Abul Hashem, accused of occupying land allocated to a landless individual and constructing a multistoried building there, has been appointed convener of the newly formed Cumilla North District BNP committee. The announcement was made on Monday through a notice signed by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. The new eight-member convening committee replaces the previous 41-member body approved in May 2022 under Akteruzzaman Sarkar and A.F.M. Tarek Munshi.

The new committee includes seven joint conveners: Syed Toufiq Ahmed Mir, Abbas Uddin Ahmed, Md. Mohiuddin, Advocate Touhidul Islam Babu, Barrister Rizvi Ul Ahsan Munshi, Osman Gani Bhuiyan, and Sufia Khatun. Former member secretary Tarek Munshi criticized the appointment, alleging Hashem’s involvement in land grabbing and questioning the inclusion of a newcomer in leadership. In contrast, new joint convener Advocate Touhidul Islam Babu expressed gratitude to BNP leadership for the appointment.

According to party directives, the new committee must form a full district committee within three months through a conference. Local administration confirmed an investigation report verifying the land dispute involving Hashem and landless beneficiary Masud Alam.