Minister orders DFO to transfer Range Officer within 24 hours

Liberation War Affairs Minister Ahmed Azam Khan has directly instructed the Tangail Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) to remove Boheratol Range Officer Emran Ali within 24 hours. The minister gave this directive over the loudspeaker of his mobile phone in front of the public while visiting the Holudia Chala market in Sakhipur upazila on Sunday afternoon.

Before making the call, the minister told the gathered crowd, "I will rid the forest department of brokers. I will deal with those forest officials who take bribes and file cases against people simply because they didn't get bribes." He angrily added, "I will entangle him (the range officer) in a case first as a bribe-taker."

Speaking to DFO Nazmul Alam over the loudspeaker in front of local residents, the minister said, "There was a tin-roofed shop at Holudia Chala in Sakhipur, Tangail, which is in my constituency. Here, your ranger Emran, in collusion with brokers, had given permission to locals to set up a house after taking money. Perhaps they built the house a bit larger than before. Because your range officer Emran either didn't get enough money or to save his own skin, he demolished that poor man's house. Therefore, first of all, you will transfer this Emran from here within 24 hours. You will do it within 24 hours, this is my request to you."

The minister further stated, "As long as I am an MP, I will not let the people of my area be harassed. I have fought a long movement against this Atia Forest Act. The people of the area have reposed their hopes in me and voted for me. Hence, I will not let anyone fall victim to harassment."

He concluded by saying, "If money is paid, they allow houses and even buildings to be constructed. If money is not paid, they immediately file a case. You will remove that official from here within 24 hours and assign a good person to this responsibility."

When asked for a comment on the matter, accused Range Officer Emran Ali said, "I have carried out the orders of higher authorities. Assistant Conservator of Forests Rana Deb of Tangail led the house demolition drive. We only provided assistance. I have no personal interest here. Wherever I go, I will work to protect the forest." He also dismissed the allegations of bribery and corruption against him as completely false and baseless.

Notably, on the dawn of August 9, the forest department demolished a roughly 60-cubit-long tin-roofed house built by local residents in the Holudia Chala market of Boheratol union. While locals claimed they obtained legal ownership of the land through registered deeds, the forest department maintained that the land falls within reserved forest territory.

Primarily centered around the Atia Forest-82 Ordinance, a long-standing dispute over land ownership has persisted between the forest department and local residents in various areas of Sakhipur. Locals alleged that the house at Holudia Chala market was demolished as a consequence of this ongoing conflict.