BNP MP Orders Police to Beat Up Titas Gas Officials

A senior lawmaker from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has caused widespread astonishment by publicly instructing police officers to physically assault officials from Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company over rampant illegal gas connections in his constituency.

Azharul Islam Mannan, the Member of Parliament for the Narayanganj-3 constituency (covering Sonargaon and Siddhirganj), made the controversial remarks on Sunday afternoon during the monthly law and order committee meeting held at the Narayanganj District Collectorate conference room. Chaired by District Commissioner Raihan Kabir, the high-level meeting was attended by Narayanganj-5 MP Abul Kalam, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Chairman Mashukul Islam Rajeev, and Superintendent of Police Mizanur Rahman Munshi, along with several top administrative and security officials.

Addressing the assembly, Mannan vented his intense frustration over unbridled extortion along local waterways and the pervasive proliferation of unauthorized gas utility lines across the region.

Directives to Target Utility Officials

Focusing his criticism on utility management, the opposition MP held Titas Gas officials directly responsible for the extensive illegal network operating in his constituency, asserting that an estimated 65,000 gas connections across Sonargaon were running without legal authorisation.

According to Mannan, these unauthorized pipelines were installed during the regime of the Awami League, driven by systemic corruption within the utility company itself. He argued that law enforcement agencies should target utility executives rather than consumers when prosecuting illegal gas connections.

“If lawsuits are filed over illegal gas lines, make the officers of Titas Gas the primary accused. Then you will see everything drop significantly.”

— Azharul Islam Mannan, Member of Parliament (Narayanganj-3)

The lawmaker then disclosed that he had already issued explicit, violent instructions to local police officers regarding visiting utility staff. “I have given orders at my local police station to beat up Titas Gas officers first whenever they show up. They are involved in every illegal activity,” Mannan declared in front of the gathered administration.

Allegations of Waterway Extortion and BIWTA Involvement

Beyond utility corruption, Mannan directed scathing allegations at the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), accusing its officials of colluding with local criminal networks to extort money from cargo vessels navigating the Meghna River.

The lawmaker explained that illegal toll collection begins long before sand-carrying bulkheads even enter the main river channels. He noted that extortion methods have evolved, with perpetrators now leveraging mobile financial services to collect payments remotely, a system he claimed is operated with the active backing and complicity of BIWTA officials.

Senior administrative and police officials present at the meeting made no immediate public comment regarding the MP’s directive for physical violence against state officials. However, his statements have sparked intense debate regarding parliamentary conduct, administrative accountability, and the rule of law in Narayanganj.