Jhalokati, July 31 (V7N) - In Kathalia, Jhalokati, the Upazila Chairman Mithu Sikder has been sent to jail in connection with the misappropriation of government fertilizer. On Wednesday, when he applied for bail on the scheduled date of the case, the court rejected it and ordered his imprisonment. This order was given by Judge Md. Rahibul Islam of the Jhalokati District and Sessions Judge Court, as confirmed by Public Prosecutor Abdul Mannan Rasul.
 
It is noteworthy that, following the seizure of 19 sacks of fertilizer and seeds from the warehouse of the 6th Ward of Aurabunia Union Parishad and from the house of a local youth leader, a case was filed on June 5. The complaint was lodged by the Upazila Agriculture Officer, Agriculturist Imran Bin Islam, naming Mithu Sikder, the UP Chairman, along with two others as defendants. The other accused are UP member Md. Helal Sikder and Dipak Howlader, General Secretary of the Aurabunia Union Youth League.
 
According to the case details, in April of this year, under the agricultural incentive program aimed at increasing the cultivation and production of hybrid Aus rice during the kharif season, free chemical fertilizers and Aus rice seeds were distributed to farmers. A total of 5 kg of Aus rice seeds, 10 kg of PSP fertilizer, and 10 kg of MOP fertilizer were distributed to each of the 3,750 farmers in the Upazila. For the Aurabunia Union, 625 farmers were allotted similar fertilizers and seeds. However, two months after the distribution, on June 4, at noon, UP member Md. Helal Uddin was found secretly transporting fertilizer and seeds from the Union Parishad warehouse in an auto-rickshaw. Local residents informed the Upazila Executive Officer about the incident.
 
Upon receiving the information, Upazila Executive Officer Md. Nesar Uddin conducted a raid at the Aurabunia Union Parishad warehouse and seized 6 sacks of rice seeds. Subsequently, from the house of local youth league leader Dipak Howlader in Satani Bazar, 6 sacks of rice seeds and 7 sacks of chemical fertilizer were recovered.
 
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