Shahriar Alam didn't even spare his own party men

Shahriar Alam was a full-fledged businessman. And then when he took up politics, it was as if he had gained an "empire". First he became a member of parliament from Rajshahi-6 (Bagha-Charghat) and then he became state minister for foreign affairs. He wielded his power not just against the opposition, but did not even spare his own party men either. He has been accused of extortion and land grabbing. In his lust for money, he unlawfully formed the Bagha upazila deed writers' association committee four times. An Awami League leader even lost his life in the clashes emerging from the committee's extortion racket.

After becoming member of parliament, over the past 15 years Shahriar Alam had established agricultural farms, a TV channel, a medical college and hospital. Before he became an MP in 2008, he had a total of 19 industrial factories. In 2014 the number of his factories increased to 25.

Shahriar became MP four times. He was appointed state minister for foreign affairs twice, in the 10th and the 11th parliament. He became MP in the 12th Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) too, but did not find berth in the cabinet.

The Financial Intelligence Unit of Bangladesh Bank on 9 September this year sought details of the bank accounts of Shahriar Alam, his former wife, his present wife and his son. He has been in hiding since the government fell on 5 August and so could not be contacted for comment. He has not replied to any WhatsApp messages either.

Before the 2008 election Shahriar Alam did not have any house in Bagha or Charghat. While his paternal home was in Shiroil of Rajshahi city, he was born in Chattogram where his father Md Shamsuddin was an employee of Bangladesh Railway. He passed his SSC and HSC from Rajshahi. After earning an MBA degree from IBA, Dhaka University, he initially worked for a few business firms. After that he established several industrial factories. As part of his plans to join politics, in 2008 he distributed clothes and other commodities among the poor in Bagha and Charghat. In 2008 the party nominated his as candidate for the election, in place of other important leaders.

In the year 2000, district Awami League member Md Rahenul Huq had been elected MP in the by-election. He too sought party nomination in the 2008 election. In 2014 and well as in the last election, Rahenul Huq contested as an independent candidate. Rahenul Huq claims that he was forcefully defeated. Speaking about Shahriar Alam, he says, "Someone from outside comes and ruled here for 15 years. He created a rift in Awami League."

Shahriar hadn't held any post in Rajshahi Awami League or its affiliated bodies. He only became a member of Rajshahi Awami League after he became an MP in 2008. Later in 2014 he became the president of Bagha upazila Awami League. Then he began to bring in his own people to the committee at all levels. In fact, the Bagha upazila Swechchhashebok League former president Iqul Hasnat Mahmud and other presidents and general secretaries at the union level were not even aware of the Charghat and Bagha upazila Swechchhashebok League council held on 27 May last year. The committee was announced in their absence. Iqul Hasnat Mahmud's phone was shut off and so couldn't be contacted for comment. But back then he had said that he hadn't been told anything about the council and so couldn't inform anyone in the union committee. The council was held without them. This happened at the directives of the state minister.

Conflicts of power and other issues emerged among Awami League leaders and activists during Shahriar Alam's time. He allegedly had cases filed against many of the party men over the years, for which they had to flee from their homes in fear of arrest. Ziaur Rahman served as a lawyer for the defendants. He said Shahriar Alam had instigated 10 cases against his own party men in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Many of them had to serve jail sentences. Many of them were harassed in various ways.

Bagha pourashava mayor Akkas Ali faced the most repression. While Shahriar Alam at one time would keep Akkas Ali with him, later differences emerged between the two. In 2012 Shahriar Alam's men filed cases against him on various charges and he was sent to jail. He faces several cases. He is a member of district Awami League. On 22 June this year, clashes broke out among two factions of Bagha Awami League over extortion carried out by the deed writers' association. Bagha upazila Awami League president was killed in the clashes. Centering this incident, Shahriar Alam's follower, upazila Jubo League's joint secretary Shahinoor Rahman, filed cases against 45 persons including Akkas Ali and the district Jubo League organising secretary Merajul Islam. They were arrested and sent to jail.

BNP could not hold any programme openly for most of the past 15 years in Bagha and Charghat. Around 26 cases were filed against the district BNP convener Abu Sayeed (Chand) on allegations of threatening to kill the prime minister at the time, Sheikh Hasina. He would speak against Shahriar Alam at various meetings. That was why Shahriar was enraged with Abu Sayeed. Abu Sayeed said he spent seven years behind bars. There had been around 80 cases against him. He and the people of the area could not live in peace. Yet Shahriar was no one of the locality.

Shahriar Alam illegally formed the deed writers' association committee of the Bagha sub-registry office for five years. This pocket committee of his making would make around half a crore taka a month by "toll collection". Shahriar Alam would pocket a substantial amount of this money, according to the deed writers and Awami League leaders. When a rivaling group within Awami League stood against this controversial committee in June, clashes broke out and Awami League leader Ashraful was killed. Shahriar announced that cases were to be filed against Rajshahi's former mayor AHM Khairuzzaman, former MP or Rajshahi-3 Asaduzzaman, district Awami League joint secretary Md Laib Uddin, and former Bagha pourashava mayor Akkas, accusing them or ordering the killing. Following Shahriar's statement, for the first time in 15 years Awami League's conflict in Rajshahi came out into the open.

Over the past 15 years Shahriar had built up assets all over the country. One such establishment was North Bengal Agro Farms Limited. This company has a farm in Godagari, Rajshahi. Shahriar has over 40 bighas of land there. In 2010 he purchased 25 bighas of land in Chowdhury Hat of Thakurgaon Sadar upazila and set up a farm there. In 2017 he bought 13 bighas of land in Kaliganj upazila of Lalmonirhat and set up a farm there too. In 2011 Shahriar Alam established the Barind Medical College and Hospital on over three acres of land in Padma residential area of Rajshahi city.

The private television channel Duranta TV was launched on 5 October 2017. It is being run under Barind Media Limited of Renaissance Group owned by Shahriar Alam. He has two flats in his name, one in his son's name and one in his second wife's name in Gulshan, Dhaka.

There are allegations against Shahriar Alam of forcefully buying land in various areas at low prices over the past 15 years. In 2014 he bought 37 decimals of land of Lily Cinema Hall for only Tk 5 million (Tk 50 lakh). Some owners of the hall say that a company in Dhaka had wanted to buy the land along with the hall, but Shahriar's people prevented that. Shahriar Alam used his power to buy the land at a low cost, saying he would set up a garments factory there.

There are allegations that Shahriar Alam bought 45 bighas of land from a petrol pump owner, paying him for Tk 45 million (Tk 4.5 crore) less. The cheated petrol pump owner Golam Mustafa Shahriar's land in Godagari originally had belonged to him. In 2020 he decided to sell the land in order to repay a bank loan and Tk 112.5 million (Tk 11 crore 25 lakh) had been quoted as the land price. Someone had even made a deposit on the land. When Shahriar heard about this, he proposed to buy the land and also took responsibility to repay the bank loan. He paid the bank loan and while registering the land paid Tk 5 million (Tk 50 lakh) in two installments of Tk 2.5 million (Tk 25 lakh) each. He still owes Tk 45 million (Tk 4.5 crore). Shahriar would threaten him whenever he went to ask for the money.

Shahriar built a house at Arani pourashava in Bagha. A visit to the spot on 14 October morning saw the three-storey house stood there in silence. The main gate was locked from inside. The local people said Shahriar Alam had fled to India early morning on 5 August. Later they heard he went to Thailand from there and then on to Russia.

(Information for this report was provided by the Thakurgaon correspondent.)