Conflict with Upazila Chairman

UNO confined to office, 'forced' to apologise

22 October 2009, 17:00 PM

Our Correspondent, Thakurgaon

Hundreds of people confined the upazila nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Atwary upazila in Panchagarh to his office for four and a half hours yesterday protesting his alleged move to lock the upazila chairman's office room and his motor garage. The agitators also vandalised the furniture of the UNO's office and demanded his removal 'in 24 hours.' Sources said the UNO was 'forced' to apologise for his conduct and freed. Joint secretary of upazila Awami League Sajjad Selim and officer-in-charge (OC) of Atwary Police Station Md Monzur Hossain told this correspondent over cellphone that the supporters of upazila chairman Touhidul Islam, also general secretary of Awami League (AL) upazila unit confined UNO Rashedul Hasan to his office from 12:30pm to 5:00pm. Contacted, the UNO said the incident took place when a meeting was on at his office where OC of Atwary Police Station, fisheries officer Ohiduzzaman and some others were present. All of a sudden, the supporters of the chairman besieged the office and vandalised doors, windows and furniture. "They also tried to assault me," he said. The UNO said he shut the motor garage as per government rule but denied putting the chairman's room under lock and key. He said the upazila conference room is needed everyday for different purposes including meetings but it is now being used as chairman's office. He said the upazila chairman's quarters was repaired recently at a cost of Tk 4 lakh. The chairman and vice-chairman are supposed to sit there. A letter was issued to the chairman to leave the UNO office but he ignored, the UNO said. He pointed out that Tk1.5 lakh was also sanctioned for his office furniture. Contacted, Touhidul told this correspondent that he had been using the jeep of upazila office since his takeover as chairman. "Last night I came out of the upazila office at 9:00pm. Dropping me at my home, my driver kept the vehicle at the office at about 10:00pm. Sometime after that the chairman's office and motor garage were locked as per UNO's order". Sources said, when the chairman came to his office yesterday morning, he found the office and garage locked. He went to the UNO to know the reason and the UNO replied that he seized the vehicle as per government rules. The chairman said, on hearing the news, people from different areas of the upazila crowded the office premises and staged demonstration and confined the UNO to his office. He, however, denied ransacking of the UNO's office. On information, lawmaker of Panchagarh-1 constituency Mozaharul Haque Prodhan, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Zahurul Haque, Additional Deputy Commissi-oner (Revenue) Nazrul Islam and other officials of the district administration rushed to the spot. At about 4:00pm, the lawmaker and district administration officials held a meeting at the UNO office. Following an hour-long meeting, the lawmaker told the agitators that the UNO would be transferred soon. Touhidul told people that the UNO apologised to him and the lawmaker for the incident. At this, the agitators freed the UNO at about 5:00pm.