Land Office Official in Mymensingh Accused of Threatening to Beat and Jail Journalists Seeking Land Records
Several journalists say they were harassed at the Mymensingh Sadar municipal land office when they went there to seek information about a land mutation. The office's nayeb, Abul Kalam, allegedly threatened to tie them up, beat them and put them in jail. The journalists say video of the incident contains the official's threatening remarks.
At around 2pm on Thursday, Anik Khan, a multimedia journalist with Ajker Patrika, went to the Sadar municipal land office to obtain mutation information for his father's land. He found nayeb Abul Kalam busy chatting over tea.
After a long wait, at around 3pm, as the nayeb was leaving the office, Anik Khan called out to him and asked for the information he needed. According to the complaint, Abul Kalam then became angry.
The complaint says Abul Kalam summoned office staff and ordered them to shut the main gate with Anik Khan kept inside. When Farhad, a multimedia reporter with Nagorik Television, Aladin Sunny, a multimedia reporter with Kaler Kantho, and journalist Fariduzzaman Shanto, who were with him, protested, the nayeb told them, 'Have you come here to act like thugs?' He then allegedly threatened to tie up and beat the journalists and to 'put them straight in jail'.
Asked for the land mutation information, Abul Kalam said, 'No murder has happened here, what information would I give? Has there been a murder here? If you want information, apply at the DC office and come.'
Anik Khan said he needed the mutation information for his father's land for the new survey work. He asked how ordinary people could easily obtain government services if even basic land services and land information required an application under the Right to Information Act.
The journalists say the same nayeb has faced earlier allegations of misconduct and physical harassment of a journalist. Md Abul Mansur, Asian Television's Mymensingh district correspondent, alleged that a few days earlier, when he asked about a complaint concerning a transaction of Ahmed Ghosh, Abul Kalam snatched and broke his mobile phone and physically harassed him.
Seeking redress, the journalists went to the office of Mymensingh Sadar Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Md Zakaria Hossain. It is alleged that he then left, locking his office and taking the accused nayeb with him.
On the harassment of the journalists, Zakaria Hossain said, 'I heard the nayeb had an argument with outsiders. I do not know whether journalists were there.' Asked whether any action would be taken over such behaviour towards journalists, he said, 'Settle the matter among yourselves. Do not involve me in this unnecessarily.'
On the allegations, Abul Kalam said, 'There was a misunderstanding with the journalists. I did not recognise them at first.' Deputy Commissioner Md Saifur Rahman did not respond despite several phone calls seeking his comment. Local journalists have demanded an impartial investigation, verification of the remarks in the video and departmental action against those accused.
