Mamata comes to the rescue of Bangladesh’s ex-general Ershad
new delhi — The millenials are not likely to have heard of Hussain Muhammad Ershad. Well, he is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the 10th president of Bangladesh. He seized power as head of the army against President Abdus Sattar on 24 April 1982. Ershad declared martial law and served in until 1990, when he was forced to resign during a popular uprising led by Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina.
Some time ago, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was surprised to a get a letter from Ershad. Far from being official in tone, the letter was an informal plea for help.
Ershad said that his family’s ancestral property in Cooch Behar district, where two of his cousins and their families still live, is being encroached upon. This is a collateral damage that happens to Indian properties often. The property is about 30,000 square feet.
Ershad asked for Mamata’s intervention in stopping the encroachment. It’s not just a piece of property alone for Ershad. He was born there. Seventy years after he left it, he is still in the habit of
I have a feeling that she has communicated the matter to the local authority, because no one is disturbing my family now.
coming across the border to meet his people and take a look at his birthplace.
As in many cases, the encroachers had begun to build a temple on the property. Normally, once a temple is built, it becomes a delicate matter to demolish it and reclaim the land.
His relatives on the Indian side of the border had approached the local police several times but to no avail. Ershad had mentioned in the letter the passivity of the police.
The usually articulate Mamata apparently did not respond. But in an interview given to The Hindu, Ershad said, he believed Mamata seems to have taken action. “I have a feeling that she has communicated the matter to the local authority, because no one is disturbing my family now. I think the work on the temple is also suspended.”
While that is the impression Ershad has, one of his nephews, Zakeria Hussain, did not share his optimism. He said they were still under threat, but to a lesser degree. He believed the local chieftains still want to acquire the land, and build a residential complex there. They reportedly operate by proxy through goons in the area.
At first, Hussain said they were offered a token amount. But this was refused. When the threats got out of hand, they had reported the matter to Ershad, who sent out signals of distress to Mamata. The occasional threat that Hussain perhaps faces might continue. But Mamata’s assumed intervention has stopped the construction of the temple.