Family accuses Ad Din of eviction, razing homes to host waz

Ad-Din Foundation in Jashore has been accused of evicting a teacher's family and occupying seven acres of land under the pretext of organising a waz mahfil on the ground. 

The allegations were made by the victim’s family at a press conference at the Jashore Press Club on Sunday (December 22). However, Ad-Din Foundation has denied the claims.

Preparations are underway for a three-day waz mahfil, set to begin on January 1, at the field behind Ad-Din Sakhina Medical College in the Pulerhat area of Jashore. 

As part of this, two houses, including one owned by teacher Shawkat Ali, and trees on the land have reportedly been demolished and leveled.

Hafiza Khatun, the wife of teacher Shawkat Ali, said that they purchased 6.60 decimal land in Chanchra Berbari Mouza in 2012 and built a house, which they later rented out to a tenant named Kitab Ali. After Ad-Din Foundation established the Sakhina Medical College nearby, Hafiza claimed they faced constant harassment, including blocked roads and pressure to sell their land.

In her statement, Hafiza alleged that on December 18, Ad-Din workers, accompanied by 20-30 labourers, arrived with excavators and bulldozers. 

They reportedly forced the tenant to vacate by paying him Tk 35,000, then demolished the house and cut down the trees. When she visited the site the following day, the house was gone, prompting her to file a complaint with Kotwali Police Station against three Ad-Din workers and the tenant’s family.

Halima Khatun, the tenant, corroborated the allegations, stating that Ad-Din Foundation workers had harassed them for years. “On December 18, they came with a group, forced us to sign a document, and paid us Tk 35,000 to leave. They then demolished the house and cleared the land with an excavator in broad daylight,” she said.

Local resident Hafizur Rahman claimed he had been forced to sell his adjacent land to Ad-Din due to persistent pressure and was preparing to vacate. “Ad-Din’s actions have displaced multiple families in the area, including Khadija Khatun and others, even though they didn’t purchase this land,” Hafizur alleged.

Ad-Din Foundation’s Public Relations Officer Tariqul Islam Tarek denied the allegations, saying, “We did not occupy any land. The tenant voluntarily vacated the property, handed over the house, and provided a written statement. These accusations are part of a campaign to disrupt our plans for the waz mahfil.”

The situation has sparked controversy in the area, with calls for investigations into the land acquisition and eviction process. Ad-Din Foundation is proceeding with its Waz Mahfil preparations despite the disputes.