Narsingdi, Sep15 (V7N) - In Narsingdi's Alokbali Union, students and affected families have issued a 3-day ultimatum to authorities, demanding an end to the illegal filling of farmland with sand and subsequent extortion targeting local farmers. The sand, dredged from a river under a World Bank-funded project, is being used to fill agricultural land, while farmers are being forced to pay extortion money.

The ultimatum was delivered through a memorandum submitted to the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Sunday, September 15, at around 3 PM. The students raised a six-point demand to address the crisis, which includes the immediate halt to the harassment and extortion of farmers.

Alongside the district administration, memoranda were also submitted to the Superintendent of Police and military officials to ensure broader intervention.

According to the students, nearly 4,000 decimals of farmland across four villages—Satpara, Birgao, Bakhar Nagar, and Khodadila—have been forcibly filled with sand. This land-filling, linked to a river dredging project funded by the World Bank, has caused substantial damage to the agricultural fields. Making matters worse, local miscreants are demanding Tk 15,000 to Tk 20,000 per decimal from the farmers in exchange for their own land, resorting to violence if payments are refused.

The key demands outlined by the students include ensuring that the dredged sand is used for public benefit, such as the development of schools, mosques, madrasas, and roads, halting the extortion, restoring farmland to the affected farmers, seizing illegal weapons, taking action to combat drug abuse, and improving services in government offices.

Nasir Uddin, President of the Alokbali Union Blood Donor Club and a former student of Narsingdi Government College, commented, "Our region is grappling with several persistent issues, including extortion linked to sand dredging, drug problems, political harassment, false legal cases, and illegal farming of water hyacinths that disrupt boat navigation during the dry season. We demand logical solutions to these long-standing problems."

Ahmed Islam, a student of physics at Narsingdi Government College and the son of a local farmer, added, “I have been injured while protesting against these injustices, and I was prepared to sacrifice my life to free people from oppression. While the nation has been freed from dictatorship, it feels like a new kind of tyranny has taken over. Farmers are losing their land due to the sand filling, and instead of being compensated, they are being forced to pay exorbitant amounts.”

In response, Narsingdi Superintendent of Police Abdul Hannan told Voice7 News, "The complaints raised by the students do not all fall under our jurisdiction, but we will address the issues related to law enforcement. We are committed to looking into their demands."

Narsingdi Deputy Commissioner Rashed Hossain Chowdhury stated, "We are aware of some of the issues raised by the students. Illegally filling farmland with sand is a violation of the law, and we will investigate the matter thoroughly. We have noted their demands and will take necessary legal action where required."

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