The Karnaphuli River is now just a few feet from Sirajul Islam’s home. He supports his family by selling tea and biscuits at a small shop beside Godown Bridge in Sarafbhata, Rangunia, Chattogram. His fear grows whenever it rains. He says he cannot sleep at night, worried that he and his house could end up in the river while he is asleep.
Rezaul Karim’s house stands next to Sirajul’s. His concern is not limited to his homestead; he is also worried about Godown Bridge. He says dredgers have even extracted sand from beneath the bridge’s pillars, leaving deep holes around their foundations.
Local residents say they had never seen such large dredgers on the Karnaphuli before. The noise from the machines would continue until after 2:00 am. First-hand reporting by Prothom Alo found that at least seven people have been killed and more than 20 incidents of killings, injuries and attacks have taken place in Rangunia amid disputes over illegal sand extraction and control of the business. Of these, Prothom Alo found links to sand-related disputes in 12 cases involving killings, injuries or attacks.
Most recently, on 13 June, Masudul Haque Chowdhury, senior joint convener of the Rangunia upazila Jubo Dal, was shot dead in broad daylight. According to people familiar with the investigation and local residents, the killing was linked to the sand trade as well as internal political rivalry within the party.
Sirajul Islam alleges that people involved in sand extraction threatened to kill him when he protested. “They would say, ‘do you own this river? Talk too much and we’ll slaughter you,’” he said. He also recalled how a man named Humayun was hacked to death within 15 days of returning from abroad. Because of such incidents, most people living along the river are afraid to speak openly.
Prothom Alo reporters visited Betagi, Sarafbhata, Chandraghona, Kadamtali, Islampur, South Rajanagar and surrounding areas of Rangunia and found evidence of a large network involved in the illegal sand trade.
Local residents allege that the network operates the sand business along the Karnaphuli with the involvement of political leaders and activists, criminal groups and some people within the administration.
The problem is not limited to Rangubnpnia. There are also allegations in other parts of Chattogram, including Mirsarai and Satkania, of extracting sand beyond the quantity and boundaries allowed under leases.
A source at the district administration said nearly 100 machines are used at a time to extract sand illegally in Mirsarai. By the time officials reach one bank of the river, the machinery is moved to the other side.
In a recent one-day operation in Satkania, authorities fined illegal sand extractors nearly Tk million. There have also been allegations that channels were blocked and roads built to facilitate the transport of sand.
Illegal sand trade changes hands
Local sources say that before 5 August 2024, followers of then-Rangunia lawmaker and former foreign minister Hasan Mahmud controlled the illegal sand trade in the area. His brother, Ershad Mahmud, was said to be the main person in charge. He decided who could extract sand and where.
A source at the district administration said the average lease price of sand is now more than Tk 4.50 per cubic foot. During the Awami League government, the same sand was leased for as little as 30 pice per cubic foot.
After 5 August 2024, Hasan Mahmud’s control over the business was broken, but the sand trade did not stop. Instead, disputes and clashes broke out among several factions of the BNP over control of the business.
Local residents say some of those involved in sand extraction during the Awami League government have since found new political protection. At the same time, some local BNP leaders and activists have also become involved in controlling the business.
Tk 7.2 million in monthly extortion laundered abroad
The Chattogram-based criminal Sajjad Ali was allegedly collecting Tk 7.2 million a month in extortion from Rangunia’s sand depots. A source in the city police told Prothom Alo that the information about the flow of money emerged during the interrogation of Sajjad’s associate, Abdul Qayum, also known as Imon, after his arrest with weapons.
According to police sources, money was regularly collected from certain bulkheads transporting sand from Rangunia’s sand depots. In the Pomra area, an average of Tk 10,000 was collected from each bulkhead. Criminals allegedly seized bulkheads, assaulted drivers and even attempted to sink one when they did not receive the extortion money.
Sources familiar with the matter said the money collected from people involved in transporting sand was passed to Sajjad, who was staying in India, through Imon in Chandgaon.
One syndicate on both sides of the river
Rangunia lies on the northern bank of the Karnaphuli, while several areas of Boalkhali lie on the southern bank. Local residents allege that criminal and political networks have exploited this geography to build an inter-upazila sand syndicate that has operated for years.
According to them, several groups in Boalkhali work with political leaders, influential figures and transport operators in Rangunia. Together, they oversee sand extraction, storage and transportation, as well as political and administrative “management.”
When an administrative operation began on one bank, dredgers were moved to the other, often creating complications over which part of the river fell under which jurisdiction.
Residents reported large-scale sand extraction in the Betagi sluice gate, Nazirchar, Mirzakhil, Project Gate, Saudia Gate, Sarafbhata’s Godown Bridge and Bhumir Khil areas.
Mohammad Jahed of Mirzakhil said dredgers would come from the Boalkhali side. On some nights, he said, he saw as many as 18 dredgers, large and small. Local residents also saw as many as six sand-laden bulkheads moving through the river at a time.
A notice issued by the Chattogram district administration on 11 March last year listed seven sand depots in Rangunia for leasing. The estimated volume of sand in these areas was 1.83 cubic feet, with a government-set value of Tk 8.93 million.
But local residents say the quantities and boundaries specified in the government records do not match what is happening on the ground. They allege that extraction was not confined to the designated sand depots. Instead, people extracted sand wherever they could along different parts of the river.
Chattogram Police Superintendent Md Masud Alam told Prothom Alo that sand-related disputes have led to killings and other crimes in Rangunia. Although the sand depots are leased out, he said, the conditions are not being followed and oversight is inadequate. For this reason, the police have recommended suspending sand extraction.
Homes are collapsing, bridges and mosques at risk
Recent visits to several locations along both banks of the Karnaphuli revealed large piles of sand. At Bhumir Khil, east of Godown Bridge, a huge amount of sand was still piled along the riverbank. A dredger was also visible in the river, though it was not operating.
Local resident Jamal Uddin said extracting sand close to the bank has washed away soil and sand from beneath the concrete blocks installed to protect the riverbank from erosion. Many of the blocks have sunk and fallen into the river.
Numerous homes have already been swallowed by the river. Residents living nearby also struggled to sleep at night because of the noise from the dredgers.
Sand extraction has now stopped in the area. But the erosion has not. About 10 feet of local resident Khorshed Alam’s homestead disappeared into the river after the monsoon began.
Mohammad Hossain, imam of the riverside Jama Mosque, said the mosque stood 30 to 35 feet from the river seven years ago. The river has now come so close that the mosque could be swallowed at any time. Deep pits created by dredgers near the riverbank have also made people afraid to go into the water.
The homestead of carpenter Md Ali in Bhumir Khil was washed away last year. He now lives in a rented house. Md Sagar was also forced to move elsewhere after losing his home. Residents of Shilok, Kadamtali, Mariamnagar and Kodala, along the Karnaphuli, are also worried about losing their homes to erosion.
Tayon Kumar Tripura, executive engineer of the Water Development Board’s Rangunia-Rangamati division, told Prothom Alo that the riverbank is eroding at several locations, including Godown and Sarafbhata, because dredgers secretly extract sand close to the bank at night.
He said surveys of the erosion-affected areas would be completed first, after which project proposals would be submitted to prevent further erosion.
A mountain of sand in Betagi
A huge pile of sand can be seen at Project Gate in Betagi, along the Karnaphuli. Local residents say the site was given to the government of the United Arab Emirates in 1985 for an orphanage and social welfare project. When no work began, the abandoned site was later turned into a sand storage area. Sand was also piled on nearby farmland.
A farmer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said sand was dumped on his land despite his objections. Although sand extraction in the area stopped in April, nearly 20 decimals of his land remain buried under sand and are still unusable for cultivation. There are also allegations that part of a hill near Project Gate was cut away to create a route for transporting sand.
Local resident Idris Alam said some of the piles grew so high that they touched overhead power lines. A six-year-old child was electrocuted and killed while playing on one of the piles.
Fearing trouble, the family did not file a case, he said.
Local residents allege that armed men were deployed to guard the sand storage areas and river landing points. They would keep watch to see whether anyone was taking photographs or recording videos. One young man who went fishing in the river at night was beaten and had a gun pointed at him after the glow from his mobile phone screen gave away his presence. A journalist was also assaulted while reporting on sand extraction.
Sand trade takes on a political identity
Before the last national election, candidates from the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and other parties all promised to stop sand extraction from the Karnaphuli. Humam Quader Chowdhury, who was elected to parliament, announced in April that sand extraction from the river in Rangunia would be stopped. The district administration has also suspended new leases for Rangunia’s sand depots this year.
Although large-scale sand extraction has visibly stopped over the past two months, several local sources say it has not ended completely.
Huge quantities of sand that were stockpiled along the riverbanks and on farmland during the extraction period are still lying there. Local residents allege that members of the old network are loading the sand onto trucks at night and selling it. Heavy trucks carrying sand have damaged sections of local roads, while many agricultural plots remain unfit for cultivation.
Government leases, the transfer of extracted sand, government contracts, extortion and transport networks are all intertwined with Rangunia’s sand trade.
Since 5 August 2024, the names most frequently mentioned in connection with sand extraction in Betagi have been Md Jahangir, a member of the BNP’s Chattogram North District unit; the late Masud Uddin Chowdhury, a member of the North District Jubo Dal; and Md Salahuddin.
In Sarafbhata, local sources have mentioned the names of Rafiq, a member of the upazila BNP; Mohibullah, member secretary of the union Chhatra Dal; and Ismail Talukdar, president of the Abu Dhabi BNP.
In Chandraghona-Kadamtali, the names mentioned include Yusuf Sikder, a member of the upazila BNP; S M Lokman, member secretary of the upazila Jubo Dal; Md Ibrahim, vice-president of the Kadamtali Ward 11 Krishak Dal; and his brother Mahbub.
Salahuddin, however, told Prothom Alo that he had only sold sand for which he had obtained government permission. He denied extracting even a handful of sand beyond that. Instead, he alleged that he had to pay extortion money to people from the BNP and others in the area to keep his business running.
Like Salahuddin, the other people accused of involvement denied responsibility for the disorder surrounding the sand trade.
Jahangir, a member of the North District BNP, said sand was extracted in Betagi under a Water Development Board dredging contract and that no excess sand was taken.
Yusuf Sikder, S M Lokman and Md Ibrahim also denied allegations that they were involved in the illegal sand trade.
The Chattogram North District BNP currently has no committee. Belayet Hossain, joint convener of the dissolved committee and chairman of the Chattogram Development Authority, told Prothom Alo that action had been taken against most of those accused of using their party affiliations to take control of sand.
He said beneficiaries of the Awami League era were using the BNP’s name to carry out such activities and that the party was also keeping a close watch on them.
At a parliamentary session in June, Chattogram-7 lawmaker Humam Quader Chowdhury said the government had collected Tk 128 million in revenue from Rangunia’s sand depots between 2022 and 2026. Yet nearly Tk 800 million had to be spent on installing concrete blocks and protecting riverbanks from erosion caused by sand extraction.
He described the sand trade as a business controlled by a mafia network and linked it to the violence in Rangunia, including the killing of Masudul Haque Chowdhury.
Humam Quader told Prothom Alo, “Before the election, I promised to stop illegal sand extraction. I have done that. If anyone extracts sand despite the ban, there will be no leniency, even if that person belongs to my party. Sand extraction was behind many of the incidents in Rangunia. Now that it has stopped, everything is calm.”
Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mian told Prothom Alo that all sand depots in Rangunia had been kept out of the leasing process this year. However, he said, completely preventing illegal extraction at night in other areas is difficult.
By the time administrative teams reach a site, he said, the operators often receive advance warning and move their dredgers and other equipment to the opposite bank. With limited manpower, it is not possible to monitor every location simultaneously.
He also acknowledged that large amounts of public money have had to be spent to deal with river erosion and protect the banks caused by sand extraction.
The deputy commissioner said he had not received any specific written complaint alleging collusion between people involved in sand extraction and officials. If such complaints are received, he said, the relevant upazila executive officers and police are instructed to take action.
‘Such large-scale sand extraction cannot happen without the administration knowing’
Local residents question how so many sand-laden trucks and bulkheads can regularly pass through river ghats, roads, markets, bridges and even in front of government offices without the knowledge—or cooperation or tacit consent—of some government agencies.
Muhammad Mozammel Hoque, former vice-chancellor of Chattogram University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) and president of the Chattogram River and Canal Protection Movement, told Prothom Alo that sand could not be extracted on such a large scale without the knowledge of the relevant government agencies and law enforcement authorities.
The fact that the activities have continued for years without anyone being held accountable, he said, suggests collusion among politically influential figures, sand traders and officials responsible for oversight.
In his view, merely carrying out periodic crackdowns will not be enough to protect the Karnaphuli and the homes and livelihoods of people living along its banks. Political and administrative accountability must be ensured, and those responsible must be held to account.