Keshabpur Mosque Dropped Over Fraudulent Honourarium Beneficiary List

A government welfare initiative aimed at providing monthly financial honourariums to grassroots Islamic clerics and staff has sparked intense controversy in Keshabpur, Jashore, following allegations that local political figures usurped the names of genuine religious workers on official beneficiary rosters. The dispute centred on Garbhanga Baitun Nur Jame Mosque in Panjia Union, where long-serving staff were reportedly sidelined in favour of local political operatives, prompting authorities to remove the entire mosque from the welfare scheme following public outcry.

Under a nationwide programme administered by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, eligible mosque personnel receive direct state subsidies, structured as a monthly allowance of 5,000 taka for Imams, 3,000 taka for Muezzins, and 2,000 taka for Khadems (caretakers). In Keshabpur Upazila, the initial rollout called for the selection of 15 mosques per union. According to local arrangements, ward and union figures from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party were tasked with nominating eight mosques per union, whilst the remaining seven per union—totalling 77 mosques across the upazila—fell under the nomination quota of the local parliamentary representative.

Tensions flared in Panjia Union when the draft roster for Garbhanga Baitun Nur Jame Mosque became public. Local residents discovered that the mosque’s genuine and long-serving Imam, Maulana Abdul Rahman, and its dedicated Khadem, Abdul Razzak, had been entirely excluded. In their stead, political figures had been registered under false designations: the mosque committee’s cashier and Jamaat activist Tobibur Rahman was listed as the “Imam”, whilst Garbhanga ward Jamaat president Abdul Mutaleb Molla was registered as the “Khadem”.

The revelation triggered anger amongst worshippers and local residents, who submitted a formal written grievance to the local Member of Parliament for Jashore-6. In response to the initial complaint, the lawmaker directed the Panjia Union Jamaat Ameer, Masud Kamal, to investigate the irregularities and rectify the paperwork.

Residents allege that no genuine scrutiny took place and that the disputed list was submitted without correcting the fraudulent entries. Mosque committee president Islam Sardar expressed shock over the affair, noting that committee leadership had been bypassed entirely during the drafting process and kept in the dark until the fabricated identities were uncovered.

Defending his conduct, Masud Kamal rejected accusations of nepotism, stating that he acted merely as an intermediary by forwarding the documentation handed to him without altering details.

Addressing the controversy, Jashore-6 Member of Parliament and Upazila Jamaat Ameer Professor Moktar Ali confirmed that severe factional infighting within the mosque committee had come to light following the complaints. To avoid further escalation and ensure procedural neutrality, the administration decided to exclude Garbhanga Baitun Nur Jame Mosque from the government stipend programme.