Elias Mollah’s encroachment on govt land in Mirpur

Elias Uddin Mollah, a former MP from the Dhaka-16 constituency, is accused of encroaching on about 26 acres of land, including 473 plots belonging to the National Housing Authority (NHA), in the capital’s Duaripara in Mirpur area, 28 years ago.

He is also alleged to have encroached on nearly two acres of land allotted to the Dhaka Zoo in Mirpur-1 and constructed over 200 slums by filling part of the Turag River in Mirpur-2.

Another serious allegation against Elias Mollah is that he formed a group of 50 armed cadres to instil fear among the people of the area. They allegedly extorted money from various slums, markets, shops, and bus stands on a regular basis.

According to victims and local residents, Duaripara area was a major source of income for Elias Mollah. In 1981, the National Housing Authority (NHA) allotted land to government employees there, but the Waqf Estate, led by Elias Mollah’s family, also claimed ownership of the 473 plots.

Taking advantage of the dispute between the NHA and the Waqf Estate, Elias Mollah gradually took control of the land from 1996 onwards.

Every year, he reportedly extorted large sums of money from the local residents, threatening them with eviction. Additionally, he collected monthly payments for electricity and water bills, as well as rent, but instead of depositing the money into government accounts, he pocketed it for himself and his followers. The plots in question were 1.75, 2.5, and 3 kathas in size.

Several residents living on the plots in Duaripara spoke to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, stating that after the political shift, the plots have been taken over under the influence of BNP leaders and are now a source of their extortion.

Recently, it was observed that more than 2000 semi-pucca and makeshift houses have been built in rows on the NHA’s plots in Duaripara. These illegal structures have unauthorised electricity, water, and gas connections. The rent for these houses ranges from Tk 2,000 to 3,000.

In addition, several hundred shops lining both sides of the Duaripara Kitchen Market Road are controlled by Elias Mollah’s associates. Shopkeepers have identified three key figures involved in the extortion: Latif, Sujan, and Lutfar.

Several NHA officials told Prothom Alo that in 2008, illegal occupants were evicted from these government plots in Duaripara.

However, when the Awami League came to power the following year, the area was reoccupied with the assistance of Elias Mollah. The authorities filed cases five or six times over the same issue in an attempt to reclaim the land, but each time the court ruled in favour of the government.

When asked about the situation, Md. Kaiser Ibne Sheikh, Executive Engineer of NHA Dhaka Division-1, told Prothom Alo that various measures have been taken to recover the 473 encroached plots and evict the illegal kitchen market.

On 11 October, Elias Mollah’s associates occupied a plot belonging to ABM Siddique on Road no. 3 in Section 'Ka' of Duaripara. ABM Siddique told Prothom Alo that Elias Mollah's relative, Amjad Mollah, along with an accomplice, broke the lock of the boundary wall’s gate on the plot and forcefully entered there.

Amjad, who had previously introduced himself as an Awami League leader during the last government, is now presenting himself as a BNP leader, Siddique added.

On 11 September, Imamul Islam, Deputy Assistant Engineer at National Housing Authority Dhaka Sub-Division-1, filed a general diary (GD) at the Rupnagar police station regarding the illegal encroachments.

In the GD, Imamul Islam stated that 50-60 unidentified individuals were illegally occupying government land in the area adjacent to Block 'Ka' of Section 8, Mirpur, Duaripara - an area that had previously been cleared by the executive magistrate.

He requested that the police in Rupnagar take immediate action to address the situation.

Nearly two acres of land allocated for the employees' quarters of the Dhaka Zoo in the Gudaraghat's Lal Math area of Dakshin Bishil, Mirpur-1, has been illegally occupied by supporters of Elias Mollah.

On 13 April 2009, illegal occupants filed a petition with the land ministry for permission to vacate the land designated for the zoo's quarters. In the petition, Elias Mollah wrote, “Sir, I am recommending this.”

At that time, Elias Mollah told Prothom Alo, “When I was a member of the parliamentary standing committee on fisheries and livestock, local people from Gudaraghat came to me. I made a recommendation for them, but I never told anyone to give them the land.”

Dhaka Zoo director Rafiqul Islam Talukdar, speaking to Prothom Alo, said one of the occupants, a former curator of the zoo, ABM Shahidullah, forged a signature and presented it in court, claiming that the zoo no longer needed the two acres of land and that it could be vacated for them.

The forgery was later proven in court, and the court allocated the land back to the zoo. The occupants appealed against the court order, but their appeal was dismissed. They have since filed for a review.

Behind Elias Mollah's house near Molla Market in Mirpur-12, the Turag River used to flow. Part of the river has been filled in to build a slum, locally known as “Elias Mollah's Slum”. Over 200 houses have been built in the area, with illegal connections for electricity, gas, and water.

Elias Mollah’s ancestral home is in the Harunabad area of Pallabi. His father, Harun Al Rashid Mollah, was elected as an MP in the 5th parliamentary elections on the BNP ticket. Elias Mollah was the MP for the Dhaka-16 constituency during the previous Awami League government.

He used to run a fish farm business in Pallabi and became the president of the Pallabi Thana Awami League in 2005. After the constituency boundary was demarcated again, he was elected as a member of parliament from Dhaka-16 in 2008, 2014, 2018, and 2024.

Local residents have reported that Elias Mollah created a force of armed cadres to instil fear in the area. They regularly extorted money from slums, markets, shops, and bus stands. Even local leaders and workers of the Awami League were reportedly helpless before him. He is said to have his own group for land grabbing.

After the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August, most of the local Awami League leaders and activists fled. When contacted about Elias Mollah's land grabbing and extortion activities, the president of Dhaka North Awami League, Bazlur Rahman, did not respond as his phone was found to be switched off.

While talking to Prothom Alo, multiple residents from Mirpur, Pallabi, and Rupnagar, said there is a rumour that Elias Mollah sent several truckloads of unruly workers from Pallabi, armed with local weapons, to attack students during the demonstrations of Students Against Discrimination at Dhaka University. These workers allegedly beat and injured the students.

Since 5 August, Elias Mollah has been in hiding. When attempting to gather information on his land grabbing activities, Elias Mollah's house in Mirpur-12 was found locked, and his phone was found to be switched off. Neighbours said no one has been seen at the house since 5 August.

When asked about Elias Mollah's land grabbing, Mirpur Division police's deputy commissioner Makhshedur Rahman police said, “It is not my concern to determine who has occupied the land. If the government or the court gives me an order, I will carry out an eviction drive.”

On 14 June 2014, at dawn, nine members of a family in Kalshi, Dhaka, were killed by arson, and another person was shot dead.

Relatives and residents of the Kurmitola Bihari Camp alleged that the attack was orchestrated with the support of Elias Mollah, MP of the then governing Awami League for Dhaka-16, to grab the land of the displaced residents of the camp. The attack was led by Jewel Rana, the then general secretary of the Jubo League in Pallabi.

Nine people including Mohammad Yasin’s wife, children, and grandchildren at the Camp died from fire. Yasin was away from home at the time, and his daughter, Farzana, managed to escape.

Later, Yasin was killed in a bus accident in Pallabi. The residents of Kurmitola Bihari Camp filed a case at Pallabi police station, alleging that Yasin was deliberately run over by a bus as part of a plan to prevent justice for his family.

Chairman of the Stranded Pakistani General Repatriation Committee (SPGRC) at Kurmitola Camp, Jalaluddin Bhuiyan, said following the tragic incident on 15 June 2014, residents of the Kurmitola Camp protested on Kalshi Road, demanding Elias Mollah’s execution. They also burned his effigy during the protest.

* The report, originally published in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Farjana Liakat and Rabiul Islam