Quader Mirza would control everything, held admin hostage

“If fair a election is held, except for three or four constituencies, our MPs in the rest of the seats will not even find an exit to run away. This is the truth. I’m just saying it boldly.”

Noakhali Awami League leader Abdul Quader Mirza hogged the media headlines by making this speech publicly around four years ago. His such speech was dubbed ‘truth the telling’ in the media.

Abdul Quader Mirza is the younger brother of Awami League general secretary and former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader.

The former mayor of Basurhat pourashava Companiganj upazila of Noakhali district, is also the president upazila Awami League.

As his elder brother Obaidul Quader was an influential minister of the government, the people of Companiganj were virtually held hostage by Quader Mirza. He was elected as the mayor of Basurhat pourashava for the third consecutive time in the elections held on 16 January, 2021. Since then, he became more reckless.

Quader Mirza became a fearsome figure for his opponents from his own party and opposition parties alike. The leaders and activists of both BNP and Awami League have been subjected to torture and oppression by Quader Mirza’s men.

Even businessmen, labourers, working people and the helpless who came to seek help were also oppressed. Belittling and insulting  police and administration officials became a habit for Quader Mirza. He formed ‘helmet bahini’  and ‘hammer bahini’ of his own.

There are allegations of extortion from government contracts, recruitment-business, usurpation of factory in name of park, vandalism in supermarket defying court injunction, shutting a market and collecting tolls from businessmen against Quader Mirza.

Quader Mirza, who taunted party MPs that they won’t be able to flee years ago, has fled himself after Awami League was deposed on 5 August. Like his elder brother, Quader Mirza too is traceless. As he has fled, Quader Mirza could not be contacted for a comment on the allegations.

The contractors had to pay a certain cut to Quader Mirza for any development project in Companiganj upazila and Basurhat pourashava. Also, contractors close to Quader Mirza would get most of the works.  
In the last 15 years, development works worth Tk 5.73 billion were carried out in Companiganj upazila and Basurhat pourashava.

Of the amount, development projects worth Tk 970 million were taken in Basurhat pourashava and the rest of works were done by Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) through upazila parishad.

Quader Mirza received a 5 to 10 per cent cut from all development projects. According to this estimation, he received commission worth Tk 300 to 350 million.

Most of these projects were implemented by contractors close to Quader Mirza. Abdul Jalil is one of the contractors outside Quader Mirza’s good books who got a contract. He fell under the wrath of Quader Mirza as a consequence.

His company Jalil Traders got a contract of Tk 4 million to repair a road in Companiganj. Upon receiving the news, Quader Mirza summoned him and verbally abused him before demanding a five per cent commission.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Abdul Jalil said one of the aides of Quader Mirza took him to the municipality office. Quader Mirza asked for a five per cent commission there. He was forced to pay the former municipality Tk 200,000 as a commission.

The construction of the retaining wall surrounding the pond adjacent to Razapur School bi-lane and the plastering construction project on the same road was implemented under the Basurhat municipality in the 2014-15 fiscal.

Visiting the area, it was seen that most of the retaining wall had collapsed into the pond. As a result, cracks appeared on the road. Already some portions of the road have collapsed. Low quality materials were used in these projects. However, none of the locals dared to protest.

Despite implementation, the drain from Putia canal to the western side of the Chowdhurir Hat-Basurhat road constructed at a cost of Tk 845,000 and the drain constructed surrounding the Basurhat market are not coming to any work.

Numerous business establishments and traders in the Basurhat market were subjected to attack by the men of Quader Mirza. Notable among these are Sattar Brothers (Sattar Bakery), Fakhrul Cloth Store, Humayun Timber, Feroze & Brothers, Fancy Hotel, Ajmer Hotel, Ghazi & Sons, Chayed Mansion (6 Storey Commercial & Residential Building), Mawla Shopping Centre, Modern Hospital, Diabetic Hospital, Helal Hardware, Saleem Store and Mehraj Plaza.

These business establishments were closed down several times. Quader Mirza allowed the owners to reopen these business establishments only after taking "toll" money from them.

On 20 September 2021, Quader Mirza called upon Ashiq-e-Rasul, owner of the Amin Market in Basurhat, with all documents at his office. There the municipality secretary demanded Tk 1 million from him on behalf of Quader Mirza. As he denied paying the money, the then municipality mayor shut down the market by force. The market was reopened after Quader Mirza was paid the money. The situation was such that there was even no scope to go to somebody for a solution.

Apart from these, Quader Mirza forcefully occupied two buildings owned by UK-expatriate Abu Sayed in the Rupali Chattar area of the municipality. One of the buildings was four-storey and the other was a six-storey building. Quader Mirza got the four-storey building registered in his wife’s name. These buildings have commercial shops in the lower parts and residential apartments in the upper parts. Quader Mirza used to collect rent from these apartments and shops in the name of municipality. Abu Sayed regained the ownership of these buildings after 5 August.

Basurhat Traders Association president Abdul Matin alias Liton told Prothom Alo, “Quader Mirza used to collect extortions from the traders on various pretexts.  The traders of one of the major trade centre of the district almost lost everything amid his continuous torture.”

The hammer and helmet gang of Quader Mirza were the most fearsome to the people of Companiganj. He formed the gang to repress the leaders and activists of opposition and collect extortions from influential persons and local traders.

Quader Mirza’s son Tashik Mirza, Basurhat municipality councillor and Jubo League leader Russel, Hamid alias Kala Hamid, Bangladesh Chhatra League's (BCL) Companiganj upazila unit president Md. Maruf, general secretary Md. Tonmoy, Basurhat pourashava BCL general secretary Jishan Hossain, Shahid Ullah alias Kechchha Rasel and Masud alias Dakat (dacoit) Masud alias Pichchi Masud would lead the helmet gang.

Of them, Kechchha Rasel and Pichchi Masud are identified criminals in Companiganj.

Meanwhile, on 13 May 2021, a video of Kechchha Rasel opening fire on the followers of Awami League leader Mizanur Rahman in the Karalia area of Basurhat municipality went viral on social media. Although Rasel was arrested over the incident, he was released later at the behest of Quader Mirza.

Companiganj upazila Awami League general secretary Mizanur Rahman, former general secretary Nurnabi Chowdhury, upazila Awami League president Khijir Hayat Khan, upazila BNP member secretary Mahmudur Rahman and many others came under attack by this gang of Quader Mirza.

A police official who served as the officer-in-charge (OC) at Companiganj police station told Prothom Alo that Quader Mirza had a plan to kill Awami League leader Mizanur Rahman in a running car by stabbing and burning him. He luckily escaped. However, there was no scope for us to file a case or general diary over this.

Mizanur Rahman said the administration did not have any option to go against Quader Mirza in Companiganj. His misdeeds knew no bounds.

Meanwhile, a section of the party took to the street in protest of his derogatory remarks about his elder brother and Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader and his wife.

In response, Quader Mirza’s gang carried out an attack on the procession brought out by the rival groups at Chaprashirhat on 19 January 2021. Local newsperson Burhan Uddin alias Mujakkir sustained bullet injuries in the incident who later succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital. Although Muzakkir’s family filed a case over the incident, they didn’t dare mention any name in the case statement.

The helmet gang also attacked the house of local journalist Prashanta Subhash Chanda, 45. The attackers stabbed Prashanta, his mother and his son. The members of Mirza gang attacked another journalist from companiganj upazila named Nazim Uddin and beat him indiscriminately on 11 December 2023. Later, one of Quader Mirza’s peers filed a case against Nazim under the Narcotics Act as the plaintiff.

The leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its associate bodies couldn’t stay in their area due to the torture of Quader Mirza. He would file trumped up cases against BNP activists and would attack them to keep them out of the area.

Upazila BNP member secretary Mahmudur Rahman told Prothom Alo nothing is comparable to the torture and repressive activities of Quader Mirza. Some 103 false cases were lodged against their leaders and activists. Quader Mirza’s helmet gang has attacked houses of 69 leaders and activists of the BNP and its associate bodies since 28 October last year. Business at the Basurhat market almost stopped in the face of the torture of this gang.

Quader Mirza had a torture cell on the second floor of the Basurhat pourashava building. The criminals of the gang would pick up people within or outside the party if they denied coming into terms with Quader Mirza.

So was the case of local trader Rupak Majumdar, 42. He was picked up from the Zero Point area of Basurhat market on 13 December 2021. He was held hostage at the secret torture cell in the municipality building and was tortured for seven hours there.

There are allegations against Quader Mirza of illegally occupying more than 600 acres of khas land in the Musapur Closer. After occupying, he sold those lands to different persons showing them as landless people.

Locals say sand worth millions of taka was extracted and sold from the Chhoto Feni river in the Musapur Closer area over the last three years. Musapur union parishad (UP) chairman Aiyub Ali would look after the business. He has been absconding since the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August.

There was a scuffle between Aiyub Ali and Quader Mirza’s nephew Rampur UP chairman Sirajis Salekin over sand extraction during a meeting on law and order in Companiganj upazila on 31 July last year.

There is also an allegation against the former municipality mayor of leading an attack at Humayun Timber Merchant and Saw Mill on 24 September 2021. All equipment inside the mill was crushed with two excavators. Later, the followers of the mayor hung a sign board outside the mill which read “reserved for children amusement park”.

Firoz Alam, owner of the mill, told Prothom Alo he was the owner of the land by purchase. However, an order was issued all on a sudden claiming that the property was on a ‘khas land’. Quader Mirza even defied the court order that came after he had lodged a case over this. Quader Mirza finally left after he had gone to the court again.

Speaking regarding the allegations against Quader Mirza of illegally occupying khas land, Noakhali deputy commissioner (DC) Khandaker Ishtiaque Ahmed told Prothom Alo the works are already underway to make list of illegal occupants of khas land over a vast area in Char Elahi and Musapur union of Companiganj upazila. Necessary steps will be taken to evict the illegal occupants no matter who they are.

The administration was sort of helpless before Quader Mirza as his elder brother Obaidul Quader was highly influential. Despite having information of the former municipality mayor’s countless criminal activities, the district administration or the police did not take any action against him.

One of Quader Mirza’s followers who is also an upazila Awami League leader told Prothom Alo one of the main reasons behind Quader Mirza growing reckless is the indifference of his elder brother Obaidul Quader. Quader Mirza would misappropriate the rice and wheat allocated in the name of Obaidul Quader at whim showing different projects. He also had absolute control over the contracts of government development projects.

Upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Anwar Hossain Patwari said Quader Mirza would control all the municipality centric development projects. He was always under immense pressure. Quader Mirza would verbally abuse him even for a slightest of mistake.

Quader Mirza fled alongwith his wife and family as soon as he received the news about Sheikh Hasina’s resignation. Within an hour of that his house was vandalised and was set on fire. None of the locals could confirm the whereabouts of Quader Mirza and his family.

It has been learnt that Quader Mirza calls his peers from his WhatsApp number to get updates of the area. A total of five cases, including murder cases, have been filed against him since the fall of the Awami League government.

General secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN) in Noakhali, Abu Naser said, “People like Quader Mirza are the outcome of criminalisation of politics. A political party should be an entity that people can trust. Where will they go when the political leaders become fearsome under direct patronisation of the party? This is not good for anything – the state or the society or the party.”

* This report was published on the online and print editions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu and Galib Ashraf