3 new unions ‘named after State Minister Shahe Alam’s sons and ancestral home’ in Bogura

The government has issued a gazette notification creating four new union parishads in Shibganj and the newly established Mokamtala upazila of Bogura. The notification, signed by the Bogura deputy commissioner on 11 June, reorganised the administrative boundaries of five unions in Shibganj upazila and eight unions in Mokamtala upazila.

After the gazette was made public on Sunday, controversy erupted over the naming of three of the newly created unions.

The new union formed in Shibganj upazila has been named Mirbari union, while the three newly established unions in Mokamtala upazila have been named Simanta union, Diganta union, and Swarnagram union.

Allegations have emerged that State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives and Member of Parliament for Bogura-2 (Shibganj), Mir Shahe Alam, named the new union in Shibganj after his ancestral residence, known as “Mirbari”.

Critics have further alleged that two unions in Mokamtala were named after his sons—Mir Shakrul Alam Simanta and Mir Saklain Alam Diganta.

The issue has sparked widespread discussion and criticism.

On Monday, Monira Sharmin, convener of Jatiya Nari Shakti, the women’s wing of the National Citizen Party (NCP), described the state minister as “Bogura’s new zamindar” in a Facebook post.

In her post, she wrote, “Local Government State Minister Mir Shahe Alam is the new zamindar of Bogura. He is renaming union parishads after his lineage and children. The new unions are Mirbari, Simanta and Diganta. Ah, power!”

However, Mir Shahe Alam denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the names were selected through the proper legal and administrative process.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on Monday, he said, “Based on public hearings and local opinion, the upazila administration and district administration followed the relevant laws in naming one new union parishad in Shibganj upazila and three in Mokamtala upazila. My two sons are named Mir Simanta and Mir Diganta. Some people are attempting to draw a connection between their names and the names of the two new unions. That is entirely incorrect. I was not even aware of the matter beforehand.”

According to the gazette notification, a new union parishad named Mirbari has been created by incorporating 15 mouzas, including Betgari, Fenigram, Syedpur, Chandanpur, Dopara, Tiyail, Gorna, Dhamahar, Badaldighi, Ramkandi, Chakgopal, Dabur, Chakkanu, Haripur and Gopinathpur. The new union has a population of 18,924.

A visit to the area found that State Minister Mir Shahe Alam’s ancestral home is located in Betgari village of the former Atmul union in Shibganj upazila. He belongs to the Mir lineage, and the family estate is locally known as “Mirbari”. The newly formed union has been named after Mirbari.

Meanwhile, Simanta Union in newly established Mokamtala upazila comprises 11 mouzas, including Mankair, Bhabanipur, Abhirampur, Kheruapara, Kishoripur, Jagannathpur, Amjhupi, Jibanpur, Kuki Kalidas and Kuki Jagannathpur. The union has a population of 16,267.

Diganta Union, with a population of 17,759, consists of eight mouzas, including Bhoria (Bhoira), Meghakhordda, Alampur, Rahbal, Sawaldah, Krishnapur, Talibpur and Boalmari.

In addition, Swarnagram union has been formed from 17 mouzas, including Palashi, Hatgari, Gokarna, Chandrahata, Kachua, Gathila Gopalpur, Dhawakandi, Uttar Krishtapur, Chobahanpur, Kalugari, Moydanhatta, Daridah, Niamatpur, Bagalpur, Chakbagalpur, Khordda Shokra and Buzruk Shokra. The union has a population of 18,934.

Shibganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ziaur Rahman said the process of administrative restructuring and formation of four new unions was initiated after receiving a demi-official (DO) letter from State Minister Mir Shahe Alam.

He said public hearings were conducted to gather local opinion before finalising the names.

According to the UNO, Deuli union in Mokamtala was divided into two separate unions, and the name “Diganta” was selected to maintain consistency with the existing name. Likewise, Syedpur union bordered Sonatala and Gabtali upazilas, and after its division the new union was named “Simanta” (meaning “border”).

The UNO declined to comment on the naming of Mirbari Union.

However, Abdul Ohab, General Secretary of Shibganj upazila unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), offered a different explanation.

He argued that Betgari is the name of a locality where institutions such as Mirbari Primary School and a madrasah already exist.

“Just because the union has been named Mirbari does not necessarily mean it has been named after the state minister’s residence,” he said.

Bogura deputy commissioner Md Toufiqur Rahman told Prothom Alo that the gazette was issued as part of an administrative restructuring process that created one new union in Shibganj and three in Mokamtala.

“The proposals for the names came from the upazila administration. If the upazila administration proposes a name associated with an individual or a family lineage, there is little the district administration can do regarding that matter,” he said.

State minister announces plan to rename Shibganj upazila

Meanwhile, Mir Shahe Alam has also announced plans to change the name of Shibganj upazila.

Addressing a rally in Mokamtala on Friday night following a procession welcoming the national budget, he said Shibganj upazila would be renamed Mahasthan upazila.

He argued that the existence of another upazila named Shibganj in Chapainawabganj creates administrative complications in official work and correspondence.

“For that reason, Shibganj upazila will be renamed Mahasthan upazila,” he said.

Earlier, on 12 April this year, the Cabinet Division approved the declaration of Mokamtala Port in Shibganj upazila as a new upazila through a decision signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Imtiaz Morshed.

Mokamtala upazila was formed by combining Deuli, Syedpur, Moydanhatta and Shibganj Sadar. With the creation of three additional unions, the upazila now consists of eight unions. It covers an area of 128.74 square kilometres and has a population of approximately 150,000.