Land grabbing case
Ragib Ali indicted
UNB
SYLHET: A court here on Sunday framed charges against industrialist Ragib Ali in two cases filed over grabbing endowment property of Tarapur Tea Estate, reports UNB.
Sylhet Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Saifuzzaman Hero framed the charges against Ragib Ali. The court also rejected the discharge petition of Ragibs son Abdul Hye and Sebayet Pankaj Kumar Gupta.
Earlier, Indian immigration police arrested him from Karimganj district of Assam for illegal stay on November 24 and a court sent him to jail. On August 10, a court here issued warrants for the arrest of six people, including Ragib Ali and three of his family members, in two cases filed over grabbing land of an endowment property.
The other accused are Pankaj Kumar Gupta, current caretaker of Tarapur Tea Estate, Ragibs son Abdul Hye, his son-in-law Abdul Quadir and daughter Rozina Qaudir and Dewan Moshtaque Majid. Ragib Ali and his family members fled to India hours after the arrest warrants were issued against them.
Police submitted the chargesheets in the two cases to Sylhet Metropolitan Magistrate Court on July 10 last. On August 25, 1999, the authorities concerned of the then parliamentary watchdog on land affairs found that Tarapur Tea Estate captured a vast area of an endowment property and set up several establishments on the land illegally.
Later, the subcommittee of the parliamentary watchdog recommended taking legal action against illegal occupants.
SM Abdul Hye, land commissioner of Sylhet Sadar, filed two cases against six people, including Ragib Ali, with Sylhet Kotwali Police Station on September 27, 2005.
On January 19 this year, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court asked the authorities concerned to reclaim Tarapur Tea Estate. The SC also ordered reinvestigation into the cases.
