Mayor Accused of Journo Killing: Never a stranger to gun toting

Shahzadpur Mayor Halimul Haque Miru repeatedly breached party's rules of decorum and was expelled twice since joining the Awami League in 1996.

But lobbying some political bigwigs in Dhaka and his district, he returned to the AL and eventually won the 2015 mayoral race in Shahzadpur municipality with the party ticket, say insiders.

A controversial figure all along, he managed his gun licence under freedom fighter's quota although he obtained a freedom fighter's certificate with a fake document, according to Shahzadpur Muktijoddha Sangsad.

Police on Sunday detained the mayor in the capital's Shyamoli after he hogged the headlines by firing shots during a factional clash in Shahzadpur upazila on Thursday.

A daily Samakal reporter covering the clash was hit by several bullets and he died from injuries on Friday on his way to Dhaka for better treatment, said police and family members.

The wife of slain journalist Shimul filed a case against Miru, his two brothers and 15 others on Friday night.

JSD TO AL

Miru started his political career as a member of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) in the 70s. Apart from being involved with Gonobahini, armed wing of the party, he was the president of its Shahzadpur unit and secretary of its Sirajganj district unit.

He joined the AL in 1996, party sources said.

Many grassroots leaders claimed Miru introduced the use of arms in politics in Shahzadpur in the 90s.

"He is not at all committed to the party. Local leaders and activists cannot go to him because of his arrogance and use of arms in politics," Aslam Ali, an activist of Shahzadpur Jubo League, told The Daily Star.

Miru often hired armed goons from Pabna through his brother Habibul Haque Mintu, secretary of Pabna JSD, added Aslam.

“The mayor controls all the development projects of the municipality through his brothers and a few of his fellow contractors. Nobody dares protest because of his brothers and hired armed men,” said Abdur Rahim, ex-president of Shahzadpur municipality AL.

Prof Azad Rahman, secretary of Shahzadpur AL, said Miru was expelled from the party in 1999 and again in 2004 for violating the party's rules of decorum.

"As he returned to the party by lobbying its high-ups, he never bothers to obey the local leadership," he told this correspondent.

"Even in the last municipality election [in 2015], the local party unit did not propose Miru's name. But he managed the nomination from the central committee," said Azad, also the chairman of Shahzadpur Upazila Parishad.

Nazrul Islam, BNP's mayoral candidate in 2015, alleged that Miru also manipulated the municipality elections. Driving out Nazrul's agents, Miru took all the polling centres under his control just one hour after the voting started.

Soon after the 2008 parliament polls, Miru got acquainted with a minister. At that time, he started to stay in Dhaka most of the time, said several party leaders.

"During his stay in Dhaka, he managed to stay close to some central leaders," one of them said, wishing anonymity.

Recently, Miru became the organising secretary of the district AL. But party men demanded his removal from the post and cancellation of his primary membership of the party due to his "criminal activities and corruption".

The mayor was accused of several criminal offences but got acquitted from all the charges, according to his affidavit submitted to the Election Commission during the municipality election.

He was accused in three criminal cases in Sirajganj from 2006 to 2010.

GUN LICENCE

After Thursday's clash, police recovered a shotgun from his house.

"The gun which we recovered is licensed. The mayor managed its licence under the freedom fighter's quota in 2014," said Rezaul Haque, officer-in-charge of Sirajganj Police Station.

Asked how he got the licence, the OC said it is the district administration which deals with the matter.

The Daily Star contacted Nusrat Azmeri Haque, executive magistrate of Sirajganj, to know the process of getting the licence.

"Without seeing official documents, I can't go into details," said the official, who heads the section that issues gun licences.

FALSE INFO 

Miru managed his freedom fighter's certificate by providing false information about his age, according to Shahzadpur Muktijoddha Sangsad leaders.

Because of the controversy, his freedom fighter's allowance was suspended last year, they said.

"Miru showed his date of birth as January 1, 1955 whereas the real date is January 1, 1959 as per his SSC certificate and voter ID card," Binoy Kumar, commander of the Muktijoddha Sangsad, told this newspaper.

"Miru managed a fake birth registration certificate from the municipality and submitted it to get a freedom fighter's certificate,” he added.

"When we came to know this controversy, we stopped his allowance last year."

Binoy also said, "We never heard his name as a freedom fighter. We don't know where he fought during the war."