Jhalakathi Correspondent

Amir Hossain Amu , member of Awami League's Advisory Council and Central 14 -Party Coordinator and spokesperson, had absolute control over party politics in Jhalkathi.

He used to collect commissions from the allocation of development projects by giving his own kaizen followers. There are even accusations against him of grabbing other people's land in the name of educational institutions, including controlling party nominations in party committee and local government elections. His wealth has increased several times in the last 16 years.

Not only the opposition party, but also the leaders and activists of the opinion against his party, he has left the area. Many have left their homes. He broke the electoral system of the local government. No one could be a people's representative without a favorite person. Contractors, aggrieved landowners and leaders and activists associated with Awami League politics say that when Awami League was in power.

If money was not given to him, no government work would have been implemented in the district. Common people were afraid to speak against these irregularities. Journalists did not have the courage to report against him even in the media. His followers promoted him as the 'guardian' of Jhalkathi's Awami League politics and the shaper of development.

The former parliamentarian Amir Hossain Amu, who is influential in finance, has also become a millionaire. District Awami League Joint General Secretary Nurul Amin Khan Suruj aka Ranga Bhai, Jhalkathi Sadar Upazila Awami League General Secretary Hafiz Al Mahmud, District Jubo League Convenor Rezaul Karim Zakir alias GS Zakir, Joint Convener Kamal Sharif 05 to 10 percent from the allocation of development projects.

It is alleged that he used to collect commission. They were addressed as the four caliphs by the party leaders and common people. Amur Bhaira and private secretary Fakrul Majid Kiran would get a share of the commission for development work.

Also Shaun Khan, personal assistant of Basar Amur in Iskaton, Dhaka, also had to pay some share. While collecting commission for us, they themselves have become owners of hundreds of crores of rupees. Amir Hossain used to sell the work to general contractors for 30/40 percent (commission) using Amur's name. Out of this, LGED, Roads Department, Public Works Department and Health and Education Engineering Department along with office expenses, kept the commission and shared it among themselves. Under the leadership of four Khalifas, unnecessary culverts and bridge works (STEMET) were made and brought from the ministries including LGED and Directorate of Roads Department of Dhaka.

These culverts and bridges were of no use to the public. Many times, even after breaking good bridges, construction of new bridges was ordered. Parliamentarian Amir Hossain Amur used to get extra allocation for these works taken through DO letter. Later these works were sold at about 40 percent commission but the contractor would have profit. But the quality of work was at least substandard.

An official of the Jhalakathi Roads and Township Department, who did not want to be named, said, "We had to pay money in all cases of tenders for contract work." His decision was final in selecting the contractor. Even after the introduction of e-tender, he used to control the tender (group) process with various techniques. Government officials were not only transferred but also physically and mentally harassed if they did not listen. Like the road department, LGED, education and engineering department, public works, four upazila engineers, relief and rehabilitation project implementation department had the same rules.

According to the sources of the concerned department implementing various government development projects of the two upazilas, projects worth around 10,500 crore taka have been implemented in Jhalkathi Sadar and Nalchiti during the 16 years of the Awami government. It is alleged that he used to collect 10 to 12 percent commission from the allocation of these development projects through his people.

In this regard, Shafiqul Islam, owner of M/S Monowara Enterprises, the contractor of Jhalkathi Local Government Engineering Department, said, I have been working in LGED since 2013. I got few jobs through lottery. But even after getting a job in the lottery, Amir Hossain Amu had to pay a commission at the rate of 5 percent. Without money it would not be possible to work. I have to pay commission of 4 lakhs against two jobs of 68 lakhs and 33 lakhs from me.

No one knows about the current status of this Awami League leader who ruled Jhalkathi in Dord Pratap until last August 5. Fakhrul Majid Kiran, who looks after his wealth, is also in hiding. Amu used to collect the commission of the recruitment business of all the educational institutions through this Kiran. I had to pay money even to form the management committee of the educational institution.

The army and the police have recovered nearly four crore rupees and foreign currency from the burnt residence of Amir Hossain Amur in Jhalkathi. Last August 5, around 12:30 p.m., the money in the luggage was recovered from Amur's residence on Ronals Road in the city. A general diary was made of the incident. After Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country in the afternoon, angry mob vandalized and set fire to the residence of Amir Hossain Amur on Ronalse Road in Jhalkathi in the afternoon. At the same time, the crowd also attacked and looted the house of Bogra Road in Amur Barishal.

At this time, people looted thousands of winter blankets, thousands of footballs, winter sweaters from the houses of Jhalkathi. These were government relief goods for the helpless people. Which he kept at home without distribution.

Meanwhile, Amir Hossain Amur's bank account has been seized. At the same time, the bank account transactions of his children and their owned businesses have been suspended. On August 18, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), the financial intelligence agency of Bangladesh Bank, sent instructions to the country's banks and financial institutions to freeze the accounts.

Jhalkathi-2 (Sadar-Nalchiti) Constituency Member of Parliament and Awami League's senior leader Amir Hossain Amu is regarded as the guardian of the district Awami League by the leaders and activists of the party. He also had absolute control over the politics of Jhalkathi-1 (Rajapur-Kathalia) Constituency.

The Awami League member of parliament there, Bajlul Haque Harun, was quite helpless under Amu's influence. His nominees along with the President-Editor have been placed in each organizational committee of the district. He is accused of appointing pro-BNP people to high positions in the party. Among them, former BNP leader Liaquat Ali Talukdar was nominated as the president of the city Awami League, Mahabub Hossain, the BNP candidate in the municipal elections in 2004, and Abdur Rashid, the former president of the Sadar Upazila BNP, were nominated as the president of the Sadar Upazila Awami League.

According to party sources, on December 12, 2019, in the last conference of the district Awami League, for the second time Sardar Md. Shah Alam became the president and Khan Saifullah became the general secretary. The full committee was announced after the conference.

Besides, committees of 32 unions including four upazilas, two municipalities were formed. Amur nominated leaders have been placed in important positions including president-editor of these committees. Although there was some anger at the grassroots, no one dared to openly oppose it.

On the other hand, the nominated leaders of Amur have been placed in the committees of Krishak League, Jubo Mahila League, Tanti League and Matsyajeevi League among the eight affiliated organizations. The top leaders of the convening committee of Jubo League, Sramik League and Swachhasevak League are also followers of Amur.

Amur's followers have been placed in various committees including the businessmen's organization District Chamber of Commerce, District Red Crescent Society, District Sports Organization, Shilpakala Academy. Even to get these positions, the party leaders had to pay a large sum of money.

Besides, Amir Hossain Amur's brother Fakrul Majid Kiran, Kiran's wife Pari Begum and other sister-in-law Mary Begum used to control all recruitment business including politics of Jhalkathi sitting in the house of Eskatan in Dhaka. Leaders and workers would please these three with commissions and gifts in all appointments and trades in the party.

Even Mary Begum's daughter (Amur's adopted daughter) Sumaiya Hossain was also pleased by the leaders and workers. Kiran was Amur's APS when he was the Industries Minister. Although Amu was not made a minister in the last government, he remained close to him. Along with Amu, his elder brother Industries Minister Nurul Majid Humayun, who served in the previous government, was also an APS of Kiran. Attempts were made to contact Amu and Kiran to discuss these matters, but no one was available. Even a small message on the phone did not get an answer.

No one had the courage to open their mouths against Amu, a member of the party's advisory board. Destroyed even with the slightest protest.

A UP chairman, Awami League leader of Nalchiti upazila, said on condition of anonymity, 'Kiran had to take permission to meet Amu. He shared all the developmental works of Nalchiti Upazila.

Amu has earned hundreds of crores of taka from the constituency through this Kiran.

Meanwhile, district Awami League Treasurer Monirul Islam Talukder alias Monir Huzur was Amur Biswant Sahchar. His father was Liqat Ali Talukdar, the mayor of the municipality.

This Monirul Islam Talukdar used to work as a contractor for all development works of the municipality. He used to calculate Amur's share and send it to Dhaka before starting each contractor's work. This Monir Huzoor has earned hundreds of crores of rupees by contracting in the last 16 years. His family resides permanently in Canada. He influenced his father to win the nomination of Boath for the post of mayor of the municipality twice in a row.

There is a common saying in Jhalakathi. That is one vote chairman. In other words, Amir Hossain Amu would have won the nomination of the boat in the local government election. In this case, the cadres and administration of the party Chhatra League and Jubo League, on the instructions of Amur, occupied the center and elected his candidate by fake vote. Therefore, when the election season came, new candidates from Jhalkathi Sadar, Nalchiti, Rajapur and Kathalia upazilas would gather at Iskaton residence in Dhaka. In that case, the renegade and tested leaders of the party would be deprived. There too transactions were done through Amur's brother Kiran and sister-in-law Mary.

On the other hand, Abdul Mannan Rasul Amur, the government strategist of Jhalkathi District Judge's Court, was elected president of the District Bar Association for 11 consecutive years without a vote. He used to frame false disappearance cases in the name of BNP and dissident activists on Amur's orders. He was the undeclared emperor of Jhalkathi after Amur. He used to harass the judicial candidates if they did not pay money in government cases. Even ordinary innocent lawyers were afraid of him. District Judge Court and Chief Judicial Court have accused Abdul Mannan Rasul of embezzling about Tk 10 crore in the name of Amir Hossain Amu in all kinds of recruitment business in the last 16 years.

Amir Hossain Amu established the Akalima Moazzem Hossain Degree College established in the name of his parents by occupying privately owned land. Later, from 2012 to 2016, he forcibly took about 6 acres of land from the locals at a nominal price. The victims say that by intimidation and coercion, no more than 3 to 8 lakh rupees were given to the land owners even though the market value of these lands adjacent to the youth development of ward no. Dawn Call spoke to 5 of the victims. They said that Amu himself took possession of the land by threatening the police.

Next to Akalima Moazzem Hossain Degree College, prominent salt trader Fazlul Haque Hawladar of Jhalkathi city jointly built a facility called Hawladar Filling Station on 36% of his own land along with 75% of his son-in-law expatriate Atiqur Rahman's land. He spent Tk 36 lakh to get approval from Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation and various departments along with the construction of the facility for this pump. But Amir Hossain Amur noticed that land. He pressured to write down that land for the college he founded. As Fazlul Haq refused to write down, his family was subjected to stress and emotional stress. Leaders and activists led by Jubo League convenor Rezaul Karim Zakir often visited his business establishment and threatened to write off the land.

A group of police under the leadership of Sadar police station sub-inspector Sarwar Hossain often picked up his son Riazul Islam Sona and kept him in the police station from morning till night. Then ASP (Headquarters Circle) Mahmud Hasan used to threaten Riazul with crossfire with his office.

Victim businessman Fazlul Haque said that 1 acre of his family's 11 percent land was forcibly taken away by Amir Hossain Amu. One day my son-in-law along with me was taken to his house on Bogra Road in Barisal. Sitting there, he said if you don't register the land in my name, your name will be terrible. Later, out of fear, I and my son-in-law sat at his house on Bogra Road in Barisal and wrote down the land. At around 12 o'clock that night, the land registry was done at his residence through the sub registrar of Jhalakathi Sadar. I was given a nominal price of Tk .3 lakh per katha. But this land has a value of 10 lakh taka . A deed writer was always ready to register this land. Jubo League leader Rezaul Karim Zakir aka GS Zakir and District Judge Adalat government strategist PP Abdul Mannan Rasul always assisted Amu.

Businessman Fazlul Haque also said, “There was a dispute with my business partner Salek Sharif over a salt mill. With that I invested about 40 lakhs. But under the influence of Salek Sharif's son Jugan Jubo League convener Kamal Sharif, he refused to give me a share of the match. After showing all the facts, Santeb also gave the ownership of the entire mill to Salek Sharif in the name of Amir Hossain Amu Mimangsar. Amu accepted 5 lakh cash from me saying that he would speak on my behalf. I have not received that money back till today.

A land owner named Khalilur Rahman said, I built a tinned house on 6 percent of the land with the money I saved. GS Zakir pressured to register that land.

Later, my house was blocked by the boundary wall of the college. Some days my wife Maya Begum and I used to climb the wall and enter the house. My wife went to Amu Bhai's house in Iskaton, Dhaka and worked for a few days so that the land would not be written off.