The army has detained Faridul Haque Shahin Sikder, lessee of a cattle market in Bhurungamari, Kurigram, over allegations that he was collecting more than the permitted toll from buyers and sellers. He is a former general secretary of the Bhurungamari upazila BNP and a former chairman of Tilai union parishad.

An army patrol handed him over to Bhurungamari police station on the evening of Saturday (31 May). On Sunday (1 June) an extortion case was filed against him and he was sent to Kurigram jail.

According to police, a regular patrol from the Kurigram army camp visited the Bhurungamari cattle and goat market on Saturday. Local people there complained that the lessee was collecting more than the government-set toll. The patrol commander observed the market, checked the receipts and found the allegation to be true, and the patrol detained Faridul Haque Shahin Sikder as the market's lessee.

Al Helal Mahmud, officer-in-charge (OC) of Bhurungamari police station, said the lessee was first detained for collecting more than the government-set fee. He was shown arrested after an official of the land office filed an extortion case as plaintiff, and was sent to court in Kurigram on Sunday afternoon.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.