A protest program was held by blocking the main road for 8 hours at Small Cottage Industry and Trade Fair in Hasina Nagar area of Badarganj, Rangpur, demanding an end to gambling in the name of lottery on Monday..
A sit-in program was held under the banner of Badarganj Conscious Citizens and Students' Association.
' Tawhidi Janata' participated in it. The road was blocked in the Shaheed Minar area of Badarganj Municipality from 10 am to 5 pm that day, blocking all types of traffic on the Rangpur-Parbatipur main road.
When their demands were not met, the protesters offered Zuhr prayers on the road. Despite all this, the administration did not budge. Meanwhile, on Tuesday (September 2), gambling in the name of lottery was going on at the fair. It is learnt that the people of the fair committee, in coordination with the police of the concerned police station, continued to sell lottery tickets in various areas, especially in rural areas, including Badarganj Upazila, Gangachara, Taraganj, Kaunia, Pirganj, Pirgachha, Mithapukur Upazila, Mominpur Union, Haridebpur Union, Chandanpat Union, Sadyapuskarini Union and Khaleya Union, in rural areas, including Hat Bazaars, using charger autos. It has been alleged that these lottery tickets are being sold in 5 unions of Rangpur Sadar Upazila under the auspices of union leaders with the name of BNP. And the common people are getting peace by buying these lottery tickets. The people of the Melakmiti are grabbing lakhs of rupees every day.
Regarding the sale of tickets in Rangpur Sadar, Rangpur Sadar Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Saiful Islam told reporters that no permission has been given from us. He does not know whose permission is being used to sell lottery tickets.
Regarding the sale of tickets in the hats and bazaars of the 5 unions of Rangpur Sadar, Rangpur Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Saiful Ilam said that no permission has been given by the Sadar Upazila Parishad to sell lottery tickets in this area. If anyone sells tickets, legal action will be taken against them.
Protestor representative Rashidul Islam said, "During the last meeting with the army, police and UNO, we discussed that they will stop the lottery by Wednesday. On their assurance, we lifted the blockade program from the road at 5 pm.
It is learnt that the small cottage industry and trade fair started on August 18 on the land of the Kholahati Shaheed Mahbub Cantonment in the Hasina Nagar area of the upazila. Belal Mia of Badarganj took the lease of the fair for 1 crore 10 lakh taka. The fair will last for 45 days.
Imam Hafez Maulana Shafiqur Rahman Saifi, who was offering prayers on the road, told Daily Bayannar Alo that we will continue the movement until and until the gambling in the name of lottery is stopped at that cottage industry and trade fair. The movement will not stop until the lottery is stopped.
Social organizer Morshedul Haque Morshed said that a small cottage industry and trade fair has been organized on the land of the army in the Kholahati Hasina Nagar area. How is gambling in the name of lottery going on there? Why are the army and the administration failing to stop this gambling? He complained that many people are selling their house vans, some are selling other household furniture and buying lottery tickets and becoming destitute. Some families are also breaking up because they cannot feed their wives. We do not want anyone's family to break up or anyone to go hungry. We demand that the lottery be stopped immediately.
Maulana Abu Sufian said, many are becoming destitute due to gambling in the name of the fair. Theft and robbery have increased in the area. We will not leave the highway until gambling is stopped.
Belal Hossain, leaseholder of the fair, said, 15 days ago, we took the lease of the fair from the Shaheed Mahabub Cantonment in Kholahati for 1 crore 10 lakh taka. It will last for 45 days. He said, permission to run the lottery has been taken from the army. Some people are protesting without understanding.
UNO Md. Mizanur Rahman said, "That fair and lottery are being run on the army's premises. It is the army's responsibility to stop it. We have banned the sale of lottery tickets outside the fair. If anyone tries to sell tickets outside, we will take strict action against them.
