Court summons food secretary, DC, 8 others

The wheat was imported by Hazi Mustaq Ahmed, owner of Sonia Enterprise of Syedpur, from India.

The eight others are Additional District Magistrate and Assistant Police Superintendent (Syedpur circle), Syedpur UNO, customs superintendent, food inspector, manager of Sydpur Islami Bank, proprietor of C&F agent Shoshi Enterprise and the Indian exporting farm LMJ International of Punjab.

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The court order followed filing of a case against them by the importer on October 10.

In the case, Hazi Mustaq alleged that he had imported good quality wheat from India and he has all relevant papers. He claimed that after entering Bangladesh the goods got customs clearance.

But a good quantity of the wheat was found rotten. For this, the Indian exporter is responsible. He also urged the authorities concerned to stop payment to the Indian exporter against the wheat.

Earlier, on September 19, the officer-in-charge of Syedpur thana, at the directive of the district administration, filed a case against the importer and the C&F agent-- Shashi Enterprise.

The case was filed after a five-member probe body headed by Additional District Magistrate Nitai Pada Shaha after investigation found 54 per cent of the rotten wheat uneatable. But Hazi Mustaqe got bail in the case from High Court on October 6.

Mentionably, Syedpur police on September 12 seized a huge quantity of imported rotten Indian wheat from Syedpur Railway station goods yard. This was part of Hazi Mustaq's imported consignment of 2020 tonnes. Part of the consignment was unloaded by the importer before police seized the rotten wheat.