Allegations Arise Over Union Names In Bogura District

Allegations have emerged in Bogura involving Mir Shahe Alam, the State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for the Bogura-2 (Shibganj) constituency. It is alleged that a newly formed union in the Shibganj Upazila of Bogura has been named ‘Mirbari Union’ after his ancestral residence, which is known as ‘Mirbari’. Furthermore, additional allegations suggest that two new unions within the Mokamtala Upazila have been named ‘Simanta Union’ and ‘Diganta Union’ after his two sons, Mir Shakrul Alam Simanta and Mir Saklain Alam Diganta.

The controversy began following the issuance of an official government gazette notification on Sunday, 14 June 2026. This notification formally established four new unions across Shibganj Upazila and the newly declared Mokamtala Upazila in Bogura. According to the published gazette, the new union established in Shibganj Upazila has been officially named ‘Mirbari Union’. Meanwhile, the three newly created unions in the newly declared Mokamtala Upazila have been named ‘Simanta Union’, ‘Diganta Union’, and ‘Swarnagram Union’. The publication of these names immediately triggered substantial criticism and debate regarding the selection process.

The issue was subsequently raised during a parliamentary session on Monday, 15 June 2026, where the State Minister for Local Government, Mir Shahe Alam, provided an official clarification. Shafiqul Islam Masud, a Member of Parliament representing Jamaat-e-Islami, questioned the minister directly during the session. Masud stated that several new unions had been created across two upazilas within the State Minister’s constituency. He alleged that one union was named after the minister’s family or the Mir lineage, whilst two other unions, Diganta and Simanta, were named after his two children.

In response to these allegations, State Minister Shahe Alam offered a personal explanation in parliament under Rule 274. He stated that Syedpur and Deuli, two existing unions in his constituency near Mokamtala, were previously very large in terms of geographic area. He explained that the local administration, including the Upazila Nirbahi Officer and the District Commissioner, conducted verifications and public hearings before finalising the restructuring. According to the minister, because the Syedpur Union shares a boundary with Gabtoli and Sonatala, the local administration decided to name the new section ‘Simanta Union’ to reflect its location on the border, aligning it with the geographical context of Syedpur.

Regarding the second territory, the State Minister explained that it was part of the original Deuli Union, which is located a significant distance away, close to the Gaibandha border. He maintained that based on administrative assessments and public hearings, the local administration selected the name ‘Diganta Union’ for this area. During his speech, he cited various examples of other locations across Bangladesh that already bear the names Simanta and Diganta. Addressing the Jamaat-e-Islami MP, Shahe Alam questioned why his children’s names were linked to the decision, noting that such names are common throughout the country. He remarked that whilst the names coincidentally match those of his sons, Mir Simanta and Mir Diganta, there was no intention to name the unions after them. He pointed out that if such an intention had existed, he would have instructed the administration to include the family name ‘Mir’ before Simanta and Diganta, which is completely absent from the official union names.

Prior to the parliamentary discussion, Monira Sharmin, the convener of Jatiya Nari Shakti, which is the women’s wing of the National Citizen Party (NCP), criticised the minister on social media. In a Facebook post published on Monday, she referred to the State Minister as the “new landlord of Bogura”, claiming that union council names were being altered to reflect ancestral and familial names.

Providing further details on the administrative process, the Shibganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), Ziaur Rahman, stated that the initiative to restructure the administrative framework and create four new unions was taken after receiving a Demi-Official (DO) letter from State Minister Mir Shahe Alam. The UNO noted that public hearings were conducted to gather the opinions of local residents before the names were finalised. He confirmed that Deuli Union in Mokamtala Upazila was divided into two entities, resulting in the name ‘Diganta Union’ to maintain consistency with the original Deuli name. He also confirmed that Syedpur Union was divided to create ‘Simanta Union’ due to its position on the border of Sonatala and Gabtoli upazilas. However, the UNO declined to comment on the specific naming of ‘Mirbari’ Union.

Additionally, the District Commissioner (DC) of Bogura, Mohammad Towfikur Rahman, informed the media that the gazette was published following the formation of one new union parishad in Shibganj Upazila and three in Mokamtala Upazila as part of administrative reorganization. The DC clarified that the proposals for the names originated entirely from the Upazila administration. He stated that the district administration has no authority to intervene if a proposal for a new union name based on an individual or a lineage is submitted directly by the Upazila administration.