Lakshmipur Correspondent:
Lakshmipur was once run by the late mayor and former general secretary of the district Awami League, the brave freedom fighter A Abu Taher. Later, this control passed to former MP of Lakshmipur-2 constituency and district Awami League general secretary Advocate Nuruddin Chowdhury Nayan. From there, he also kept Taher’s family in his hands through kinship. During the last rule of the Awami League, Nayan was able to establish absolute dominance in the entire district.
The administration and party activities of the five upazilas of the district – Lakshmipur Sadar, Raipur, Ramganj, Ramgati and Kamalnagar were under his sole control. Recruitment in various government offices, tenders, transport, extortion at all levels, post and nomination business – everything was under his sole command. Through this, Nayan has built a mountain of wealth. He has huge wealth at home and abroad. It is said that he became the owner of the most money and wealth in Lakshmipur during the past days of the Awami League.
Advocate Nuruddin Chowdhury Nayan has been the general secretary of the district Awami League for the past 10 years. Since then, Nayan has started taking control of the district by showing personal charisma. When the parliamentary membership of Kazi Shahidul Islam Papul of Lakshmipur-2 constituency, who was arrested in Kuwait, was cancelled, Advocate Nuruddin Chowdhury Nayan was elected MP in the by-election held in June 2021. He also became an MP in the 12th National Parliament. Since becoming an MP, Nayan has become more reckless.
After the Awami League government fell in the mass uprising, Nayan and his followers went into hiding. Two cases have also been filed against him in connection with the killings during the August 4 anti-discrimination student movement. Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has decided to investigate various allegations of irregularities and corruption against him. Meanwhile, the organization said that Nayan had shown an annual income of Tk 36,10,290 and assets of Tk 1 crore 40,46,868 in his election affidavit in 2021. Of this, it is known that he has a huge five-story building on 10 percent of the land adjacent to Lakshmipur Women’s College, 40-50 percent of the land in that area, and multiple flats in various places in Dhaka including Dhanmondi. Apart from that, he has a flat in London and a house in Begumpara, Canada.
It is known that he used to get tenders for his own people in exchange for money and used to occupy markets and collect extortion from bus stands through syndicates. Since being elected as a member of parliament, he has become the owner of a large amount of known non-income assets in the names of himself and other people on his side and his dependents by exercising political influence in various development works and influencing the appointment of educational institutions. In all, the investigation by the ACC’s intelligence agency has found assets several times more than the details of his declared assets.
Who is Nayan? He started his political career through the Chhatra League. From 1978 to 1980, he served as the president of Lakshmipur Adarsh ​​Samad High School Chhatra League. From 1980 to 1983, he served as the president of Lakshmipur Municipality Chhatra League, from 1983 to 1986, he served as the president of Sadar Upazila Chhatra League, and from 1986 to 1988, he served as the president of District Chhatra League. After finishing Chhatra League politics, this leader made a surprise by joining the Awami League in 1988. He served as the general secretary of Lakshmipur Municipality Awami League from 1988 to 1994, the general secretary of Lakshmipur Upazila Awami League from 1994 to 2003, and the president of Lakshmipur Sadar Upazila Awami League from 2003 to 2015. After that, Nayan has been serving as the general secretary of Lakshmipur District Awami League for two consecutive terms from 2015 to now.
Businessman Kazi Shahid Islam Papul created a stir by being elected as an independent MP from Lakshmipur-2 constituency in the 11th National Parliament election. He made headlines for various negative news. Later, Papul was arrested in Kuwait for human trafficking and imprisoned for seven years, and lost his parliamentary membership. Awami League leaders alleged that this advocate Nayan was behind Papul’s candidacy and victory. For this, he took 5 crore taka from Papul. When Papul was imprisoned in Kuwait, the door to Nayan becoming an MP opened. Although Papul’s wife Kazi Selina Islam was a candidate in the by-election, Nayan’s supporters did not allow her to enter the field to campaign.
He was the best in the recruitment business, and since he was able to establish dominance in the area, he controlled the recruitment business even before becoming an MP. It has been alleged that Nayan used to receive a part of the money taken from job seekers. Some teachers and health workers said that they paid 10 to 15 lakh taka for the job. Some others also had to pay.
To get a job in an educational institution, a candidate had to pay a minimum of 5 to 10 lakh taka. 10-12 unknown rickshaw drivers said that 15,000 CNG-powered auto-rickshaws ply in the district. Each auto-rickshaw had to pay a fee of 4-5 thousand taka before entering the road. In addition, each auto-rickshaw had to pay a fee of 300 taka every month. It is alleged that Coolie Chowdhury was the mastermind behind this extortion. He was known as Nayan’s ‘cashier’ and a large part of the fee went to his treasury. About 18-20 crore taka was extorted annually in this sector. All the misdeeds were planned in the office called ‘Jalsa Ghar’ of Raipur Municipal Awami League President Kazi Jamshed Kabir Baki Billah, who is known as Nayan’s right-hand man. He used to regularly pay crores of taka to Nayan. Along with this, he also became the owner of hundreds of crores of taka.
In the last upazila elections, Nayan used fake votes to win over his brother-in-law, who helped his brother-in-law, Professor Mamunur Rashid, win. Not only that, when the district correspondent of Dainik Ganajagaran newspaper informed him about the illegal voting at the polling station, he was ambushed by the leaders of Chhatra League and Jubo League on the orders of Nayan and Baki Billah. In his speech at the public meeting, Baki Billah said, “Noyan Bhai’s voice is not heard, there is bleeding inside, everything goes up in smoke when Nayan MP gives a sign.”
After August 5, Baki Billah also fled to London. Chhatra League and Jubo League are on the run. Nomination Trade Some public representatives said that MP Nayan used to determine the candidates for the five upazila parishads, 58 union parishads chairman-members, and mayor and councilors in four municipalities of the district. This nomination was given in exchange for money. At least 50 lakh taka had to be paid to get the boat symbol in the UP or upazila. Nayan and Baki Billah have taken journalists hostage on social media. According to information from Abdur Rashid Mollah, an independent candidate for the post of chairman of Dakshin Charbangshi UP in Raipur Upazila in the 2021 UP elections, he did not get the Awami League nomination because he did not pay much money. It is alleged that Nayan later submitted his candidacy for the boat with 50 lakh taka. Kinship in the party and Taher’s family: Nayan also kept Abu Taher’s family with him while establishing his dominance. Taher’s middle son, the recently removed chairman of the Sadar Upazila Parishad and former president of the district Jubo League, AKM Salauddin Tipur, controlled all the extortion and tender business in Sadar Upazila. Tipu is his wife’s cousin. As such, Tipu is Nayan’s brother-in-law. They became each other’s accomplices in all irregularities due to kinship. Tipu is also currently absconding after the fall of the government.
Raipur Upazila Awami League President and ousted Upazila Parishad Chairman Mamunur Rashid is Nayan’s brother-in-law. Harunur Rashid, Youth and Sports Secretary of the Awami League Central Committee, is Nayan’s sister-in-law. Nayan’s maternal uncle Humayun Kabir Patwari is Sadar Upazila Awami League President and Charruhita UP Chairman. Raipur Upazila Awami League Organizing Secretary and 10th Raipur UP Chairman Shafiul Azam Chowdhury (Sumon) is Nayan’s younger brother-in-law. Through these relatives, Nayan had control over everything at the district, upazila and union levels.
The top terrorist Tanvir Haider Rinku was the armed cadre of Nayan’s Raipur section. Rinku is one of the accused in the murder of Laxmipur District BNP Organizing Secretary and former PP Advocate Nurul Islam on September 18, 2000, which stirred up the country. He controlled the buses and CNG stands in Raipur. He was also responsible for the distribution of municipal tenders and leases. Through this Rinku, Nayan received crores of taka every month. Rinku himself became the owner of hundreds of crores of taka. There are countless allegations of her husband’s influence against another associate of Nayan, Nayan’s wife, District Awami League leader Lubna Chowdhury. With the power of her power, she was made the president of the governing committee of Raipur Women’s College.
There are several cases against Nayan, including murder. There are also allegations of Nayan’s involvement in the murder of former district Jubo League general secretary Abdullah Al Noman and former district Chhatra League organizing secretary Rakib Imam in Lakshmipur in 2022. Advocate Nuruddin Chowdhury Nayan went into hiding immediately after the fall of the government. Due to this, it was not possible to get his statement on these allegations.
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