Ershad’s Son: Trustee board, Bidisha at loggerheads
Tension is growing between the trustee board formed by late Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad and his former wife Bidisha Sidiqque over the custody of their son Eric Ershad.
Party sources said some recent developments on the issue strained the relationship between Bidisha and JP Chairman GM Quader, also Ershad’s younger brother.
Bidisha alleged that Quader was keen on grabbing her son’s inherited property rather than taking care of him.
She further complained that Quader tortured her son, aged about 18, physically and mentally.
However, the JP chief denied the allegations. He recently told reporters that he would file a defamation case against Bidisha.
Mentioning that he loves his nephew, Quader blamed Bidisha for what her son was saying against him and the board of trustee.
Bidisha, former second wife of Ershad, has been staying at President Park in the capital’s Baridhara since November 14. She alleged that her son, who has a learning disability, was not getting proper care and food there.
She told journalists that she went to President Park upon request from her son who wanted her to stay there and take care of him.
“After entering Eric’s room, I found that he was very afraid. He was so hungry that he could not even speak,” she said.
Speaking at a press conference at the JP chief’s Banani office on November 22, trustee board acting chairman Maj (retd) Khaled Akhtar rejected all the allegations and said Bidisha was staying at President Park illegally.
Before his death in July, Ershad on April 7 donated all his movable and immovable properties to the trust. The board members are Eric, Ershad’s personal secretary Shamsuzzaman Mukul, his cousin Jahangir, and Maj (retd) Khaled.
The former military dictator didn’t include his wife Raushan Ershad and brothers in the board.
Ershad in his wealth statement, submitted to the Election Commission before the last year’s national election, mentioned that his yearly income was Tk 1.08 crore.
Khaled, also a JP presidium member, at the press briefing said all the expenses of Eric would be met from the trust’s fund as mentioned in its document.
He said the trust was responsible for taking care of Eric, not his mother. He argued that Bidisha can take care of her son as the mother, but cannot stay at President Park which is a property of the trust.
Citing the document of the board of trustees, he said none but Eric would be able to live at Ershad’s President Park residence.
“If she [Bidisha] wants to keep her son with her, she can stay at any place except the residence of HM Ershad,” said Khaled.
GDs FILED WITH POLICE
Bidisha said a general diary was filed with Gulshan police station on November 18 on behalf of Eric, mentioning that his life might be at risk if the board members were given the responsibility of taking care of him.
It said Eric wanted to stay at President Park with his mother.
On November 22, another GD was lodged with the same police station by Khaled on behalf of the board of trustees. The GD said Bidisha entered President Park illegally and the board was fearing that it might pose a threat to Eric’s life and assets.
Bidisha and Ershad got married in 2000. They divorced five years later.The couple fought a legal battle to have the custody of Eric.
A court delivered a verdict in favour of Ershad and granted Bidisha visiting rights.
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