Locals and contractors held a human chain and protest meeting in Pabna's Chatmohar Municipality to demand action against alleged corruption and irregularities by two municipal engineers.
Organized by the Chatmohar Citizens Committee, the hour-long protest took place at the main gate of the Upazila Parishad at noon on Monday (June 8). Following the human chain, demonstrators marched around the Upazila Parishad premises.
Protesters accused Chatmohar Municipality's Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Assistant Engineer Rafiul Bari, alongside Deputy Assistant Engineer Abdul Aziz, of widespread corruption. They alleged the officials have embezzled hundreds of thousands of taka using fake bill vouchers, and demanded a formal investigation.
The immediate controversy centers around a recent municipal tender worth over Tk 37 lakh. According to the protesters, local firm Eham Construction initially won the tender lottery. However, they allege Assistant Engineer Bari demanded a substantial bribe to issue the final work order. When the contractor refused to pay, Bari allegedly canceled the initial results and held a new lottery, awarding the contract to a local Awami League leader in exchange for money.
Key speakers at the protest included Md. Rafiqul Islam, owner of Eham Construction; BNP leader Anwar Hossain Masum; and Upazila Sramik Dal President Montaz Ahmed. They demanded the immediate reinstatement of Eham Construction's work order and strict administrative action against the accused officials.
When contacted by the media, Acting CEO Rafiul Bari denied all allegations.
"There was no previous lottery, and no winner's letter was issued to anyone. Only one lottery has been held," Bari stated. He further claimed that Eham Construction failed to secure the bid because their submitted documents were invalid, maintaining that the process was entirely transparent.
