AL men confine UNO to room, threaten removal

29 June 2009, 17:00 PM

Our Correspondent, Dinajpur

Senior Awami League (AL) leaders of Birganj upazila, including a former MP, yesterday confined upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) to a room for an hour as he declined to give them 'personal benefits' from test relief (TR) and Food for Work (FFW) Programme. The leaders also threatened UNO Md Hasan Maroof to punish with stand release if he does not act as per their directives, said a source at the UNO office. Sources said about 20 to 25 AL leaders, including upazila unit AL President Zakaria Zaka, General Secretary Nur Islam Nur, senior AL leader Azizul Haque and former MP Abdul Haque Sabuj, went to the UNO office at 10.00am. The leaders asked the UNO to come to his office over cellphone, as he was not present at his office. When the UNO approached them at his office, the AL leaders confined him to a room of the UNO office for an hour and asked him to act according to their directives. As the UNO remained rigid on his decision, the AL men left the office chanting slogans. They later brought out a procession demanding his removal within seven days. Earlier on Sunday, some AL leaders, including upazila unit Information and Research Secretary Ratan Ghosh Pijush, went to the UNO office and asked him to give personal benefits from TR and FFW programme. The UNO declined to give the benefits, saying that he would go through the official procedures. While contacted, upazila AL President Zakaria Zaka admitted the fact and said they will submit a memorandum to the deputy commissioner (DC) demanding removal of the UNO “ We will go for a greater movement it the UNO is not removed within the next seven days,”Zakaria said.