there. Exploiting the former councilor's influence, they orchestrated a fake complainant to have a work-stoppage notice issued against me by the municipality—not once or twice, but six times. Upon visiting the municipality per the notice, the complainant failed to appear twice. Consequently, the municipal authorities verbally instructed me to resume construction. Despite this, Hiru leveraged municipal personnel to forcefully halt my construction work and seize the tools of the construction workers, directing us to report to the municipal office. When I questioned the Principal Administrative Officer (PNO), he admitted that 10 to 12 individuals had threatened him, compelling him to send personnel to stop my work.
Failing to receive justice at the municipal level, I reported the matter in detail to the Deputy Commissioner (DC). After reviewing the situation, the DC directed the then-Municipal Administrator, Razia Sultana, to investigate and take necessary action.
When I subsequently met with the Municipal Administrator to explain the situation—including our ongoing court case regarding the land—the PNO repeatedly invoked Hiru’s name to intimidate the Administrator and interrupt me. The Administrator silenced him, heard my full account, and ordered a thorough investigation. As the investigation revealed no irregularities regarding my land, the Municipal Administrator issued a formal written permit allowing me to proceed with construction.
Meanwhile, because my land lies adjacent to property occupied by Zohurul Islam Khan Sojol, he devised a new ploy to avoid relinquishing the portion belonging to me. Misleading us and attempting to halt construction, he forcefully obtained our signatures on a revenue stamp paper, writing an agreement that both parties would leave a 2-foot setback for construction without objection. Abul Kashem, owner of the land to the west, joined forces with them, as part of my land also falls within his property boundary. It is worth noting that out of our total 13.5 decimals of land, I am constructing on 11 decimals, while the remaining 2.5 decimals remain illegally occupied by Abul Kashem and Zohurul Islam Sojol. They devised these tactics specifically to avoid relinquishing that land.
Following the issuance of the written municipal permit, when I resumed work on the afternoon of October 14, a group of 15 to 16 armed individuals—acting on the orders of Zohurul Islam Khan Sojol and Delowar Hossain Pashari Hiru, and including Abul Kashem, Muktar, Hiru’s bodyguard, and Saddam—launched an attack on us. They vandalized our boundary wall, hurled verbal abuse, and issued death threats. At one point, Hiru kicked me to the ground, while others physically assaulted me. When I went to Bogura Sadar Police Station to file a formal case, the officer-in-charge (OC) merely took a written complaint without registering a case, taking no action out of fear of these influential perpetrators. Left without police support, I feel completely helpless.
Despite all this, Hiru managed to have another municipal notice issued, forcing me to appear at the municipality again on October 18. Upon my arrival, a mob gathered outside the municipal premises to launch an attack. Inside, they unilaterally revoked the 2-foot setback agreement they had drafted themselves and created a scene, falsely claiming I was proceeding with construction without leaving the 2 feet.
Given the escalating threats, I fear that Hiru, Sojol, and their hired thugs may attempt to end my life at any moment. Death is inevitable for everyone, but I want my successors to know: if anything happens to me, the primary accused for my murder will be Delowar Hossain Pashari Hiru, followed by Zohurul Islam Khan Sojol, Saddam, Kashem, and Muktar Dorji.
Journalist Friends,
I am a helpless widow. I appeal directly to the Prime Minister for justice against the relentless oppression and violence inflicted upon me. Only through executive intervention can I be saved from the hands of these land grabbers in Bogura. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman took his oath under the banner of "Bangladesh First." If these oppressors cannot be uprooted from his home district of Bogura, such injustice will spread across the nation, leaving innocent citizens persecuted. I earnestly request his direct intervention in this matter, as ordinary citizens and administrative officials alike continue to be victimized by their reign of terror.
— Text of the written statement read by Roksana Khanam at the Press Club.
