The second day of witness testimony has concluded in three corruption cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over alleged fraudulent allocation of 30 kathas of land in Dhaka’s Purbachal New Town Project.

On Tuesday (August 26), Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-5, presided over by Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun, recorded statements from 17 witnesses. Among them, 12 testified in the cases against Sheikh Hasina and Saima Wazed Putul, while 5 testified in the case against Sajeeb Wazed Joy.

Witnesses included Rajuk Deputy Director Mahbubur Rahman and several officials from Rajuk and the Ministry of Housing and Public Works. ACC Prosecutor Khan Md Moinul Hasan confirmed the proceedings.

The next hearing has been scheduled for September 2. Earlier, on August 11, three ACC officials who filed the cases testified.

On July 31, the court framed charges and issued arrest warrants against the accused, who remain absconding. In three separate cases, 12, 17, and 18 individuals stand accused, including Sheikh Hasina, her children, Sheikh Rehana, British MP Tulip Siddiq, and several Rajuk officials.

In Chuadanga’s Alokdia union, a long-standing land dispute led to the killing of a father and son on Tuesday (26 August). The victims were identified as Tayeb Ali (40) and his son Miraj (20).

According to police, the attack took place around 11:30 am while the two were drying jute in a field. Their relatives, Babu and Raju, attacked them with sharp weapons. Miraj died on the spot, while Tayeb Ali succumbed to his injuries on the way to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.

Locals said the dispute over just 1.5 kathas of land had been ongoing for months, with several failed arbitration attempts.

Additional Superintendent of Police Naser Alam confirmed the incident, saying both Babu and Raju were arrested from the scene, and legal proceedings are underway.

Former MP of Barisal-4 constituency, Mezbah Uddin Farhad, has been accused of acquiring khas land illegally under multiple names, despite being wealthy and ineligible. Ironically, he recently filed a case in court to prevent khas land allocation to affluent individuals in Hizla and Mehendiganj.

Records show that Farhad used three different names—Kazi Mezbah Uddin, Kazi Farhad Uddin, and Kazi Farhad Hossain—to obtain over three acres of khas land, while listing the same father’s name, Kazi Akhtaruzzaman. Official land records also indicate that his late father and other family members acquired khas land through similar means.

Farhad admitted that khas land exists in his name but claimed his father arranged it when he was a child. He could not explain why he never canceled the allocation after becoming wealthy.

Mehendiganj Assistant Commissioner (Land), SM Moshiur Rahman, confirmed that khas land can only be allocated to landless people. “There is no provision to allocate such land to wealthy individuals or former MPs. The matter will be placed before the court,” he said.