The incident of stone looting in the Sadapathor tourist area of Bholaganj, Sylhet, has sparked widespread national discussion in recent days. In connection with the incident, on August 14, Alamgir Alam, Chairman of West Islampur Union Parishad (UP) under Companiganj Upazila, was arrested on allegations of involvement in the looting. Following this, both mainstream media and social media began circulating the claim that “Jamaat leader and UP Chairman Md. Alam was arrested over the Sadapathor looting.”

Fact-check

According to an investigation by the Rumor Scanner team, UP Chairman Md. Alamgir Alam, who was arrested in the Sylhet stone incident, is not a leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. In fact, he is a leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a member of the Sylhet district unit of the Krishak Dal (farmers' wing of BNP).

At the beginning of the investigation, the Facebook account named ‘Alamgir Alam Chairman’ was identified as belonging to the arrested UP Chairman Md. Alamgir Alam. An observation of the account revealed a poster posted on March 30, offering Eid-ul-Fitr greetings. The poster features images of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman, and Alamgir Alam himself. The poster states Alamgir Alam’s position as “Local Government Affairs Secretary, Companiganj Upazila; Joint Convenor, Sylhet District Krishak Dal.”

Additionally, another poster was found on the account dated March 26, marking Independence Day, which also identifies Alamgir Alam as “Local Government Affairs Secretary, Companiganj Upazila BNP; Joint Convenor, Sylhet District Krishak Dal.” Further review of the Facebook account reveals multiple posts related to BNP and Krishak Dal activities at various times.

Furthermore, a relevant keyword search led to a report published on August 14 by the national daily Prothom Alo titled “BNP UP Chairman arrested over stone looting in Sylhet.” According to the report, “Police arrested a Union Parishad (UP) Chairman affiliated with BNP in connection with stone looting in Companiganj Upazila of Sylhet. The arrest took place at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday (August 14) from his residence in Companiganj Upazila. The arrested UP Chairman is Md. Alamgir Alam of East Islampur No. 2 UP. He is the Joint Convenor of the District Krishak Dal and Local Government Affairs Secretary of Companiganj Upazila BNP.”

Based on the above evidence, it is confirmed that Md. Alamgir Alam, arrested in the Sylhet stone incident, is indeed a BNP leader and a leader of the Sylhet District Krishak Dal.

Therefore, the claim that Md. Alamgir Alam, the arrested UP Chairman in the Sylhet stone incident, is a leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, is misleading.

Original News Source: https://rumorscanner.com/fact-check/jamaat-up-chairman-arrested-sylhet-sadapathor-issue/163220