Last week, the High Court ruled against the governmentโs inaction to stop the mindless extraction of white stones from the rivers and banks of Shada Pathor and other restricted areas of the Sylhet region. Within a few hours, the government filed the first case against 1,500 unidentified people involved in the crime, despite the names of patrons being exposed in the media over five months ago.
The festival of looting, however, began after the fall of the Awami League government last year, with the patrons and traders demanding a withdrawal of the ban on stone extraction. They also managed to get a fatwa issued by a top cleric, Shyakh-e-Chormonai Faizul Karim, who professed that water flow is obstructed during flash floods if stone is not extracted from the riverbed. From a press conference in September, he also threatened to tag the interim administration as subservient to India if the permission was not granted.
Finally, in June, Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hassan admitted to having failed in protecting the natural resource, whereas the ban on stone extraction had been enforced strictly during the Awami League government.
White Stone Scandal: Case filed against 1,500 unnamed persons
In a ruling on August 14, the apex court also ordered the local administration to bring back looted white stones to their original places within seven days, submit a list of the looters and form a high-power committee led by an expert from BUET to investigate the extent of financial and environmental damage caused by the stone extraction.
At this, the local authorities started seizing stone-laden trucks and carrying out mobile courts in the stone crushing stations. Videos of some workers throwing stones into a river from boats created fun among the netizens.
A few days later, the government replaced the deputy commissioner of Sylhet with a well-known magistrate working with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Sarwar Alam.
On the other hand, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) became active all of a sudden and submitted to the government a list of 42 people, mostly politicians and other influencers, who were allegedly found to be gobbling white stones worth thousands of crores after a visit to the quarries on August 13. Of the identified culprits, 21 are from the BNP (one expelled leader), two from Jamaat-e-Islami, two from the National Citizen Party (NCP), and seven from the Awami League (party programs banned).
On August 13, a five-member delegation led by Rafi Md. Nazmus Sadat, Deputy Director of the ACC Sylhet Integrated District Office, conducted the operation. He later sent a report to the headquarters, which was made public on August 20.
In response to a writ petition by Supreme Court lawyer and chief of the Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh, Manzill Murshid, the High Court bench of Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque and Justice Ainun Nahar issued the rule. It asked the Environment Secretary, Sylhet Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police, BGB, RAB and local administration as to why the looting of white stones in Bholaganj and the inaction of the administration will not be declared illegal and unlawful, along with why an order to preserve the area will not be issued.
In addition, the apex court also sought to know whether the area will be declared an ecologically critical area according to Section 5 of the Environment Act and why an order to collect compensation from those who have damaged the environment by looting stones will not be issued.
Admin, police, BGB complicit in crime
Even though the ACC, media and online activists have been castigating the politicians for the white stone scandal, no one dares to point fingers at the local administration which allowed the looting to continue for many months.
During the visit, the ACC enforcement team spoke to people, including tourists and businessmen, in the Shada Pathor area. They found out that the deputy commissioner, UNO, Assistant Commissioner (Land), and the Union Land Assistant Officer receive commissions from the illegal stone trade.
The local administration receives a commission of Tk5,000 from each truck and Tk500 from each boat.
The ACC found out that the commission share is distributed to the district and upazila administrations through specific sources and employees of the land office and upazila administration.
Meanwhile, the police collect a toll of Tk5,000 from each truck, while over Tk80,000 more is divided among the stone miners and politicians. The policeโs commission money is received by the SP, Circle ASP, OC and some other police officers. In addition, Tk500 is collected as police commission from each boat used for illegal stone mining. The police collect this amount from each truck and boat through their sources.
The ACC report mentioned that there are three BGB camps/posts in the Shada Pathor area. The ACC says that the distance from these camps to Shada Pathor is less than 500 meters.
Despite such a short distance, illegal stone miners were able to loot the stones very easily due to the financial benefits and inaction of BGB members, including Company Commander Iqbal Hossain.
When contacted, Lieutenant Colonel Nazmul Haque, commander of the 48th BGB Battalion, told Prothom Alo: “There is no truth to this information (the ACC information). It is false. I don’t know on what basis such a thing was said.”
Despite the massive looting, the Bureau of Mineral Development (BMD) did not take any effective measures to prevent the menace. The BMD has the authority to identify those involved in illegal activities, inform the local administration and take legal action against the guilty. However, they did not do so.
BMD Director General MD. Anwarul Habib filed a case under Section 4(2) of the Mines and Minerals (Control and Development) Act 1992 and Rule 93 (1) of the Mining and Mineral Rules of 2012 at the Companiganj police station secretly on August 15, accusing 1,500 unknown people.
New DC creates a stir
On the first day of assuming office, newly appointed Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Sarwar Alam went to Companiganj Upazila in the afternoon along with some administration officials and the new executive officer of the upazila.
On his way back, he seized illegal stone stocks from Uncle-Nephew Stone Crusher, Al Karim Stone Crusher and another unnamed stone crusher in the Tukergaon area of โโthe upazila.
During the operation, he threatened dire consequences if anyone moved even a single stone from the seized trucks. โIf the trucks are moved from here, then wherever they go to the Bangladesh border, I will seize the truck and catch the criminals.”
BNP, NCP, Jamaat claim innocence
The ACC list mentioned that 42 politicians, stone traders and local influential people were found to be directly and indirectly involved in the stone looting.
The names of the political party leaders include Metropolitan BNP Acting President Rezaul Hasan Qays Lodi, General Secretary Imdad Hossain Chowdhury, and Metropolitan Jamaat Amir Md. Fakhrul Islam, District Jamaat Secretary Joynal Abedin, NCP District Chief Coordinator Nazim Uddin, Metropolitan Chief Coordinator Abu Sadek Mohammad Khairul Islam Chowdhury, and Companiganj Upazila BNP President (post suspended) Sahab Uddin.
Apart from this, the names of stone traders include Companiganj Upazila BNP member Haji Kamal, former Upazila Sramik Dal president Lal Mia, Upazila Jubo Dal convener Sajjad Hossain alias Dudu, District Jubo Dal joint general secretary Rubel Ahmed Bahar and associate organising secretary Mustaqin Ahmed Farhad, Awami League activists Bilal Mia, Shahabuddin and Gias Uddin.
Others on the list are former Upazila BNP office secretary Dulal Mia alias Dula, Upazila Jubo Dal joint convener Rajan Mia, Jubo Dal leader Jasim Uddin and his brother Sajan Mia, Upazila BNP activists Zakir Hossain, members Mozafar Ali and Manik Mia, Awami League activists Monir Mia (recently arrested in another case), Habil Mia and Saidur Rahman, Upazila Awami League vice-president Abdul Odud Alfu, District Jubo Dal general secretary Mohammad Maksud Ahmed, District BNP joint general secretary (post suspended) Rafiqul Islam alias Shahparan and expelled treasurer Shah Alam Swapan, expelled District Jubo Dal co-organizing secretary Abul Kashem, and Gowainghat East Jaflong Union BNP president Amjad Baksh. During the operation, the ACC found that the above-mentioned 31 political leaders, by displaying their influence and prestige, illegally looted state assets, including white stones, in collusion with the local administration, using thousands of workers. They benefited financially from this.
In addition to these 31 people, 11 more people in the ‘other’ category have been accused of involvement. They are Anar Ali, Usman Khan, Iqbal Hossain Arif, Delwar Hossain Jibon, Arjan Mia, Zakir, Ali Akbar, Ali Abbas, Md. Jewel, Alamgir Alam, Chairman of Purba Islampur No. 2 Union in Companiganj, and Mukarram Ahmed, a teacher at Jamia Islamia Hosainia Madrasa in Mirboxtula area of โโSylhet city.
The ACC report said that information has been found about the involvement of several journalists and people from other professions who were involved in looting white stones and were beneficiaries. However, their names are not on the list.
After the ACC report was made public, Metropolitan BNP Acting President Rezaul Hasan Kayes Lodi and General Secretary Imdad Hossain Chowdhury held an emergency press conference on Wednesday afternoon to explain their position. They falsely claimed that the matter was false and said, “We challenge you, there is no question of any direct or indirect involvement in this misdeed.”
Metropolitan Jamaat Amir Fakhrul Islam and District Jamaat Secretary Joynal Abedin told Prothom Alo that there is a conspiracy to destroy their image. The real truth is being hidden in this. The real culprits need to be brought before the nation through a transparent investigation. Those who are spreading lies are deplorable.
Meanwhile, NCP District Chief Coordinator Nazim Uddin and Metropolitan Chief Coordinator Abu Sadeq Mohammad Khairul Islam Chowdhury denied the allegations against them. They said that they did not have the slightest involvement in the looting of white stones. It is misleading and damaging to their reputation.
Even though the matter of looting came to light in the media in March, especially when the daily Prothom Alo reported the plunder, it became a talk of the town on August 11 when the BNP suspended all the party posts of Companiganj Upazila President Sahab Uddin.
A notice signed by the partyโs Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that, based on clear allegations of involvement in unethical activities against the principles and ideals of the BNP, including extortion and encroachment, all posts held by Sahab Uddin have been suspended.
Islamists ligitimise looting
The Awami League government banned the extraction of white stones in 2020. But after the August 5 changeover, the leaders of BNP and its allied organisations and other parties took control of the quarry.
The main patron behind the looting is Abul Muqtadir, an adviser to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, said sources.
Thousands of workers started extracting stones under their patronage. These stones were sold to crusher machine owners in barges and steel boats. Later, the stones were broken into small pieces by machines and supplied to traders. The traders sent the stones to different parts of the country in trucks and pickups.
Environment Adviser Syeda Rezwana Hasanโs husband, Abu Bakar Siddique, also emerged as one of the patrons of the looting. Siddique is campaigning in the area for the next general election.
On September 15, 2024, the Senior Nayeb Ameer of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Mufti Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim (Shaykh-e-Chormonai), exchanged views with the stone tradersโ ownersโ association and workersโ representatives, on the demand for โactivating the stone quarry in Sylhet.โ
He said that environmental damage due to stone quarrying is not an issue, but it is an Indian conspiracy to prevent stone quarrying.
โStone quarrying has been going on since the British era. In 2019, Sheikh Hasina stopped stone quarrying to please India. This is an Indian conspiracy so that they can export their stone.
โLow-quality stone worth $5 million is imported from India every year. But we cannot collect our stones.โ
He claimed that extracting stones from the river does not destroy the environment. Rather, the environment is being destroyed due to the ban. Rivers are being filled, and floods are occurring. Water cannot drain quickly due to the stones.
He added that there is a conspiracy to flood the country and kill the people.
โWe call on the interim government not to stop the extraction of our property in the name of preserving the environment. Allow the extraction of stones soon. If you do not withdraw the ban, we will understand that you have succumbed to Indian pressure.โ
He added that stone imports from India must be stopped. โIt will strengthen the economy and create employment.โ
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