Failure to curb land grabbing, extortion an 'ominous sign' for ruling party: TIB

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Wednesday said the failure to rein in land grabbing and extortion was an ‘ominous sign’ for the government and the ruling party, calling for exemplary accountability of those involved and an internal purification drive across the party.

In a statement signed by Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman, the anti-corruption body expressed deep concern over a series of recent incidents, citing credible media reports. 

These include the midnight looting, vandalism and forcible occupation of the Radda MCH-FP health centre in the presence of police; a clash between two factions of the ruling BNP over control of a ‘jalmahal’ (water body) in Kishoreganj that left more than 50 people injured; and the vandalism of a content creator's office.

Describing the Radda MCH incident as ‘an embarrassing precedent’ for the government and the ruling party, Iftekharuzzaman questioned what example party leaders and activists were setting by destroying a charitable institution that had long provided healthcare to poor and vulnerable mothers and children — and doing so in front of police and hundreds of onlookers, under the patronage of a member of parliament from a reserved seat.

Such conduct by the party that came to power through a historic election following the fall of an authoritarian regime in the ‘bloody July uprising’ was sending a negative message to the nation, he said, noting that the arbitrary behaviour of the previous government remained fresh in public memory. 

He asked whether BNP policymakers were weighing the consequences of the ongoing land grabbing and extortion by a section of their members.

TIB said widespread allegations of land grabbing, extortion and attempts to establish dominance have been raised against a section of BNP leaders and activists across the country since August 2024, and their reckless behaviour has become a matter of concern in media, observer and political circles.

Since the fall of the Awami League government, control over extortion and illegal occupation has merely changed hands at various levels — from major bus terminals in Dhaka such as Sayedabad, Mohakhali and Gabtoli, and terminals in Chattogram, Sylhet and Khulna, to footpaths, markets, water bodies, sand quarries, rural markets, cable and internet connections, waste collection businesses, and operations at the upazila and union levels, the statement observed. 

Unhealthy competition and infighting over these activities have, in many instances, escalated into violence.

Iftekharuzzaman noted that while daily, monthly and one-time extortion persists, a government minister has repeatedly described extortion not as ‘corruption’ but as a ‘transaction based on mutual understanding’ — and the government has taken no action over his stance. This, he said, has normalised extortion and illegal occupation.

The Kishoreganj clash and the vandalism of a "Creative Studio" were not isolated incidents but part of a continuing pattern since August 2024, he said, adding that such events tarnish the government's positive initiatives and good intentions.

Unless the ruling party takes effective measures for internal reform, in line with its anti-corruption election pledges, it risks losing the opportunity to curb illegal occupation and extortion in the future, the TIB executive director warned. 

Failure to strictly suppress vested interest groups, he cautioned, could cause the situation to spiral out of control.

While organisational measures — including expulsions — have been taken in response to the misconduct of party leaders and activists, TIB said there remains a lack of strict preventive strategies. 

It also claimed law enforcement agencies are unable to act effectively against offenders because of their direct or indirect links to the ruling party.

The organisation observed that this is paving the way for the re-establishment of a culture of arbitrariness, corruption, irregularities and impunity, for which the government must bear responsibility. 

TIB demanded proper investigation into each incident and exemplary punishment of those involved.