Local Government Division temporarily suspended Mohammad Zahangir Alam from his mayoral post of Gazipur City Corporation yesterday.

He was suspended from the mayor post over allegations of graft, power abuse and rules violation.

Seven days ago, he was expelled for life from the Awami League for making derogatory comments on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

After his suspension from the mayoral post, the Local Government Division (LGD) appointed a three-member mayoral panel with two councillors from general seats and one from reserved seats.

Zahangir was asked to hand over his responsibilities to the panel in three days, said LGD officials.

In a press briefing, Tazul Islam, minister for the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, yesterday said, "There are allegations of land grabbing, involvement in activists against the public interest, misuse of power and public money."

Asked, he said they had the allegations "before the recent incidents" took place and those were under investigation. "He is suspended for the sake of proper investigation."

Hours after the briefing, LGD issued a gazette notification on Zahangir's suspension.

According to the notification, there are allegations of floating fake tenders and quotes, recruiting people unnecessarily, misappropriating money from different projects, Ijtema and lease against Zahangir.

Several thousand residents of Gazipur city lost valuable lands as the city corporation "encroached" on their private property and demolished their buildings to widen streets, drains and footpaths. The affected people were not given any compensation.

In the gazette notification, it is said that the LGD had issued a show cause to the GCC on the issues of land grabbing and expanding roads without giving compensation to affected people.

However, the GCC failed to give replies to the notice, it added.

According to section 13(1) of the City Corporation Act, 2009, a mayor can be expelled for the offences.

"Since the process of removal has begun through the initiation of the investigation, for the sake of conducting a fair probe Mohammad Zahangir Alam is suspended from the mayor post," reads the gazette.

Within the three days of receiving the order, the suspended mayor will hand over his responsibilities within three days to the panel mayor.

In order, the LGD selected the three-member mayoral panel. Ward Councillors Asadur Rahman Kiron, Abdul Alim Molla and Ayesha Aktar are selected members of the panel.

Meanwhile, Ataullah Mondal was appointed as the acting general secretary of Gazipur Metropolitan Unit Awami League yesterday, after Zahangir was expelled from the general secretary post on Friday.