Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying

About two weeks ago I wrote about allegations against a Bangladeshi military government Advisor’s husband and company. At the time I wrote about the odd silence of the Bangladeshi media in (not) reporting on the story.

Today, all that changed.

The New Age reports:

A landlady named Farhana Islam on Wednesday lodged a criminal case against Nazim Kamran Chowdhury, husband of the industries adviser, Geeteara Safiya Chowdhury, and eight others for reportedly beating her.

Metropolitan magistrate Hemayet Uddin heard the case and asked the Gulshan police officer-in-charge to register the complaint as a first information report if the allegation on investigation is found true.

Farhana alleged Nazim Kamran had rented her building at Gulshan Circle 2 on condition that he would vacate it by September 30. The petitioner in a notice asked Nazim, who used the house for business purposes, to vacate the building after the rental agreement had expired.

As Nazim kept staying in the house illegally without paying rent and other bills, payment, the Dhaka Electric Supply Authority severed the electric connection to the house on the complaint of the landlady.

‘As Nazim tried to run generator at my house without permission, I protested at his doing so. Nazim and his men then on October 23 beat me with iron rods and tore my sari,’ Farhana told the court.

Others accused in the case are Geteeara’s younger brother Abu Rushd Tarek, Shamsun Nahar Tarek, Mukim Choudhury, Shakhawat Hossain Shahadat, Adit Bhagat, Ripon, Bipul and Yaar Ali.

As the police did not register the complaint, she moved the court, Farhana said.

In addition to the New Age, the Daily Star, The New Nation, and BDNews24 carried the story. The Bengali language papers Ittefaq, Amader Shomoy, Shomokal and Daily Dinkal also carried the story.

The media in Bangladesh have suddenly discovered this story after ignoring it for nearly three weeks. There are many strange happenings taking place in Bangladesh lately, not the least of which is the sudden disappearance of the military ruler of Bangladesh.

So let me tell you a story.

Back in 2002 you signed a lease to rent out your building to a number of businesses all owned by the same family. You sign a 5 year lease with the tenants. The 5 year lease expired on September 30, 2007. You have given notice to your tenants that you will not renew the lease. September 30, 2007 arrives and passes, yet the tenants do not vacate your building.

Twenty-two days after the lease has expired, on October 22 2007, your tenants are seen installing a diesel generator on the roof of the building you own, without your permission. When you and your wife arrive to prevent the tenants from making modifications to the building you own, you are punched by the tenant and, on his orders, his goons set upon you with metal rods. You end up in the hospital. Your wife tries to intervene and is slapped by the tenant.

Three days after the incident, you hold a press conference trying to get some justice. Reporters attend your press conference but only one newspaper in the country decides to publish your story.

The story above represents the allegations made at a press conference in Dhaka on October 25, 2007 by Dr. Mahbub Islam and his wife, the landlords. The tenants are three companies - Adcom, Signage and Magnavision. Adcom is owned by Geeteara Safiya Choudhury, a current civilian Advisor of the military government of Bangladesh. The other two companies are owned by her husband, Nazim Kamran Choudhury, a former member of the Bangladeshi parliament. Dr. Islam and his wife allege that Nazim Kamran Choudhury and others assaulted them on October 22, 2007 at their own building, twenty-two days after the lease expired and after the three companies failed to vacate the premises.

Mrs. Geeteara Choudhury, who famously said back in April of this year that "I’m not thinking about human rights at this time, but my own", is one of the civilian faces of this military government - a government that claims as its mandate an "anti-corruption" drive. This government claims that it is doing away with abuse of power and corruption as it jails top politicians and hundreds of thousands of citizens under draconian laws. Yet, Geeteara Choudhury and her husband now face accusations of using their power to forcibly squat on someone else’s property. Mr. Choudhury also faces accusations of violent assault. This is a story of the powerful forcing their will on the powerless. This is a story of corruption and abuse of power.

Every day the Bangladeshi newspapers are filled with stories of corruption by the politicians that are being locked away by this military government. Every allegation is given prominent billing. Yet, the Bangladeshi media remains oddly silent about this story and these allegations.

Bangladesh now has an unelected unaccountable military government, with 11 unelected unaccountable civilian "advisors", leading the country on an "anti-corruption" crusade. Bangladesh now has a frightened and compliant media.

Now that I have told you the above story, do you think Bangladesh is headed toward more corruption or less corruption? Do you think under these circumstances the common citizen has recourse to the law vis-à-vis the unelected unaccountable "leaders"?