Locals in Barishal seize two trucks full of govt documents

Locals of Kagashura village in Charbaria union under Barisal Sadar Upazila have seized two trucks loaded with documents from the Department of Education and Engineering on Friday evening (December 27).

The villagers, being suspicious of the trucks' presence in their area, stopped them and conducted a preliminary inquiry. When the individuals accompanying the trucks failed to provide satisfactory answers, the villagers detained the vehicles and informed the police and relevant authorities.

Abdur Rahman, a local resident, said, “Two trucks full of documents entered our village in the evening. Suspicious of their purpose, we questioned those with the trucks, but they could not provide clear answers. This led us to seize the vehicles.”

On information, two teams from Kaunia Police Station arrived at the scene to assess the situation.

Shahidul Islam, executive engineer of the Department of Education and Engineering in Barishal, said, “The documents, nearly a century old, were destined for burning at a garbage dump. However, the truck drivers mistakenly entered Kagashura village, sparking suspicion among the residents.”

Asked about adherence to official procedures for disposing of government documents, Islam admitted that the process was not fully documented. "I verbally instructed the documents to be burned," he stated. "Assistant engineers Afzal and Yusuf were present in the trucks during the operation."

Following the incident, Shahidul Islam provided a written order in front of the gathered crowd and took custody of the trucks.

In this regard, Kaunia Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Nur Alam said, "The police were sent to the scene after receiving the information. Later, in the presence of everyone, officials from the Department of Education and Engineering took their documents away after giving them a written order."