Mohanganj, Apr 9 (V7N)– A protracted land dispute between two parties in the Gaglajur Union of Mohanganj Upazila has taken a new turn, with allegations of forced harvesting and intimidation.

Arefin Chowdhury, a resident of Barantar village, claims that a man named Hira Mia forcibly harvested paddy planted on his ancestral property, which is under the Bangladesh Records of Rights (BRS), under the cover of darkness. Chowdhury has filed a written complaint with the Mohanganj Police Station regarding this incident.

"Arefin Chowdhury, a resident of Barantar village, said that a person named Hira Mia forcibly cut the paddy planted on his ancestral property under BRS in the dark of night. He has filed a written complaint with Mohanganj Police Station in this regard," a local source confirmed.

In his complaint, Chowdhury stated that on Sunday morning, individuals identified as the deceased father of Md. Hira Mia (50), Motaleb Mia, Babu Mia (20, father: Hira Mia), Md. Abdul Awal (30), Md. Rubel Mia (48, father: Fajr Mia), and several others forcibly entered his residence. He alleges they issued death threats and threatened to damage his crops.

"In the complaint, he mentioned that on Sunday morning (April 6), the father of the opponent Md. Hira Mia (50) is deceased. Motaleb Mia, Babu Mia (20) father: Hira Mia, Md. Abdul Awal (30), Md. Rubel Mia (48) father: Fajr Mia and several others forcibly entered his residence and threatened to kill and injure him. They even threatened to cut the paddy in his crop field," the complaint reportedly details.

Arefin Chowdhury further claims that in the early hours of Tuesday, Hira Mia's associates harvested and removed the rice from his land.

"Later, Arefin Chowdhury claimed that Hira Mia's people cut the rice from Arefin Chowdhury's land and took it away in the early hours of Tuesday," a witness stated.

However, contradicting this account, sources reported seeing Arefin Chowdhury's people harvesting paddy from the disputed land on Tuesday morning. This suggests a complex and conflicting narrative surrounding the harvesting activities.

"On Tuesday (April 8) morning, when I went to the land, I saw Arefin Chowdhury's people harvesting paddy from the land," a local resident reported.

According to some local residents of Barantar village, Arefin Chowdhury has been cultivating and possessing the land for a significant period. They allege that Hira Mia previously took control of the land by implicating Chowdhury in a false legal case. With village arbitrations failing to resolve the dispute over time, Chowdhury has reportedly been seeking justice through official channels. These residents described Hira Mia as a "land robber" and a quarrelsome individual with a history of forcibly occupying others' land and facing multiple past cases, including allegations of counterfeit money and murder. They also claimed that during a previous government's tenure, Chowdhury was unjustly imprisoned in a false case, and his family was harassed, while Hira Mia allegedly occupied the land under BRS for the past seven years. Following Hira Mia's recent release on bail, locals claim he is again causing disruption and intimidating various members of the community.

"Some local residents of Barantar village said that Arefin Chowdhury had been cultivating and occupying this land for a long time. A few years ago, Hira Mia took possession of this land by implicating him in a false case. Since there was no solution in the village arbitration in the area at various times, Arefin Chowdhury has been going door to door for a long time in the hope of justice. They also said that Hira Mia is a land robber and a quarrelsome person. His job is to forcibly occupy people's land. In the past, he has had several cases against him, including counterfeit money and murder. During the previous government's tenure, innocent Arefin was imprisoned in a false case and harassed his family. He has been occupying the land forcibly by BRS for the past seven years. Recently, Hira Mia was released from jail on bail and is again creating chaos in the area. He has been intimidating people of various classes and professions in various ways," multiple local sources alleged.

Hira Mia, when contacted, maintained that he possesses the legal documents for the land and accused Arefin of harvesting his planted rice.

"In this regard, Hira Mia said, 'I have the legal documents of the land. Arefin has cut down the rice I planted,'" Hira Mia stated.

Aminul Islam, the officer-in-charge of Mohanganj Police Station, offered a different perspective, stating that Arefin Chowdhury claimed to be cutting the paddy field himself to protect it. This further complicates the conflicting accounts of the incident.

"In this regard, Aminul Islam, officer-in-charge of Mohanganj Police Station, said that Arefin Chowdhury allegedly cut the paddy field himself, claiming to be protecting it," OC Aminul Islam reported.

The situation remains tense, with both parties claiming ownership and accusing the other of wrongdoing. The police investigation into Arefin Chowdhury's complaint is likely to be crucial in determining the facts and potentially resolving this long-standing and now volatile land dispute.

END/ASN/RH/