Press Conference Protesting Fish Theft in Mujibnagar's Padma Beel

Ulfat Sheikh and his associates from Taranagar village in Mujibnagar Upazila, Meherpur, held a press conference protesting the theft of fish from Padma Beel and demanding redress.

The press conference took place on Wednesday, June 5, near the beel. It detailed the issues of land ownership and fish theft. On behalf of fish farmer Ulfat Sheikh, Khairul Islam, also known as Ita, read the written statement.

According to the statement, Ulfat Sheikh and several others received a permanent lease from the government for 16.70 acres of khas land in Padma Beel. However, due to an error during the RS record-keeping process, this land was mistakenly recorded under government ownership. Upon discovering this, they approached various authorities for correction, who assured them that the matter would be resolved. Ulfat Sheikh and about 15 others then began fish farming on 105 bighas of their leased land. 

In 2020, the fish farmers were shocked to see a local newspaper advertisement from the Mujibnagar Upazila Executive Officer’s office about leasing Padma Beel. Forced to seek legal recourse, they filed a case, and the High Court eventually stayed the leasing process. Since then, everyone has been farming fish in the beel and paying dues according to their share of the land. 

However, problems arose around the last parliamentary elections. Between January 7 and April 11 of this year, Arif and his associates from Taranagar village stole fish worth 3 million BDT on multiple occasions. Despite informing the Mujibnagar Upazila Executive Officer and filing two complaints with Mujibnagar Police Station, no action was taken. Consequently, they filed a case in the Meherpur District Court. Furthermore, on May 31 and June 1, Arif and his associates used political influence to steal another 400,000 to 500,000 BDT worth of fish.

The press conference also claimed that the thefts were carried out under the name of an influential member of the ruling party. They appealed to the Honorable Minister of Public Administration for intervention.

Ulfat Sheikh and his associates were present at the press conference.