The villagers of Mahasthangarh at Shibganj upazila in Bogura alleged the officials of Department of Archeology are harassing innocent people by filing false cases.
The villagers raised the allegation at a press conference organised at Master Para in Mahasthangarh on Sunday morning. Local businessman and president of Disability School Sahinur Rahman read out written statement.
He said that the average land size in the Mahasthangarh village is 750.93 acres. In the meantime, the individual owns 586.11 acres in ownership; 102.73 acres are local Mazar mosque and the rest 62.09 acres land in the Directorate of Archeology. Individual-owned properties have been living in peaceful and uninterrupted ways by building houses on CS, MRR and RS origin. Many institutions including school, college, madrasa have been established in Mahasthangarh Mouza. The Department of Archeology is hindering the construction of infrastructure for the last few years although the people of the have been living here hundred years ago, he alleged.
A writ petition was filed with the High Court by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh in 2010, focusing on construction work adjacent to the mosque area of Mahasthangarh. In the case, only archaeological sites have been ordered to excavate or stop construction work, but some unscrupulous officials of the archaeological department did not follow the directions of the High Court. They are harassing the people of the village to use police in the construction of infrastructure, digging graves, drainage and irrigation work everywhere. The Department of Archeology is trying to acquire more land in hopes of gaining unfairness, he added.
It was said at the press conference that the people of Mahasthangarh never wish that the property was destroyed by anyone.
Chairman of Raynagar UP Md Shafiqul Islam Shafi, UP Member Alauddin, former UP Member Ashaltuzzaman, Mosharraf Hossain, Belayet Hossain Bablu, Sufi Alam Master, Akkas Ali, Muktar and others were present at the press conference.