A Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader has been accused of demanding Tk 50,000 from a union parishad member and assaulting him after he refused to pay in Raiganj upazila, Sirajganj district.
The alleged incident took place on Monday afternoon, 26 October, inside the chairman’s office at Sonakhara Union Parishad. The victim, Sarowar Hossain Akand, a member representing Ward No. 4, later lodged a written complaint with the police, seeking justice over the alleged demand for money and physical assault.
The accused, 56-year-old Sirajul Islam Tota, is the senior vice-president of the Raiganj Thana unit of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, the BNP’s labour wing, and a former joint general secretary of the Sonakhara Union BNP. He is the son of Osman Ali and comes from Srirampur village in the union.
According to the complaint, Sarowar Hossain constructed a culvert under a development assistance project during the 2025–26 financial year. The project had an allocation of Tk 165,000. Tota allegedly demanded Tk 50,000 from the payment due for the work.
The complaint states that the dispute escalated when Sarowar refused to meet the demand. On the afternoon of the incident, Tota allegedly entered the union parishad chairman’s office and began verbally abusing the elected representative. When Sarowar protested, the accused reportedly became angry and demanded Tk 50,000 in cash immediately.
After Sarowar refused again, Tota allegedly punched and beat him repeatedly. Local people subsequently intervened and helped the union parishad member escape further violence. However, according to the complaint, Tota then pushed him out of the union parishad premises by the neck.
Speaking about the incident, Sarowar Hossain Akand said he had completed the culvert construction using his own money. He alleged that he had been unable to receive the project payment because he refused to hand over Tk 50,000 to the BNP leader.
He also claimed that the union parishad secretary had already prepared the payment cheque but had been instructed not to hand it over until the demanded amount was paid. Sarowar called for a fair investigation and appropriate action against those responsible.
Tota, however, denied demanding extortion money. He said local BNP leaders had taken responsibility for resolving the dispute arising from the incident at the union parishad and expressed confidence that the matter would be settled.
Abdul Jabbar, panel chairman of Sonakhara Union Parishad, said he had witnessed the incident. Describing it as deeply regrettable, he confirmed that the confrontation had taken place in his presence.
Raiganj Police Station officer-in-charge Ahsanuzzaman confirmed receipt of the written complaint. He said legal action would be taken if an investigation established the allegations to be true.
Abdul Khaleque Patuary, the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO), or chief executive of the sub-district administration, said the incident would be investigated and the necessary measures taken promptly.
The allegations centre on a publicly funded development project and a reported dispute over the release of its payment. If substantiated, the claims would raise serious concerns about the handling of public project funds and the treatment of elected local representatives. However, the allegations against Tota have not yet been established, and he has denied demanding money. The police investigation and the administrative inquiry are expected to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine whether further action is warranted.
