Forest officer suspended over allegations of marrying 17 women

Barishal Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Md Kabir Hossain Patwari has been suspended from service on allegations of marrying 17 women through fraud. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change confirmed the matter in a notification issued on Tuesday (September 16). The order stated that he has been suspended temporarily and attached to the Rangpur Range.

In the same order, Patuakhali Divisional Forest Officer (Deputy Conservator of Forests) Dr Md Zahidur Rahman Miah was appointed as Acting Divisional Forest Officer of Barishal. According to reliable sources, he will assume office on Wednesday morning (September 17).

Confirming the matter, Mihir Kumar De, Conservator of Forests (Coastal Circle), Barishal, said that the ministry had sent an email regarding the order.

According to allegations, Kabir Hossain Patwari lured 14 to 17 women into marriage by deceiving them with promises of opportunities to study abroad, secure government jobs, become flight attendants, or receive property. Following these allegations, on September 11, several victims and their families staged a human chain and protest in front of the Conservator of Forests office in Kashipur, Barishal city. During the demonstration, Dhaka resident Naznin Akhter Sheela, Narayanganj resident Sonia Akhter, and Khulna resident Nasrin Akhter Dolon, among others, claimed to have been victims of his fraud.

Meanwhile, in connection with the multiple marriage incidents, a case was filed with the Barishal court on Tuesday (September 16). Public Prosecutor Advocate Hafiz Ahmed Bablu of the Barishal Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court lodged the case suo moto with the Metropolitan First Magistrate Court. The court took cognisance of the case and directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to submit a probe report.

Advocate Hafiz Ahmed Bablu, the complainant in the case, said that DFO Md Kabir Hossain Patwari, a resident of Matlab upazila in Chandpur, previously served in Dhaka, Khulna, Sirajganj, and Bagerhat, where he allegedly married 17 women and committed fraud in the name of marriage. “I came to know about the matter from reports published in different media,” he said.

He further stated that in each case, Kabir Hossain Patwari violated Section 6 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961 and committed an offence under Section 6(5)(b). “By concealing his first marriage and going on to marry 17 times, he has committed a serious crime, challenging religious values, local culture, and the social system,” Bablu added.

Court Bench Assistant Md Rajib Majumder confirmed that the court had accepted the case filed by Advocate Hafiz Ahmed Bablu and instructed the PBI to investigate. The next hearing has been scheduled for November 20.