State suffers loss by buying ‘Rose Garden’ for Tk332 crore: ACC

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has started an investigation into allegations of financial loss by purchasing the Rose Garden, the ‘birthplace’ of the Awami League, at a cost of Tk332 crore from the state.

ACC Head Office Public Relations Department Deputy Director Md. Akhtarul Islam shared this information on Wednesday.

In 1931, businessman Rishikesh Das built the Rose Garden Palace on about 22 bighas of land in Tikatuli of Dhaka. Later in 1936, he sold it to book merchant Khan Bahadur Maulvi Kazi Abdur Rashid. After taking ownership of the palace, Rashid established a library there, which played an important role in literary culture in Dhaka at that time.

The East Pakistan Awami Muslim League was established in this palace on June 23, 1949, and in 2018, the then Awami League government purchased this building, associated with their party's history, for about Tk332 crore, causing a huge loss to the state, the ACC said.