BNP Leader Detained in Rangamati Over Relief Rice Embezzlement Allegations

A local Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) official was taken into custody by law enforcement in Rangamati’s Kaptai upazila following intense public outrage over allegations of selling relief rice meant for flood victims.

The detainee, identified as Abul Hasem Member, is the acting president of the Chandraghona Union BNP and a former member of the local Union Parishad. He was intercepted by angered residents on Thursday afternoon in the Refugee Para area under Raikhali Union before being handed over to the police.

According to local accounts and police reports, residents caught Hasem attempting to covertly sell relief food supplies to local shopkeepers rather than distributing the goods among victims hit by recent flooding in the region. Enraged by the alleged diversion, locals surrounded the politician, blocked his vehicle, and immediately alerted law enforcement authorities.

Upon receiving the report, a team from Chandraghona Police Station arrived at the scene and took Hasem into protective custody alongside his driver, Chayan Barua, 40. Police also seized a local four-wheel-drive vehicle, known locally as a Chander Gari (registration Dhaka-Metro-G-06-0030), along with two sacks of relief rice found inside the vehicle.

S.M. Saker, Officer-in-Charge of Chandraghona Police Station, confirmed the detention to reporters on Thursday evening. He stated that local residents claimed to have caught the BNP leader red-handed while he was attempting to sell the relief goods. The police chief added that senior party leaders had been notified of the incident and that appropriate legal proceedings were underway to investigate the matter thoroughly.

Refuting the allegations, Kaptai Upazila BNP President Lokman Ahmed described the situation as a misunderstanding. He claimed that relief rice received from the District Council had already been properly distributed to flood victims. According to Ahmed, the two sacks seized by police were given to the vehicle driver as payment for transport services, rather than being diverted for illegal sale. He stated that party leadership was coordinating with police to clear up the matter.

The incident highlights growing tension and scrutiny over relief distribution mechanisms in flood-affected regions across Chittagong Hill Tracts, where local authorities and political figures face heightened public pressure to ensure aid reaches vulnerable communities without corruption or mismanagement.