Shamsul Haque and his son’s occupation spree in Pabna

He was a lawyer of Pabna district judge court around 18 years ago, who would live with his family in a tin shed house. After contesting in the general election and becoming a member of parliament in 2008 and later statement minister, his fortune turned around.

Using his clout as a state minister, he went on a grabbing spree, illegally possessing river ports and markets and engaging in recruitment-trade. Thus, in 16 years, he and his family became billionaires. A duplex building has replaced the tin shed house. The man is also accused of encroaching more than 200 bighas of government and private land. He was not satisfied with recruitment-trade and occupying lands and ghats, he would harass the leaders and activists of his own party who were not his followers. He harassed leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-ISlami as well.

The man, who had all these piles of allegations against him, is Shamsul Haue Tuku. He was elected MP from Pabna-1 constituency for the first time in 2008 and then won the three “controversial” national elections that followed. The locals alleged Tuku would illegally occupy ferry ghats and markets and collect tolls using his elder son Asif Shams alias Ranjan and his gang.

On the night of 14 August, Shamsul Haque was arrested from Dhaka in connection with the murder of college student Khalid Hasan Saifullah. He is now in jail after being in police remand for 20 days. On the other hand, Asif Shams is in hiding. There are rumours in the area that he fled the country a few days ago.

After the fall of Sheikh Hasina government on 5 August, an angry mob attacked and vandalised the duplex building in Brishalikha Mohalla in Pabna’s Bera pourashava. After looting everything from the building, they set it on fire. The angry crowd even removed the bricks of the boundary wall. On the same day, more than 100 cows and fish from about 16 ponds were looted from the farm of Asif Shams, located in Santhia upazila. On the next day, the mob carried out widespread vandalism and looting in the pourashava building.

As Shamsul Haque is incarcerated and his son Asif Shams in hiding, they could not be contacted for their comments on the allegations.

Shamsul Haque was the general secretary of Pabna district Awami League in 2008. At that time, former minister of state for information Abu Sayeed’s supporters assumed he would get the nomination of Awami League for Pabna-1 constituency. But Awami League nominated Shamsul Haque by excluding Abu Sayeed.

In the election, Shamsul Haque defeated the then amir (chief) of Jamaat-e-Islami, Matiur Rahman Nizami, surprising many. He was first appointed state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, then state minister for home affairs. He last served as deputy speaker of parliament.

Locals alleged that Shamsul Haque had brought his elder son Asif Shams to Pabna from Dhaka to establish him as his political heir some three years ago. At that time Asif Shams was involved with VoIP business in Dhaka. After coming to Bera, Asif got the nomination of Awami League in the pourashava election and became the mayor, thanks to his father’s help. After that, he was elected president of upazila Awami League through a “controversial” council.

Asif Shams’ power increased after becoming the mayor of pourashava and president of the upazila Awami League. He established a criminal gang. The gang occupied markets and ferry ghats of Bera and Santhia upazilas and started collecting tolls. The gang started extracting sand illegally from the Jamuna river. Shamsul Haque’s family members have allegedly encroached at least 210 bigha of agricultural land in Paina and Baradiya Mohallas of Bera pourashava area.

On 22 September, this correspondent went to Paina Mohalla and talked to 20 to 25  local residents. They said that Shamsul Haque started buying land in the name of family members in that area in 2012. During the purchase it was announced that “Saudia Agro Solar PV Power Plant” and “Lutfunnesa University of Agriculture and Information Technology” would be established on the land.

They bought about 90 bighas of land within two to three years. He also occupied 210 bighas of land. After 2018, they suddenly started filling sand on that land.

Enamul Haque Shamim, a former councillor of Bera pourashava, said, “Asif Shams has committed various crimes with the help of his father. He forcibly occupied my 39 decimal land in Paina Mohalla. As I had protested, they filed a case against me and kept me out of my area for a long time.”

Ekramul Haque of Baradiya village said, “I used to grow three crops a year on my 46 decimal lands. They occupied my land by sand filing within just two days. I went to stop them but I retreated as they beat me up and threatened to file lawsuits against me.”

Sanwar Hossain, a retired college teacher at Paina Mohalla, said Shamsul Haque’s family illegally occupied 25 bighas of land belonging to his relatives. Five bighas of the land belonged to Sanwar himself.

KM Abdullah, a retired banker of the same area, said, “My 42 decimal land would yield very good crops. That land is now in the possession of Tuku’s family. They have occupied at least 200 bighas of land of over 100 farmers stretching from our Mohalla to Mohanganj. We did many activism including holding meetings, processions and appeals to the administration to protect our land. But all these efforts went in vain due to their power.”

Shamsul Haque’s son Asif Shams took over the Brishalikha river port in Bera pourashava area after being elected as the mayor in November 2021. Although the port is under the authority of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA,) he did not take lease from that agency and collected tolls by his men till the fall of the government. However, BIWTA floated tenders for lease of the ghat in FY 2024-25. Nazrul Islam, the owner of M/S Bera Transport, got the lease as the highest bidder. But when he had gone to take control of the ghat early June, Asif Shams drove him away from the ghat and continued to collect tolls with his men.

Nazrul Islam said, “Around two million sacks of cement are unloaded in this ghat on average every month. He would charge Tk 1.5 per sack and thus grabbed Tk 3 million per month. I could not get possession of the ghat even after winning the lease. With Shamsul Haque’s connivance, Asif Shams drove me away and continued extorting money from the ghat. The day after the fall of the government, I got my leased ghat back through BIWTA.”

Asif Shams took control of Karamja Chaturhat, known as the largest cattle and veggie market in the northern region, immediately after being elected as the mayor of Bera pourashava in November 2021. He took the lease in the name of one of his close persons from Bera pourashava using his clout. The market was leased for Tk 12.9 million in 2023-24 and Tk 14.9 million in 2024-25.

Talking to some former lessees of the haat and local people, it is known that the ghat generates revenue of Tk 6 to 7 million per month and around Tk 80 million per year. Asif Shams used to take all of this money. In other words, in the last two and a half years, he earned more than Tk 160 million from this haat.

Asif Shams took over the Santhia’s government fish hatchery and set up an integrated farm there. According to local fishermen, the fish breeding centre has 37 bighas of land and 10 ponds. In 2006, the hatchery was leased for five years to “Santhia upazila fisheries development cooperative association” for fish farming. Even though the lease period ended in 2011, the lease was not renewed by the association.

At one stage, Asif Shams took possession of it without a lease in 2015 and started fish and cattle farming there. The farm had over a hundred cattle. After the fall of the government, all the cows in the farm and the fish in the pond were looted.

Shamsul Haque and his family members allegedly extracted sand worth millions from Jamuna River illegally. A large part of the extracted sand was stored occupying an area of about three acres near Hurasagar River in Bera Port area.

Enamul Haque Shamim, a former councillor of ward no. 5 of Bera pourashava and a sand trader, said that Shamsul Haque’s son has earned more than Tk 1 billion in about three years by illegally extracting sand from Jamuna River.

Shamsul Haque’s political opponent Abu Sayeed alleged that after being elected MP in 2008, Shamsul Haque occupied one of his houses in Santhia town and set up the Awami League party office there. Abu Sayed only got that house back after 16 years as the Awami League government was toppled on 5 August.

After the 2008 elections, BNP and Jamaat were completely cornered in Bera and Santhia upazilas. During Shamsul Haque’s 16-year tenure as MP, his opponents were not the BNP or Jamaat men, but a large part of the Awami League leaders and activists, who were supporters of former state minister Abu Sayeed.

After 2008, Abu Sayeed was Shamsul Haque’s main rival in three parliamentary elections in 2014, 2018 and 2024. Shamsul Haque won these “controversial” elections. Attacks and torture on Abu Sayeed’s supporters peaked after the last general election on 7 January.

Soon after Shamsul Haque’s victory, his son Asif Shams’ gang appeared on the scene. They beat up and injured more than 100 supporters of Sayeed and shut shops of around 200 traders for opposing Shamsul Haque in the election. However, many traders could reopen their shops paying hefty sums as tolls.

Fazlul Haque, a businessman in the Bera bus stand area who could reopen his shop by paying tolls, said, “During the election campaign, Shamsul Haque’s supporters came and asked me to participate in a campaign rally but I did not. That was my crime. After the election, his men came and put my shop under lock and keys. Finally I could reopen my shop after 48 days. But for that I had to pay more than Tk 70,000 to some supporters of Shamsul Haque.”

Former state minister Abu Sayeed alleged that he was attacked by Shamsul Haque’s men repeatedly.

“Shamsul Haque attacked me at least on 18 occasions using his cadres for contesting in elections against him. Countless of my leaders and activists were driven out as he filed numerous trumped up cases, including some under explosives substance act against them. He turned this area into a reign of terror. I will take legal action against him.”

Bera upazila BNP general secretary Roizuddin said, “It is difficult to count the number of cases he (Shamsul Haque) filed against our leaders and activists. Due to a slew of cases, most of our leaders and activists could not stay home.”

Md. Nayeb Ali was the head teacher of Bera Girls Pilot High School. Some of his relatives were followers of Abu Sayeed. In early 2021, Shamsul’s eldest son Asif Shams was elected as the chairman of the management committee of the school.

Nayeb Ali complained that Asif Shams tried to kick him out of the school after being the school’s chairman. On 19 July in 2021, he was fired on various charges. On the afternoon of 3 February, Shamsul Haque’s men entered Nayeb Ali’s house and beat him up mercilessly with iron pipes and rods. His left arm and leg were broken.

Shamsul Haque’s men beat up Aminul Islam, a supporter of Abu Sayeed, of Bera pourashava area on 8 February. Aminul Islam said, “I was critically injured and was under treatment at a Dhaka hospital for some time. Over a hundred people like me have been injured in this way just because we did not support Shamsul in the election.”

People close to Shamsul Haque said he constructed a duplex building at a cost of Tk 25 million in Brishalikha Mohalla of Bera pourashava in 2011. Apart from this, about 90 bighas of land in Paina Mohalla of Bera upazila and 40 bighas in Dhalachar Union were bought in the name of his family members. The current market price of that land is Tk 105 million. He also has occupied 210 bighas of land worth Tk 750 million in Paina and Mohanganj.

An analysis of the affidavits submitted to the election commission in 2008 and 2024 also shows that there is evidence of an abnormal growth in his movable and immovable assets.

According to the affidavit, Shamsul Haque’s annual income in 2008 was only Tk 205,000, which rose by 13 times to 2,684,578 in 2024. In 2008, the value of his movable assets was Tk 273,000, but in 2024, it increased to over Tk 50.1 million. That means, in 16 years, his immovable assets have seen a growth of about 184 times.

However, the people of his constituency allege that the amount of his wealth mentioned in the affidavit is much less compared to his actual wealth.

* The report, originally published in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Galib Ashraf and Shameem Reza