S.M. Zahirul Islam, Sreepur (Gazipur) 

Shahjahan Fakir—once a political leader, now the face of a corrupt empire within the Sreepur Upazila BNP. 

From forged academic certificates to corruption in multi-crore development projects, conspiracies against the party, and even profiteering from legal drafts—he has dragged the party into a dark pit of betrayal. 

Yet, defying the BNP’s core principle of “party over person,” the central leadership continues to keep him in the position of upazila president.

 An explosion of outrage at the grassroots.On February 2, 2025, local resident Md. Selim Fakir submitted a written complaint to the Vice-Chancellor of the National University, alleging that Shahjahan Fakir, as chairman of the ad-hoc committee of Bormi Degree College, had submitted a forged bachelor’s degree certificate with his nomination form. Following an investigation, a letter signed by College Inspector Md. Abdul Hai Siddiq Sarkar (Memo No.: INS 02-1/00201/2017/5515/5574) on February 19 confirmed the allegation. The letter stated: “Md. Shahjahan Fakir’s educational certificate is not valid; his nomination as a committee member is hereby canceled and he is dismissed from the post.”

In January 2025, Shahjahan Fakir orchestrated a massive corruption scheme in the construction of the Bindubari-Ijjatpur road, worth Tk 3.38 crore. The project was initially awarded to a contractor aligned with the Awami League, but using political influence, he managed to shift the project under his own control. When low-grade materials were used during construction, Upazila Engineer Abdus Samad Pattandar ordered a halt to the work—but Fakir defied the order and carried on regardless.

Local BNP leaders allege that Shahjahan Fakir prepares multiple lawsuit drafts and demands large sums of money in exchange for removing names from the list of accused. Those who couldn’t pay are now suffering, entangled in harassing legal cases.On August 11, 2024, Shahjahan Fakir reportedly met secretly with Awami League leader and Maona UP Chairman Jahangir Alam Khokon at the 'Sea-Gull Park' in Singardighi. As part of a Tk 10 lakh agreement to ensure BNP activists would not face harassment, he received Tk 6 lakh in cash. The very next day, Fakir escorted Khokon to a program at Sreepur Police Station—a moment captured on video that quickly went viral on social media.

Grassroots leaders claim Shahjahan Fakir’s cousin, Dr. Shahidullah Fakir, is married to the sister of BNP Dhaka Divisional Organizing Secretary Kazi Sayyedul Alam. This familial connection is said to be a major barrier preventing the central leadership from taking disciplinary action against Shahjahan Fakir.

Repeated phone calls and text messages to district BNP’s Joint Convener Dr. S.M. Rafiqul Islam and Divisional Organizing Secretary Kazi Sayyedul Alam went unanswered.

Grassroots leaders are now questioning: “By choosing to ‘wait’ and protect the accused, is the BNP giving shelter to opportunists from within?”

At this moment, the greatest challenge facing the Gazipur District BNP is this: will it uphold party ideals or bow to the politics of kinship?

Unless a firm decision is taken on grounds of party discipline and ethics, history may never forgive this silence.

District BNP Convener Fazlul Haque Milon said  “We are aware of the matter. A show-cause notice has been issued regarding the fake certificate. However, no final party decision has been made yet.”