The fake 'Sultan' of Patuakhali
Where there is a land dispute, there is Sultan Ahmed Mridha. Whether it belongs to a neighbour or someone else, whether it is a farm land or government khasland (non-allotted land) -- if any of the documents are flawed, Sultan is there. Sometimes he even shows up with forged deeds.
Sultan, a member of the district Awami League, is the husband of Lutfun Nesa, a member of parliament (MP) elected to one of the seats reserved for women, from Patuakhali.
People complain that ever since his wife became an MP in 2014, Sultan started his land grabbing in earnest. According to a government agency, Sultan Mridha owns about 200 acres of land in his own or other family members’ names. He bought some of these properties jointly with other people, booking or taking possession of other properties by force.
However, Mridha is in denial. “There is no record or charge of improprieties against me. Rather, other people create problems when we buy (land). I come from a business family. Since 1980 our Haji & Sons is the local agent of British American Tobacco. We have long-standing goodwill in Patuakhali,” he told Prothom Alo.
A statement of a government agency reported, “You (Mridha) are the owner of at least 200 acres of land”. When asked about this, he said, “Ask them to measure the land and make me understand. I personally own no more than 20 acres.”
During elections, Lutfun Nesa went on record in her electoral bond that her husband Mridha owned 7 acres 50 decimals of farmland and 7 decimals of non-farm land.
In a thorough investigation, Prothom Alo found there are at least 10 more properties which Mridha personally owns or by proxy.
These properties are between Patuakhali and Payra port with signboards claiming personal or family ownership.
Sultan Mridha is a former chairman of Patuakhali municipality and Sadar upazila. He is very influential in the region and was involved in BNP politics, which he now denies.
Former state minister for religious affairs Md Shahjahan Miah, who is the president of district Awami League, said, “How many of his (Mridha’s) illegal land acquisitions should I mention? He grabbed the land of Zudhishthhir Saha and raised a building there. He took over the land of one and grabbed the house of another. He didn’t bother whether it belonged to a Hindu or a Muslim. But no one dares to talk against him, as he is backed by powerful gangs. The people of Puran Bazar are all beholden to him.”
The locals say Mridha appoints his men to sort out disputed lands and later gets involved himself. Then he goes to the properties, taking possession by force, and his gang puts up signboards, claiming ownership by purchase or initial advance down payment.
Abusing power of attorney
There is an allegation that within a few months of Lutfun Nesa being elected as MP in 2014, her husband Sultan Mridha, grabbed 14 decimals of land next to the veterinary hospital on Patuakhali College Road.
It was owned by two brothers -- Sajjadur Rahman Khan and Hafiz Al Asad. In December 2015, Mridha put up a signboard proclaiming ownership of a 10-decimal property with house, owned by Shamsur Rahman Khan, father to Sajjadur and Hafiz.
The 14 and 10 decimal plots were next to each other. Hafiz and Sajjadur bought the 14 decimal plot for Tk 6 million by sub-kabla registration in 2012 from two brothers --Iqbal Afroj and Jamal Afroj, while Shamsur Rahman bought the 10 decimal property and house with a down payment of Tk 3.8 million in 2011 from Jamal Afroj. Mridha grabbed the 14-decimal piece of land on 11 November 2014 and set up a signboard declaring his wife MP Lutfun Nesa owner of the property.
Documents show that to establish his ownership, Sultan Mridha managed a power of attorney from Kamal Afroj, another brother of Iqbal and Jamal. As the power of attorney was vested after four years of the down payment, its legality came into question. Furthermore, one of the witnesses of the power of attorney was dubiously enough, Mridha’s wife, Lutfun Nesa.
The down payment deed and other documents show that the house with 10-decimal land was priced at Tk 4.6 million and Shamsur Rahman made an initial down payment of Tk 3.8 million. About Tk 0.8 million was due. In the meantime, Shamsur Rahman came to know that Jamal Afroj earlier took out a mortgage loan from House Building Finance Corporation (HBFC) against the land. The original debt of 5.80 million went up to 8.67 million, including interest.
HBFC sent a notice seeking the original deed as Jamal had not paid the installments. To save his land, Shamsur Rahman paid the HBFC debt. But Jamal did not handover the land. Later, on his lawyer’s advice, Shamsur Rahman deposited Tk 0.8 million with the court in favour of Jamal. A lawsuit is continuing on the issue.
In the midst of all this chaos, on 18 December 2015, Sultan with his gang, put up a signboard, initially declaring it owned by purchase, and later by down payment. When a case was filed, Sultan submitted power of attorney documents to the court. The documents showed that Jamal Afroj vested the power of attorney to Sultan on 15 December 2015, four years after Shamsur Rahman’s down payment.
Asked about this, Sultan Mridha answered, "Those people are BNP supporters, they are spreading this propaganda against me. There is an ongoing case about the ownership dispute. I’m sure they will lose. Even so, I have proposed a negotiated settlement through my lawyer, but they do not agree. If they can win in the court, I have no objection.”
Shamsur Rahman’s wife, Saleha Khanam, said, "My husband spent all of his hard earned money to buy the property. Two of my sons are engaged in serving the country and its security. Never did I imagine that we’d fall victim to such oppression and torment.”
Building construction on Zudhisthir’s land
Zudhisthhir Saha, a local of the Puran Bazar area on the Lohalia river in Patuakhali, is fighting a case against the government over the ownership of a 50-decimal piece of land since 1994. In 2015, Sultan Mridha, all on a sudden, took over the land adjacent to Zudhisthhir’s house and put up a wall. Although Zudhisthhir later won the case, Mridha is well on the way to finishing his duplex house there.
Zudhisthhir inherited 69 decimals of land. He lost some land to river erosion which resurfaced again later. When he took possession of the land again, the government land office filed a case against him, claiming the land was khas. The verdict handed down by the district judge's court in 2001 went against Zudhisthhir. Though he appealed the verdict in the high court, the HC revoked his ownership of the land. The government party petitioned a leave to appeal which is in queue for a hearing now.
In the meantime, Mridha has erected a house there and is living there now. So how did Mridha manage all this? Seeking anonymity, a member of the Saha family replied, “How does smuggling and highway robbery take place? It was done the same way, thrusting a pistol to the chest."
Denying this charge, Mridha said, "The land is facing my land. We had an understanding. They do not have any complaint against me concerning the land.”
Sultan Mridha grabbed another 20-decimal property by the Lohalia river embankment and erected a two-storied building there.
There is an allegation against him concerning appropriation of land belonging to Hindus of Palbari Dorja in the city as well.
Land grabbed for brick kiln
Sultan Mridha has a brick kiln named ML Co Bricks in Jainkathi area of the town. The brick kiln is in his wife’s name, Lutfun Nessa. The kiln was of 300 decimal, but now it has been extended to 550 decimal.
Locals said lands of a number of people, including Syed Mohsin, Syed Maksud, Syed Hanif, Dulal Hawladar, Ali Akbar, Sultan Khandakar, Rahman Gazi, Joynal Abedin Master, Syed Anwar Hossain Master, Shahida Begum, were grabbed to expand the brick kiln. Somebody lost 60 decimal and some lost 20 decimal of his or her land for the brick kiln. However, none is ready to say anything in fear of Mridha's wrath.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Sultan Mridha said, “Who told you all these? People are not scared of me, they love me. I was an upazila chairman, also a municipal chairman. I never misused my power.”
One of the sufferers seeking anonymity said he had 12 kathas of land in the brick kiln. Sultan Mridha provided him 7 kathas of land at another place. Another sufferer named Pavel said Sultan Mridha took 17 kathas of land from his mother Shahida Begum at a price of Tk 350,000. Sultan Mridha paid Tk 190,000 while acquiring the land. Rest of the money is yet to be paid.
Sultan Mridha said, “No one ever complained. Wouldn’t there be any case filed if there was any complaint? You can write it if you find any prove while visiting the area.”
Land of 50 year old Madrasa grabbed
Jhatra Jalesha Hasania Dimuki Fazil Madrasa is the owner of 14 acres and 2 decimal of land in Tiakhali union of Dumki upazila in Patuakhali.
Mozammel Hossain Munshi, a resident of Kalapara area of the upazila, signed the land to the madrasa in 1963. The madrasa then lost the land after almost 50 years in 2009. Sultan Mridha was also involved with this.
According to locals and land documents, the member of parliament from Kalapara-Rangabali constituency, Mahbubur Rahman, acquired eight acres of land from the 14 acres, when he was the state minister for water resources during the last Awami League tenure. The registration was done on 10 July in 2009.
Among the rest of the six acres, Rafiqul Islam, former inspector of Kalapara land office, took one acre and 62 decimal, Gazi Abbas Uddin of Tiakhali and state minister’s son-in-law Abu Saleh took 4 acres and 36 decimal. A man named Chinthaw was identified as the owner of the land in papers. Sultan Mridha then took two acres and 70 decimal of land from Abbas Uddin.
According to the documents, some part of Sultan’s land is registered in his daughter Samima Nasrin’s name. Some of the land is registered in the name of a man named Shameem Hasnain and rest is registered to Kamrul Ahsan, son of Barisal’s BNP-backed mayor Ahsan Habib Kamal.
Sultan first hung a signboard in his name on this land. Recently the board has changed and now it has the name of one Abul Hossain Rony.
Principal of the Madrasa Ali Azam Nuruddin and teacher Abul Kalam Munshi filed a case with Patuakhali court against Abu Saleh and his associates following the grabbing of the Madrasa land.
In 2015, the court gave the verdict in favour of the Madrasa and permanent restriction on the land. Abu Saleh and his associates then filed an appeal with the judge court. The judge court in 2016 dismissed the appeal and upheld the restriction.
The defendant still controls the land and also doing farming there forcefully.
Speaking about the allegations against her husband, Lutfun Nessa MP said, “In politics, enemies are always there to take you down. My husband is a good person. The prime minster has made me an MP and the people are happy.”
District Awami League president Shahjahan Mia said, “He (Sultan Mridha) has seven graft cases in his name. The charge sheet has also been filed in these cases. I don’t know how a wife of a BNP supporter has been chosen as a women MP. Did anyone see her in any rallies or meeting in the area?”