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Haji Mohammad Salim

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Haji Mohammad Salim
হাজী মোহাম্মদ সেলিম
Member of Bangladesh Parliament
In office
29 January 2014 – 29 January 2024
Preceded byMostofa Jalal Mohiuddin
Succeeded bySolaiman Salim
ConstituencyDhaka-7
In office
14 July 1996 – 13 July 2001
Preceded byMir Shawkat Ali
Succeeded byNasiruddin Ahmed Pintu
ConstituencyDhaka-8
Personal details
Born (1958-05-10) 10 May 1958 (age 66)
Dhaka, East Pakistan, Pakistan
NationalityBangladeshi
Political partyBangladesh Awami League

Haji Mohammad Salim (born 10 May 1958)[1] is a Bangladesh Awami League politician and a former Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Dhaka-7 and Dhaka-8 constituencies.[2][3][4]

Salim was arrested on 2 September 2024 from Bangshal area in Dhaka by the detectives from Dhaka Metropolitan Police.[5] He was placed on a five-day remand for interrogating in connection with the murder of Khalid Hasan Saifullah, a student at Ideal College, during the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement.[6]

Early life

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Salim was born on 10 May 1958. He studied up to grade nine.[1]

Career

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Salim was a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ward councillor. He had left the party and joined Awami League as he had failed to secure their nomination for the 1996 national election.[7] He won the election and was elected to parliament from Dhaka-8 (Lalbagh area) as an Awami League candidate.[7] He served in the Treasury Bench of the Jatiya Sangsad.[8] He owns Madina Group; Tiger brand cement is one of its products.[9][10] His rival and BNP member of parliament, Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, was his protégé.[11]

On 5 January 2014, Salim was elected to parliament as an independent candidate. The Daily Star described him as a "rebel Awami League" candidate.[12] He was the joint secretary of Dhaka City unit of Awami League. He beat Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, the Awami League candidate in the election.[13][14] In April 2014, he faced contempt of court charges after he obstructed a mobile court drive evicting illegal structures around Lalbagh Fort.[15]

In 2015, Salim tried to contest the Dhaka South mayoral election but did not receive approval from his party.[16][17] He extended his support to the Awami League candidate Sayeed Khokon.[18]

In 2018, Salim was elected to the parliament from Dhaka-7 as a candidate of Awami League.[19]

In June 2016, Salim was elected President of Rahmatganj MFS and served until his arrest in 2024.[20]

In December 2019, Salim collected nomination forms from Awami League to contest Dhaka South Mayoral elections. He lost the nomination to Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, who went on to win the election.[21][22]

On 26 November 2023, Awami League announced the final list of its 298 candidates to contest the 2024 national election which did not include Salim. Instead his son, Mohammad Solaiman Selim, got the nomination.[23]

Charges and convictions

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On 25 March 2004, six cases were filed against Salim following clashes between Awami League and BNP activists.[24]

In September 2007, The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed two corruption cases against Salim.[25] In April 2008, a special court sentenced Selim to 10 years' imprisonment for amassing wealth illegally and another 3 years for concealing information in his wealth statement submitted to the ACC.[26] The judge also issued orders to confiscate all his ill-gotten assets worth Tk 270 million.[26] The court also sentenced his wife, Gulshan Ara (d. 2020), to 3 years' imprisonment for abetting her husband.[27][28][26] Salim filed an appeal with the High Court in October 2009 against the verdict.[29] Following the appeal, in January 2011, the High Court acquitted him of the corruption case.[29] The ACC then appealed against the HC verdict to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court and in January 2015, it scrapped the High Court verdict and directed to hold a rehearing of Salim's appeal and to dispose of the appeal again.[29] In March 2021, the High Court upheld the verdict to 10 years' imprisonment in the corruption case but acquitted him of the charge of concealing wealth information in which he was sentenced to 3 years' imprisonment.[29] On 10 February 2022, the High Court upheld the lower court's judgement convicting and sentencing Salim to 10 years in prison. He was asked to surrender to the trial court in 30 days.[30] On 22 May, he surrendered to the court and sought bail in the case but it was rejected and he was sent to the prison.[31] A day later, he was taken to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University for treatment.[32] On 6 June 2022, the Supreme Court refused him to grant bail on the case.[32] On 17 January 2023, he was released from prison cell of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) based on the bail order on 6 December 2022 issued by Appellate Division panel headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique.[33]

In May 2009, Salim was acquitted in the murder case of Abdul Hannan, an activist of Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Jubo Dal, the youth front of BNP by Speedy Trial Tribunal-1.[34] In July 2009, after Awami League came to power the government decided to withdraw 21 criminal cases against Salim.[7] The government stated that the cases were filed those were "politically motivated" and meant for "harassment". He had a total of 120 cases against him.[7]

In September 2011, the government of Bangladesh withdrew 105 cases against Salim.[35] In February 2012, a case over assaulting police officers in 2004 was withdrawn by the government.[36]

In February 2019, a number of buildings owned by Salim were demolished by Bangladesh Water Development Board for encroaching on riverbanks.[4] His some other buildings were demolished by Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority; following its chairman, Commodore Mohammad Mozammel Haque, got transferred to a different location.[37]

Salim was convicted on a corruption case for amassing wealth illegally, filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission in 2007. He began serving his 10-year prison sentence in May 2022.[31] On 17 January 2023, he was released from prison cell of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) based on the bail order on 6 December 2022 issued by Appellate Division panel headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique.[33]

Controversies

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In 2005, on behalf of the former President, the deputy commissioner of Dhaka district allocated 100 decimals of land at Swarighat in Chawkbazar to Government Bhadir High School for constructing school buildings. However, Salim, along with his associates, soon seized the land. Despite the district administration freeing the land from his control three times, Salim repeatedly reoccupied it. Even after losing a legal battle in a Dhaka court, he continued to hold onto the land, where he eventually established a filling station and several storehouses, with the land's value estimated at around Tk 1,000 million.[38]

Selim is managing director of MADINA GROUP which he runs by the illegal money he earned during his reign as an MP. Mr Selim is also criticized because of violating labour laws and making his employee work forcefully beyond the working hour without paying. His office gate is locked after he enters the office and lets no one to get out of the office building atleast before 9 PM. He does it forcefully and the employees can't say anything about it due to terror. Qualified employees leave the job as soon as they get other opportunity and the other people stay but with extreme dissatisfaction. In February 2014, Jagannath University students organized protests demanding Salim return their dormitory that they accused him of illegally occupying. He denied the allegation and asked for evidence.[12] He had allegedly occupied the Tibet Hall, demolished it, and built a market in its place.[39]

In May 2016, Salim encroached upon 4.75 acres of cropland valued at Tk 50 million in Kolapara, Patuakhali, with the land allegedly seized by representatives of his Madina Group. Local miscreants, under the direction of Madina Group, forcibly took over the land, erected an embankment around it, and began filling it with sand. Despite repeated appeals to the administration, the landowners were unable to reclaim their property, as they were intimidated by hired goons and the influence of Madina Group. On 14 November 2020, the dispossessed farmers initiated efforts to recover their land.[40]

On 8 June 2019, Salim's man demolished Jahaj Bari, an architecturally significant historical building in Old Dhaka, on the night of Eid al-Fitr. The demolition had been previously stopped following the filling of a general diary by Taimur Islam of Urban Study Group. He was accused of endangering several historical buildings. Despite regulations prohibiting construction within 250 meters of heritage sites, Salim built high-rises, jeopardizing these structures. His land grabs include the demolition of the Nicolas Pogose house in Armanitola during the COVID-19 lockdown, despite a High Court order to preserve heritage sites.[41][42][43]

Salim's son, Irfan Selim,[44] was arrested after he was accused of physically assaulting a Bangladesh Navy lieutenant and his wife on 25 October 2020.[45][46] Irfan was jailed for 1 year after illegal firearms and alcohol were recovered from his house.[47][48]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Constituency 180_11th_En". Bangladesh Parliament. Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  2. ^ "BB seeks bank info on 13 people including Ershad's son". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  3. ^ "List of 11th Parliament Members". Bangladesh Parliament. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Haji Salim loses 3 more buildings in riverbank eviction drive". Dhaka Tribune. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Ex-MP Haji Salim arrested". Prothom Alo. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Haji Salim remanded for 5 days in student murder case". Haji Salim placed on 5-day remand. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d "21 cases against Haji Selim set to be dropped". The Daily Star. 14 July 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Community health clinics for every 6000 people to be set up". The Daily Star. 14 January 2000. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Clinic attacked, docs beaten up". The Daily Star. 22 July 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Meghna devours land of shipyard, cement factory". The Daily Star. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Crime, politics made rickshaw garage owner filthy rich". The Daily Star. 24 December 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  12. ^ a b "JnU students want dorm back from Haji Selim". The Daily Star. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Rebels stun AL bigwigs". The Daily Star. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  14. ^ "'Ex-AL MP's men' attack Haji Selim's supporters". The Daily Star. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Haji Selim faces contempt rule". The Daily Star. 6 April 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  16. ^ "Haji Salim claims he was stopped from running for mayor". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Haji Salim in deep water". The Daily Star. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  18. ^ "Haji Salim joins hands with Khokon". The Daily Star. 4 April 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  19. ^ "Dhaka-7 - Constituency detail of Bangladesh General Election 2018". The Daily Star. 25 November 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  20. ^ "আবারো রহমতগঞ্জ সভাপতি হাজী সেলিম". Daily Inqilab (in Bengali). 30 June 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Atiqul, Tapash, Selim collect AL nomination forms". The Daily Star. 25 December 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  22. ^ "Taposh takes South". The Daily Star. 2 February 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  23. ^ "List of 71 MPs who didn't get AL nomination". The Daily Star. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  24. ^ "6 cases filed against Haji Selim, old Dhaka traders". The Daily Star. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  25. ^ "AL MP Haji Salim, a convict in wealth case, returns to Bangladesh after medical treatment abroad". bdnews24.com. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  26. ^ a b c "Haji Selim gets 13yrs for ill-gotten wealth". The Daily Star. 28 April 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  27. ^ "Warrants for arrest of Haji Selim, his wife". The Daily Star. 3 April 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  28. ^ "Haji Selim's wife Gulshan Ara passes away". Dhaka Tribune. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  29. ^ a b c d "Graft case: HC upholds 10 years' imprisonment of Haji Salim". The Daily Star. 9 March 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  30. ^ "Haji Salim has to surrender to trial court in 30 days". The Daily Star. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  31. ^ a b "Haji Salim surrenders in court, sent to jail". The Daily Star. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  32. ^ a b "Haji Salim denied bail". The Daily Star. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  33. ^ a b "Haji Salim released on bail after 10 months behind bars". The Financial Express. Dhaka. 17 January 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  34. ^ "Haji Selim acquitted in murder case". The Daily Star. 25 May 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  35. ^ "Haji Selim cleared of 105 cases". The Daily Star. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  36. ^ "Case against Haji Selim dropped". The Daily Star. 27 February 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  37. ^ "BIWTA chairman transferred amid intense eviction drives". Dhaka Tribune. 16 February 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  38. ^ "Haji Salim grabs land of the deaf". daily-sun. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  39. ^ Rahman, Kazi Nafia. "Seven-year agitation draws blank, no halls for Jagannath University students". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  40. ^ "Haji Salim grabs land in Patuakhali too". Prothomalo. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  41. ^ "Old Dhaka's Jahaj Bari demolished on Eid night". The Daily Star. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  42. ^ "Urban Study Group threatens legal battle over demolition of century-old Jahaj Bari". Dhaka Tribune. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  43. ^ "Haji Salim blamed for ruining heritage sites". New Age. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  44. ^ "Haji Selim's son Irfan assaults navy officer". Business Standard. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  45. ^ "RAB takes Haji Salim's son in custody, raids home". Dhaka Tribune. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  46. ^ "'Assault on Navy official': Haji Selim's son Irfan held". UNB. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  47. ^ "Guns, liquor found in Haji Selim's house, son Erfan jailed for a year". Dhaka Tribune. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  48. ^ "Assault on Navy Officer: Erfan Salim gets bail". The Daily Star. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
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