<i>16 years over, Shokrana yet to be tried for graft</i>

The trial of Tk 3.13 crore food grain and gunny bag embezzlement case filed about 16 years ago against nine persons including four party alliance candidate in Bogra-1 (Sariakandi-Sonatola) constituency Mohammad Shokrana has not yet started.
Anticorruption Department in 1991 filed the case under 1974 Special Powers Act against nine persons including BNP leader Mohammad Shokrana and former district controller of food (DC Food) Jan-e-Alam Khan on charges of embezzling 51,000 gunny bags, 3857 metric tons of rice and 14.67 tons of paddy from Betgari food silo in Bogra.
BNP leader Mohammad Shokrana in his affidavit submitted along with nomination paper admitted filing of the case against him and said the High Court in 1994 quashed the case.
A source in the food department said, M/s Shafin Rice Mills owned by Mohammad Shokrana after signing agreement with the Food Department in collusion with the district level officials withdrew Tk about 3.12 crore using Weight Quality Standard Certificate (WQSC) without giving any food grain to Betgari food silo.
When the matter came to light the anticorruption department investigated it and submitted charge sheet in the court against the nine persons.
A few days after the submission of the charge sheet the High Court acquitted Shokrana of the case. After a few years another accused in the case Jan-e-Alam Khan appealed to the High Court for his acquittal and the proceedings of the case was suspended.
The proceedings of the case against Shokrana, a charge sheeted accused in freedom fighter Anwarul Kadir Anu murder case remained suspended by High Court order.
Anu's mother Jahanara Begum filed an appeal with the home ministry in September 2000 demanding trial of the killers of her son but no response has yet been received. Shokrana allegedly gunned down Anu at Dutta Bari area in the town in broad daylight on January 2, 1974.