Birth registration of 153 Rohingyas: Union Parishad chairman suspended

The chairman of a union parishad (UP) in Moulvibazar has been suspended on allegation of carrying out the birth registration activities of 153 Rohingyas.

Nakul Chandra Das was the chairman of No. 1 Fatehpur union parishad in Rajnagar upazila of Moulvibazar. The notice of his temporary suspension was issued on last 24 April.

The UP chairman is the local registrar of birth and death registration. Using the ID and password allocated for them, the UP secretary reviews the birth and death registration applications. If they find the application to be appropriate, the UP chairman approves it with their own ID and password.

The registrar general’s office allocates this ID and password for birth and death registration, which is not transferable. Accused Nakul, however, claims that these birth registrations have been done using his password through hacking.

According to Fatehpur UP and Rajnagar upazila nirbahi officer’s office, the matter of the birth registration of those 153 Rohingyas came to notice at Shariatpur regional passport office in September last year.

Shariatpur regional passport office informed Moulvibazar regional passport office that all of those birth registrations have been done in Fatehpur union. The Moulvibazar office then reported this to the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO).

A notice issued from the local government division on presidential order stated that the registrar general (birth and death registration) has recommended taking action against Nakul for completing the birth registrations of Rohingyas with an ulterior motive.

The notice also stated that the allegation brought against Nakul is not righteous from the point of view of exercising the union parishad authority. These criminal activities of his are against public interest as well as the UP.

On this ground, he was suspended from his post according to section no. 34 (4) (b) (d) of the Local Government (Union Parishad) Act, 2009.

This order issued in public interest with the approval of the relevant authority will be effective immediately, it added.

Mentioning that he’s aware of Nakul’s suspension, Moulvibazar-3 constituency MP, Mohammad Zillur Rahman told Prothom Alo that he has directed the public representatives and the upazila nirbahi officers to be on alert so that the Rohingyas cannot get their birth registration done at his constituency.

Commenting on the allegations brought against him, Nakul told Prothom Alo that there’s no question of providing birth registration certificates to Rohingyas. He didn’t even shared his password with anyone. The birth registrations have been done using his password through hacking.

He further said that he has submitted related proofs and evidences to the local government division in the last week of April. At the time (in September last year), he allegedly completed the birth registrations of the Rohingyas, he couldn’t even continue with his regular birth and death registration activities due to the slow speed of the server, he claimed.

*This report appeared in the print and online versions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Nourin Ahmed Monisha.