Hasanat Abdullah: The ‘invincible' Awami 'godfather’ of land-grabbing

Abul Hasanat Abdullah is the president of Barishal district Awami League. However, his influence went beyond the district as he grew into a key authoritarian figure in the party politics in the entire Barishal division. He built up a powerful stronghold with his followers. He is also accused of influencing party nominations in local government polls and controlling local party units, cutting big commissions from development projects and land grabbing. His properties grew manifold over the last 16 years.

The locals, victims, leaders and local Awami League activists and leaders say Hasanat Abdullah emerged as the ‘godfather of Barishal’ during the Awami-League-reign with everyone else just subjects of his empire. No government work in the area would start without paying him. The locals and media didn’t dare open up against him. Rather, his followers would present him as the guardian of the AL’s politics in Barishal as he was a cousin of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Abaul Hasanat Abdullah became the general secretary of Barishal district Awami League in late 80s. He held the post for a long time. He took over as the president on 27 December 2012. He became a member of the parliament (MP) twice in 1991 and 1996. He was defeated in the general election of 2001. He didn’t contest the parliamentary election in 2008. After that, he became MP from his constituency for three consecutive times in 2014, 2018 and 2024.

Abul Hasanat served as the chief whip of the parliament from 1996-2001. However, his selection as the chief whip raised questions regarding his eligibility for the post in the political realm. He was also the convener of the ‘Hill Tracts Accord Implementation and Monitoring Committee’ (same as the rank of a full minister). There are allegations that Abul Hasanat Abdullah failed to leave any mark of efficiency in pulling off this duty too.

The highly influential figure has been accused of grabbing lands sometimes by exerting influence, sometimes by paying a minimal price by intimidating and sometimes by force over the last 16 years of AL-rule. A number of people from the minority communities lost their lands to him, however, they did not dare to file any case against him.

According to the Gaurnadi upazila land office, Hasanat Abdullah has 64 decimals land on daag number – JL 55,709 in Char Gadhatoli mouza, 30 decimal on daag number – JL 50,544 and 70 decimal on daag number - JL 50,619, JL 50,622, JL 50,624 and daag number – JL 50,618 in Bijaypur mouza and 54.72 decimal lands on daag number – JL 54,263, JL 54,259, JL 54,260, JL 54,263, JL 54,264 in Dakshin Palardi mouza, registered on his name. All the lands were recorded in his name after the Awami League came to power in 2009.

Rickshaw garage mechanic Nur Mohammad of Dakshin Palardi village in the upazila alleged Hasanat Abdullah, after becoming a lawmaker in 2014, took over a one-acre—48-decimal plot of land along the Dhaka-Barishal highway in the Dakshin Palardi mouza and erected a boundary wall surrounding it. Several people, including Nur Mohammad had land there. Later, upazila AL cultural affairs secretary Abul Hossain Molla tried to force them to register the land on Hasanat’s name.

Nur Mohammad said, “As me and my three sisters denied selling our lands, they intimidated us. At one point, Abul Molla picked me up from my home. Later, I had to register the land in his name considering the safety and security of my family. The market value of the land is around Tk 150 million. But I only got Tk 1.6 million. I had nothing to do against such a powerful person. I only prayed to God for justice.”

Hasanat is also accused of forcefully occupying the lands owned by the minority communities. Speaking to Prothom Alo, Arun Das, 72, owner of the age-old ‘The Lakshman Circus’, said Hasanat Abdullah had his eyes set on the land of their under-construction 'Leela Cinema Hall' in Dakshin Palradi mauza next to the Dhaka-Barisal highway. The AL lawmaker started forcing him to register the land in his name.

However, he refused. Afterwards, local AL leader Abul Hossain Molla and another person named Selim Hawladar proposed to purchase the land. But he refused again. Enraged, Abdullah stopped his circus show using the administration. It was a massive financial blow for them.

Unable to pay the performers and bear the food cost for the animals in the circus, he was compelled to sell the 34-decimal-land worth around Tk 150 million at only 3.6 million taka at one point.

Arun Das said, “This is not all. After this, Hasanat Abdullah forced me again to register my large pond on a 96 decimal land in his name. Later, Gaurnadi upazila Chhatra League (BCL) general secretary threatened to kill me as I refused to register the land. After that I stopped going there in fear of my life.”

Hasanat Abdullah didn’t even spare the people from his own party. There were several allegations against him of taking over the land owned by local party leaders and activists.

Jubo League’s municipal unit member Firoz Hawladar of Dakshin Palardi village said Abul Hasnat forced them to register the 56 decimals of land of their homestead in his name. As he refused to sell the land, Hasanat tried to evict them by intimidation using his associates. At one point, he built a boundary wall surrounding that 56-decimal-land.

Firoz said, “We have been confined within four walls in our own homestead for the last few years. However, we were determined not to sell our homestead no matter what it cost us.”

Hasanat is also accused of forcefully occupying some 70 decimals of land in total from two other Hindu families in Uttar Bijaypur. In one of these cases, the AL lawmaker paid only Tk 1 million for 10-decimal-land having a market price of Tk 10 million. He grabbed 60 decimals of land from the other family in fear.

Abul Hasan from the Bijaynagar area of Gaurnadi said his grandfather owns a 28-decimal-land in the Bijoypur mouza. Hasanat registered the land in the name of the Begum Homoeopathic College, named after his mother, in 2019.

Abul Hasan said, “We are helpless before his power. We had to remain silent despite such injustice.”

There is also an allegation against Hasanat of illegally grabbing a 30-decimal-land in the name of Gaurnadi Muktijoddha Smrity Pathagar (library). Some six traders at the Gaurnadi Super Market said a little portion of the land of the Gaurnadi Muktijoddha Smrity Pathagar was within the area of their business establishments.

Hasanat first recorded the land in his name and then claimed the ownership of the land in 2015. And then he claimed money from those traders saying he would record the land in their names. Later, they negotiated under AL leader Abul Hossain Molla’s negotiation and paid Tk 7 million to Hasanat. However, the former MP didn’t record the land in their names even after taking the money.

The former AL lawmaker also has allegations against him of selling lands to the government after forcefully registering it in his name from the locals.

Speaking to Prothom Alo regarding this, Kazi Zaman, assistant headmaster at the Chandshi Chandra Secondary School in Gaurnadi, said Hasanat forcefully recorded a 10-decimal-land in Chargadhatali mouza in the name of Muktijoddha Complex by picking up his father. His father had a cardiac arrest after this and eventually died on 22 January 2015 due to heart complications.

Kazi Zaman said, “Later, I learnt Hasanat pocketed a large sum from the government as compensation for the acquisition of the land. That's not all. He occupied another 64-decimal-land of ours in the same mouza by putting up a boundary wall around the land using the administration and his power.”

This correspondent tried to reach Awami League leader Abul Hossain Molla and BCL leader Lutfar Rahman over the phone for their comment on the allegations. But there was no response.

A few people very close to Hasanat had gained the status of ‘elite class’ in local politics over the last 16 years. However, most of them were newcomers.

Several local Awami League leaders and activists told Prothom Alo he put his family members in big posts of the party to take control of the politics and grew powerful.

Following the death of the then city AL president and mayor Shawkat Hossain in 2014, Hasanat Abdullah gained total control in city politics. Almost all members of the 71-member city AL unit, formed in October 2015, were peers and associates of Hasanat. His son Serniabat Sadique Abdullah became the joint general secretary of the committee. Sadique was not involved in politics before that. Later, Sadique became the Barishal City Corporation (BCC) mayor and the general secretary of Barishal city Awami League. He made his wife, the late Sahan Ara Abdullah, the vice-president of district AL. His youngest son Ashique Abdullah was a member of the same committee.

The local leaders further say in the last few years most of the committees in the six districts and 42 upazilas in Barishal division were finalised by Hasanat. He also played the key role in nominating the party candidate for the local government elections. He intervened less only in Jhalokathi and Bhola.

Former general secretary of the city Awami League Mir Amin Uddin told Prothom Alo, “Hasanat Abdullah patronised some 10-12 godfathers across the division and there is no such corruption and misdeeds which he committed without using them. He cornered the potential leaderships through torture, insults and embarrassments.”

Hasanat Abdullah, five time lawmaker from the Barishal-1 constituency, didn’t give any space to the opponents during elections.

In 2018, former MP Zahir Uddin Swapan was the BNP-nominated candidate from this constituency. There are allegations that the BNP candidate couldn’t even launch his election campaign due to extreme repression from the then ruling party candidate. There was no heavyweight candidate against him in the 12th national election in 2024. As a result, he was declared the winning candidate by a huge margin both times.

Hasanat is also accused of exerting influence at the field level to make his son Sadique Abdullah the city mayor. Sadique Abdullah secured the AL nomination in the mayoral election of 2018 under the influence of his father. Former mayor and Khaleda Zia’s advisor Mojibor Rahman was the BNP-nominated mayoral candidate that time. There were three more candidates. However, Sadique established absolute supremacy in publicity campaigns at field level applying force.

Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) candidate Monisha Chakrabarty and BNP candidate Mujibor Rahman were assaulted on the election day. All candidates, except the one from the ruling party, boycotted the poll within 12:00 pm. According to the official polls result, Sadique Abdullah won the polls bagging 111,956 votes while his nearest rival, Mojibor Rahman got only 13,776 votes.

The AL leaders are saying after securing the mayoral post, Sadique Abdullah became the general secretary of Barishal city Awami League. After that, he took absolute control over everything related to the Barishal city.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, former BNP lawmaker Zahir Uddin Swapan said, “The repression from the ruling party in my constituency was unbearable. Our party activists could not even participate in social events like janaza or weddings.”

“Both my houses in the city and in my village were attacked several times. I was not even allowed to attend religious occasions like Eid in my area. My party and the leaders have been very cautious about taking lessons from the fall of the Hasina-government in the face of the mass uprising of the students and people and we will continue to do so.”

Sources in the relevant departments implementing the development projects in Gaurnadi and Agoiljhara, say development projects worth Tk 55 billion have been implemented in the two upazilas during the last 16 years of AL-rule.

However, in a rally ahead of the 12th national polls, Hasanat claimed the development works in his constituency worth Tk 100 billion. There are complaints that the former lawmaker used to cut a 10-12 per cent commission from the allocation for these development projects each through his associates.

Speaking to several contractors and AL leaders and activists, it has been learned that Hasanat had to be paid 10 per cent of the total allocation as soon as the tender for any project was called.

Gaurnadi municipality mayor and upazila AL general secretary Harisur Rahman and Agoiljhara upazila AL general secretary Abu Saleh Md Liton used to collect the money on behalf of Hasanat.

Apart from this, the candidates had to pay a certain amount through these two associates of Hasanat Abdullah to secure party nominations for different local government polls – upazila election, union parishad election and mayoral elections.

Gaurnadi contractor and former municipal mayor Md Alauddin Bhuiyan said it was not possible to get any contract without paying a 10 per cent commission to Hasanat. In addition to that was the four per cent commission for Hasnat’s associate Harisur.

Gaurnadi municipal AL unit joint general secretary Ahad Mia too alleged that Hasanat Abdullah used to take a 10 per cent commission through Harisur Rahman. “I got the contract by paying him. Besides, Harisur also took a 2 per cent commission from me.”

Hasanat Abdullah is also accused of not implementing development projects after withdrawing money from the allocations.

Gaurnadi upazila Awami League joint general secretary and Mahilara union parishad chairman Saikat Guha said Hasanat used to get 25 per cent commission from the projects under the Food Friendly Programmes (FFP).

Many projects financed by the Asian Development Bank didn’t see light. However, all the money from the allocations has been withdrawn showing the implementation on paper.

It has been learnt from several sources that Hasanat Abdullah left the country for India a few days ahead of the mass uprising that toppled the Awami League government on 5 August. Several other local AL leaders also went into hiding. Their phones were found switched off.

Analysing the election affidavits submitted by Hasanat Abdullah during the last three parliamentary polls, his annual income increased 16 times to Tk 44.13 million over the span of 10 years. His movable assets increased 13 times to Tk 334.7 million.

Of the immovable assets, the size of cropland he owned lessened to 17 acres and size of his non-agro land increased a little to 41.49 per cent.

Apart from the old house, he declared owning residential and commercial buildings in the capital’s Kalabagan area in his affidavit.

*This report appeared on the print and online versions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu