25 October, 2026 – Pirojpur, Bangladesh: A local leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Mohammad Shafiqul Islam Hawlader, has been accused of occupying 42 decimals of land belonging to a nearly 60-year-old Hindu temple in Nesarabad Upazila of Pirojpur district and cultivating paddy on the property.
According to affected families, the land was occupied after August 5, 2024, while a court case concerning its ownership was still pending. They say the alleged occupation has disrupted long-standing religious practices of the Hindu community, who are demanding the recovery of the land and the restoration of worship at the site.
The disputed property belongs to the Southpara Sarbojanin Shitala Temple in Samudaykathi Union. The land is recorded under plot number 952 and khatian number 130. Local residents said Shitala Puja and other religious ceremonies had been held on the land for decades.
The affected families maintain that the latest Bangladesh Survey (BS) records list eight co-sharers as the recorded owners of the property.
According to their allegations, Shafiqul Islam Hawlader took possession of the land based on an unregistered agreement to purchase the share of one of the co-sharers, who is currently residing in India. They further allege that he subsequently began cultivating paddy on the property despite the ongoing court proceedings.
Manoj Biswas, son of landowner Nani Lal Biswas, said the latest BS records list eight co-sharers as owners. He alleged that Hawlader had filed a case against them based on an unregistered sale agreement and occupied the land while the dispute remained before the court.
Manoj added that his ancestors had performed Shitala Puja on the property for generations. He called for the recovery of the land so that the community could resume its traditional religious ceremonies.
Suman Aich, a local union parishad member, said he had witnessed Shitala Puja being held on the land since his childhood. He alleged that Hawlader took possession of the property after August 5, 2024, and claimed that attempts to arrange a discussion based on the relevant ownership documents had been unsuccessful.
Aich said the situation involving land used for the religious practices of the Hindu community was undesirable.
When contacted for comment, Hawlader declined to speak on camera. Repeated calls to his mobile phone reportedly went unanswered.
Mohammad Abu Hanif, president of Jamaat-e-Islami’s Samudaykathi Union unit, confirmed that Hawlader serves as the party’s president for Ward No. 1. However, he described the land dispute as a personal matter, stating that the party would not accept responsibility for anyone who occupied land by abusing power. He added that Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami does not support wrongdoing.
Prolay Mondal, member-secretary of the Pirojpur district unit of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Welfare Front, said the organization had visited the area after receiving complaints about land occupation, vandalism of religious structures, and intimidation of religious minorities. He alleged that Hawlader had not responded to efforts to resolve the matter.
Mondal called for the dispute to be resolved promptly through the legal process.
The ownership and possession of the disputed property remain matters for the relevant legal proceedings to determine. The affected families are seeking the restoration of access to the temple land and the resumption of religious activities.
