Culprits under political clout evade arrest

Even the two persons arrested along with spurious medicines and fertiliser during the August 3 police raid on a fake laboratory at Hazirhat in Uttom union in Rangpur Sader upzila is yet to be taken on remand for interrogation due to political pressure, they claimed while talking to this correspondent.

The DB police can not proceed further in its drive against unauthorised fertilizer manufacturing laboratories, they said.

DB police in its August 3 raid had arrested night guard Alam and fake chemist Masud of Moulana Bashiruddin Cold Store and recovered huge quantities of adulterated medicines, cement and fertilizer and equipment used in their production.

But police could not arrest the two persons - Moulana Bashir of Dhap in Rangpur and Imam Hossen of Narayanganj -- who are allegedly behind the racket.

DB Sub-inspector Ashok Shing, who led the operation had told The Daily Star on August 3 that Alam and

Masud would be taken on remand for interrogation.

But a DB source in Rangpur seeking anonymity said yesterday that police are yet to seek their remand because of ruling party pressure.

"A leader of Jamat-e-Islam interfered in the matter and compelled police to refrain from arresting the accused in the case", the source alleged.

"Most of the culprits disappeared after the drive".

Meanwhile a meeting of the District Fertilizer and Seed Monitoring Committee was held at the Deputy Commissioner's office on August 14.

The meeting with the Deputy Commissioner in the chair discussed possible ways to stop production and marketing of adulterated fertiliser in the district but it did not give any specific instruction to the committee, Mostafa Azad Chowdhury Babu, President of Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a member of the committee said.

"We are assigned to monitor demand, supply and stock of Urea and seeds in the market. We have no other function," Azad said.

Meanwhile sale of fake fertilizer continues unabated in markets in the district and thousands of farmers are being deceived.

Many farmers this correspondent talked to said they are worried because adulterated potash, zinc, phosphate and SSP fertilisers have flooded markets.

Abdur Rahman of Paglapir in Gangachara upzila in Rangpur said, "It is difficult to detect adulterated fertiliser till their use in fields because their colour and formation is same as real fertiliser".

The police inaction after the August 3 drive has surprised many fertiliser dealers in Rangpur. Some of them now term the drive a "eyewash because the main culprits are yet to be nabbed".

"It is unbelievable that the main culprits behind production and marketing of adulterated fertiliser can not be nabbed", said fertiliser dealer Kashem Patwari of Nabdiganj in Rangpur Sader upzila.

In the last five years, police unearthed three fake factories in the district which produced adulterated fertiliser.

Even, Mithapukur Upzila Nirbahi Officer Borhan Uddin himself unearthed a huge quantity of adulterated fertilisers and equipment at Jaigirhat in 1999.

Police had lodged a case with Mithapukur thana. But court released them after the fertiliser testing laboratory of BARI at Joydebpur in Dhaka gave a test report in favour of the accused.

Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) has set up a fertiliser testing laboratory in Rangpur at a cost of Tk 19 crore to facilitate BADC and DAE offices in 16 districts in Rajshahi division to control quality of fertilisers.

Though complete, the laboratory has not started functioning for reasons unknown.

The dealers said adulteration of fertiliser can be controlled to a great extent if the laboratory starts functioning.

President of Rangpur Fertilizer Dealers Association Abul Kashem at the August 14 fertiliser committee meeting at the DC's office demanded immediate opening of the laboratory.