ACC raids Daulatpur godown in Kushtia: records show 107 sacks of rice allocated in dead chairman's name

The Anti-Corruption Commission's Kushtia integrated district office has raided the Daulatpur upazila food godown in Kushtia. The raid was carried out around midday on Wednesday (November 4) following allegations including irregularities in government rice collection records and foodgrain distribution.

During the raid, officials examined distribution records for various government programmes. The ACC said inconsistencies were found in several documents.

In the main records for rice allocated to VGD cardholders in Philipnagar union, officials found the name of a dead chairman. The records showed 107 sacks — 3.210 metric tonnes — of rice received in his name. The receipt acknowledgement, however, carried the signature of the union's panel chairman, Ekramul Haque.

According to ACC sources, the allocation in the name of former chairman Naim Uddin Sentu came to light while checking distribution records for rice allocated to destitute women in Philipnagar union. The documents recorded the 107 sacks as received on October 13.

Chairman Naim Uddin Sentu was shot dead by miscreants on September 30, 2024. How rice came to be shown as allocated in his name remains unknown.

Ekramul Haque has served as panel chairman since Sentu's death nearly two years ago.

Panel chairman Ekramul Haque said that when he went to sign the government-allocated VGD rice documents on the 18th of last month at the ACC's call, he saw the dead chairman Naim Uddin Sentu's name in them. He said he knows nothing about how Sentu's name came to be in the documents.

The raid at the godown ran from 12:15 pm to 3:00 pm on Wednesday under ACC Assistant Director Bulbul Ahmed of the Kushtia integrated district office. Officials examined records on foodgrain distribution, stocks and storage under various government programmes.

Earlier, on Tuesday, the godown's officer-in-charge, Selim Reza, was withdrawn from duty on the orders of senior officials following allegations of irregularities in rice distribution at the godown.

Kushtia District Food Officer Al Waziur Rahman said Selim Reza had been relieved of duty on the orders of senior officials based on various allegations. Action will be taken against him after an investigation, he said.

ACC Assistant Director Bulbul Ahmed said various matters at the Daulatpur godown had been investigated following complaints and inconsistencies found during document checks. He said the dead chairman's name was found in the main records for VGD rice in Philipnagar union, but another person had taken the allocated rice against the panel chairman's signature on the receipt. Keeping these matters in view, all other matters are being investigated, documents have been sought, and a further investigation will be carried out, he said.