UNO sues 7 AL men for death threat

An upazila nirbahi officer yesterday sued seven Awami League men and 20 to 25 unnamed people for “threatening him with death” after he refused to include the people of their choice on the farmer’s list in Sirajganj.

SM Saifur Rahman, UNO of Sirajganj’s Belkuchi upazila, filed the case with Belkuchi Police Station in the afternoon.

The government is updating the list of local farmers to buy paddy from them at a fixed price. The price fixed by the government is higher than the local market. The seven accused have been forcing the authorities to include the names of their men in the farmers’ list for a long time so that they can create a syndicate to sell paddy at a higher price to the government, the UNO said.

The UNO also said that he received the death threat as he refused to prepare the list following the ruling party men’s instructions.

The seven accused are: Belkuchi upazila Jubo League convener Sazzadul Haque Reza, Sramik League President Arman Ali, Chhatra League leader Riad Hossain, Jubo League activists -- Ripon, Saiful, Johurul and Sohag.

Of them, Jubo League convener Sazzadul is operating multiple syndicates in the area, the UNO said, adding that he has been noticing this since he was posted in the upazila around three months ago.

Anwarul Islam, officer-in-charge of Belkuchi Police Station, said, “We have recorded the case and are taking legal actions.”

The Daily Star could not reach any of the accused after repeated attempts over phone.