Farhad's family ruled the roost in Meherpur politics and contracts

Farhad Hossain, a college teacher in Dhaka, came to Meherpur with Awami League nomination in 2014 general election. After winning from the Meherpur-1 (Sadar-Mujibnagar ) constituency in that election boycotted by BNP, Farhad became district Awami League’s president the following year. After that, Farhad Hossain’s family gradually took control of everything from Meherpur’s politics to contract of development projects.

Awami League leaders and activists said former public administration minister Farhad Hossain (Dodul) gave away party posts to his family members, relatives and close people. Many of them were made public representatives. He would control contracts of development works through those public representatives. On the other hand, dedicated leaders and activists of the party were cornered. Any Awami League leaders and activists expressing dissent would allegedly face harassment by him. Party men and officials of the administration would remain cowed in fear of Farhad’s brother and brother-in-law.

Farhad Hossain’s father Sahiuddin Bishwas was the founding president of Meherpur district Awami League. But Farhad did not have any party posts before being elected MP. He was known as a gentleman in his area. Farhad married Syeda Monalisa Islam, the cousin of Awami League’s former general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam, in 2004. After being elected MP in 2014, Farhad became district Awami League president directly in October 2015. He got the same post again in 2022. Farhad became state minister for public administration ministry after the 2018 election and minister of the same ministry in 2024.

Farhad Hossain and his family members went into hiding after the fall of Sheikh Hasina government on 5 August. In the evening of that day, a mob torched the garage in front of his residence in Meherpur. Besides, his ‘personal office’ at Puran Bus Stand area of the town was vandalized, looted and torched. The mob also torched a  shop of Farhad’s younger brother Sarfaraz Hossain, joint convenor of district Jubo League, at Barabazar road in the town.

Farhad Hossain was arrested by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) from the capital's Iskaton on 14 September in a case filed over the killing of garments worker Rubel during the anti-discrimination movement. He is currently in jail.

Since becoming the president of the district Awami League, at least 17 relatives of Farhad including his wife were given various positions in the Awami League and associate organisations. His brother-in-law Abdus Samad Bablu Biswas was made district Awami League vice president, sister Shamim Ara district Awami League’s women affairs secretary, wife Syeda Monalisa and cousin Amirul Islam were members. Farhad’s elder brother Iqbal Hossain was made the president of Meherpur city Awami League. Father's cousin Borhan Uddin, who died recently, was the president of Sadar upazila Awami League. Cousin Mominul Islam was made Sadar upazila Awami League general secretary and Baradi union chairman. Nephew Adib Hossain was made the president of Meherpur Government College Chhatra League and younger brother Sarfraz Hossain was made the joint convener of district Jubo League.

Seven leaders of various levels of Awami League and associate organisations told Prothom Alo that Farhad had made inactive the senior leaders of the party who opposed Farhad's supremacy. Due to this the party saw the creation of two factions. The other side was led by the former president of Sadar upazila Awami League Golam Rasul. District Awami League vice president Miazan Ali, vice president Yarul Islam, Mujibnagar upazila Awami League’s  former president Ziauddin Biswas, district Jubo League convener Mahfuzur Rahman and others were with Golam Rasul.

Golam Rasul told Prothom Alo that Farhad established bonhomie with central leaders of Awami League after marrying Syed Ashraf’s cousin. He joined Meherpur Awami League suddenly during the tenth parliamentary election in 2014. After becoming MP, he made the party an organisation of his own family. After becoming the state minister, he became sole controller of district administration and police. All development projects undertaken since 2014 were executed directly or indirectly by his relatives.

Awami League leaders and activists said Farhad’s brother-in-law Bablu Biswas and brother Sarfaraz Hossain would control the contracts of development projects in the district. Contractors said Bablu Biswas would control the works by availing contracts in the names of others.

On 21 December in 2022, Gangni upazila Jubo League’s joint secretaries Mojirul Islam and Abdul Latif went to submit a tender sought by district administration for selling 140 trees on Mujibnagar-Darshana road. They came under attack while submitting the tender. A total of 18 schedules were sold but only two tenders were submitted. Later, Farhad’s younger brother Sarfaraz Hossain bought the trees at only Tk 7 million.

Roads and Highways Department’s (RHD) deputy divisional engineer Anuz Kumar Dey was beaten up at his own office on 21 June in 2021. Anuz said a contractor firm named Shahidul Enterprise got the work of repairing a road.

District Chhatra League president Barikul Islam and Chhatra League activist Rashedul Islam, who were close to Bablu Bishwas, would look after the repair work. Barikul and Rashedul came to the RHD office to pressurize for money without completing the work. As Anuz did not bow down to their pressure, they beat him up. Anuz said he could not even file any case in this connection.

On 20 October last year, a person named Debashish Bagchi filed a case for dishonor of cheque worth Tk 18 million against Sarfaraz Hossain. He was once a business partner of Sarfaraz.

Debashish told Prothom Alo that he started contract business jointly with Sarfaraz in 2015. Between 2015 and 2020, he took around 35 tenders of different government offices including public works, public health and LGED using muscle power. The tenders were worth around Tk 270 million. Sarfazar suddenly removed Debashish from the firm without any reason. When Debashish demanded the money he owes, he was harassed by police. On 12 July last year Sarfaraz gave him a cheque of Tk 180 million which was bounced. Debashish later filed the case.

Awami League leaders, activists and locals said Sarfaraz would manage a small local pharmacy before 2014. He joined the contract business after his brother became a MP. He would flex muscles to get work. Later he bought six katha land near Borobazar road and built a commercial building.

Bablu Biswas threatened Abdul Mannan, who was a rival candidate of Farhad, during an electoral rally before the 12th parliament election. He boasted of his arms, money and muscle power and threatened that no polling agents of Abdul Mannan would go to four polling stations of Pirojpur union. 

Bablu Biswas is the chairman of Pirojpur union parishad of Sadar upazila. Local residents told Prothom Alo that no one dared to speak against Bablu Biswas in this union as he is the brother-in-law of Farhad Hossain. For 10 years he was in possession of ‘Dad Beel’ of this village. After 5 August, locals attacked and set fire to Bablu Biswas' house. Since then they have been absconding.

Two six-storied academic buildings of Meherpur government girl’s school and boy’s high school were constructed with a cost of Tk 60 million for each. Bablu got the contract work for the girl's school and Sarfaraz got the contract for the boy's school. Students, teachers and guardians of both the schools alleged that they stored construction materials of both buildings in the playground of the schools.

Fazlul Haque, head teacher of the boy’s school, told Prothom Alo, “Former public administration minister Farhad Hossain’s brother-in-law Abdus Samad Bablu Biswas was the contractor of construction of the academic building. We did not have the courage to ask him to clear the playground.”

Joint forces on 29 August seized a huge amount of government goods worth Tk 10 million raiding the rented house of Farhad’s cousin Shajahan Siraj in Meherpur’s Keshabpara. Shajahan Siraj rented the house on behalf of Farhad Hossain. The seized items included holy Quran for free distribution, blankets, sports equipment, sewing machines, wheel chairs, aprons for physicians, oxygen cylinders, tiffin boxes and clothes. The items were ‘not for sale’.

Asked about the allegations, district Awami League’s vice president Bablu Biswas told Prothom Alo over phone, “I was a contractor before Farhad Hossain became a minister. It’s common to face allegations if you are in power. If you go through the affidavits of those who brought these allegations, you will find how massive corruption they indulged in.”

As per Farhad Hossain’s affidavits submitted during the last three general elections, he would earn Tk 6,12,340 annually by teaching at a college before the general election 2014. After a decade his annual income rose to over Tk 7.7 million, earned from agriculture, business and salary.

According to the affidavit submitted before the 2014 general election, Farhad’s wife Syeda Monalisa Islam had Tk 500,000 in cash and 40 bhori of gold. Her immovable wealth has reached Tk 12 million now.  But no affidavits mention Monalisa’s source of income. Farhad’s immovable assets rose to over Tk 32.7 million in 2023, from over Tk 2.6 million in 2014. Monalisa did not have any land of her own in 2014, now she owns 2 bigha and 5 katha agricultural lands worth Tk 560,000 as per affidavit.

Regarding the increase in wealth, Farhad Hossain told Prothom Alo last year that he had no income of his own from agricultural land when they were a joint family. After the distribution of family property, agricultural land became available. Besides, Tk 3 million is being added annually to his income from salary and allowances.

Mahfuzur Rahman, the former mayor of Meherpur pourashava and convener of the district Jubo League, told Prothom Alo that the former minister had illegally embezzled millions and built a house in Canada.

He could not go abroad when the government suddenly fell. They came to know through various means that his two sons and wife are staying in Canada.

Zakir Hossain, general secretary of Shusasoner Jonno Nagorik’s Meherpur chapter, told Prothom Alo that democracy gradually dissipates and freedom of speech becomes elusive when the people of the country do not get the opportunity to elect their representatives.  In such a system the rulers indulge in willfulness and start looting. This is exactly what happened in the case of Farhad Hossain.