37 farmers including 12 arrested get bail in loan related case

A Pabna court has granted bail to 37 farmers including 12 arrested in cases filed over loan related affairs.

The court of Pabna Senior Judicial Magistrate Court-2 Md. Shamsuzzaman passed the order on Sunday.

All the 12 farmers arrested in loan related cases are marginal farmers.

Court sources said Bangladesh Samabaya Bank gave loans of Tk 25,000-40,000 each to 37 farmers in 2016. In 2021, the banks the manager at the time Syed Mozammel Haque Mahmud filed a case against the 37 on loan default charges.

Later, on 23 November, the Pabna senior judicial magistrate issued arrest warrant against them. Among the 37 accused, police arrested 12 marginal farmers as of 25 November and sent them to jail.

Farmers and their families claimed most of the borrowers repaid their loans within a year of taking the loan and they have the deposit slips. But the field level officers of the bank embezzled the money. That’s why they have been facing this harassment.

Siddiqur Rahman, central president of Bangladesh Farmers Development Society, and a Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award winner, said on the court premises that when the arrest warrant was issued, all of the farmers were working at their carrot firms. Police arrested 12 farmers from their home and different places. The rest of the farmers fled home fearing arrest, he added.

Siddiqur Rahman also demanded withdrawal of the case.

Plaintiff Syed Mozammel Haque Mahmud said the case was filed at the directive of the high officials. This is an ongoing process to realise default loan, he added.

Defence lawyer Sazzad Hossain said the farmers have heaved a sigh of relief at the court order.