Md Abu Zahir, a former Awami League lawmaker, gained notoriety for orchestrating an extensive network of land grabbing and extortion throughout Habiganj. His reign of terror in the district was so intense that any news that could displease him was nearly impossible to publish in local and national media.

Zahir, originally an income tax lawyer, spent one and a half decades muffling the media by harassing journalists with lawsuits and suppressing dissent through intimidation to establish dominance. His deep involvement in Awami League politics diverted his attention from his professional career, significantly reducing his income before he became an MP. At times, he even struggled to pay rent, according to those close to him.

However, Zahir's unwavering loyalty to the party leadership eventually brought him a substantial fortune. He gradually became a lawmaker on an Awami League ticket, and his wealth boomed.

Zahir began his political career with Chhatra Union and soon joined Bangladesh Chhatra League to become the president of the latter's Habiganj district unit. Following the Awami League's return to power in 1996, he became the organising secretary of the party's Habiganj district unit.

Injuries Zahir suffered in a grenade attack that killed former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria in 2005 marked the beginning of another chapter in his political prominence. Three years after surviving the attack, Zahir was elected as an MP for the Habiganj-3 seat in the 2008 election. He was re-elected in 2014, 2018 and 2024, and became the president of the district Awami League in 2013.

According to the affidavit he submitted before the 2008 polls, his family's total assets amounted to around Tk 83.4 lakh, including about Tk 73.7 lakh in properties owned by him and Tk 9.7 lakh by his wife Aleya Akhter. Their son Ifat Jamil had no property at that time. After 15 years, Zahir owns a six-storey house, multiple luxury cars, and over 600 bhori of gold. The family's total assets have increased to more than Tk 6.6 crore, according to the affidavit submitted before the 2024 polls. His income and assets have grown ninefold, while his wife's income and assets have increased by 26.5 times, totalling Tk 2.52 crore. Their son now has assets worth Tk 2.5 crore.

The Anti-Corruption Commission has recently launched an investigation into allegations that Zahir amassed illegal wealth through the abuse of power. Early findings have revealed significant financial assets linked to him and his family, according to sources. Advocate Trilok Kanti Chowdhury Bijan, president of Susasoner Jonno Nagorik (Sujan) Habiganj unit, alleged that politicians like Zahir developed an inflated sense of invulnerability, leading them to terrorise the people over the years.

LAND GRABBING

Zahir constructed an opulent six-storey mansion estimated to be valued at several crores of taka. Allegations have surfaced that he encroached on both government and private properties, including a piece of land of the Habiganj High School and College quarters. His wife reportedly owns a significant portion of the land behind the educational institution, which includes a pond with an 18-decimal area.

Locals said Zahir also purchased 200 decimals of government land worth Tk 100 crore in the court area for his family members. They also alleged Zahir unethically used government plans for land acquisition to make millions of taka. Many were forced to sell their land to Zahir, who then sold it to the government for establishing Balla land port at four times the market price.

In 2012, Zahir was allocated two plots, 31 decimals each, in the BSCIC Industrial Estate of Habiganj, registered in his son, daughter, and younger brother's names. One of these plots is listed under the name of Mukti Textile, with Zakaria Chowdhury and Zahir's daughter Arifa Akter Mukti serving as managing partners. Despite being allocated over a decade ago, these two industrial plots have remained undeveloped and vacant, which indicates Zahir might have planned to sell the land at higher prices. Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), the managing authority, however, took no action to cancel the allotments. BSCIC Chairman Ashraf Uddin Ahmed Khan, who has recently taken charge, said they would investigate the issue and take necessary steps.

Outside the BSCIC Industrial Estate, Zahir influences areas with over 50 factories in Shayestaganj and Madhabpur. Officials of these factories, who wished to remain anonymous, alleged they had to pay Zahir large sums as "commission" for land transactions. Thousands of workers operate in these industrial zones without trade unions, relying on Zahir for the settlement of various issues, allowing him to extract further "commissions."

In addition to the industrial plot controversy, Zahir faces allegations of grabbing residential land. Locals alleged Zahir filled in a pond, which belonged to a Hindu family, next to Town Hall Road and built a five-storey house there, which he later sold. Zahir allegedly took advantage of a dispute between three brothers over the ownership of a three-storey house located on four decimals of land next to his property. The brothers -- Farid Mia, Khwaja Mia, and Nizam Uddin -- were migrants working in the Middle East. They were forced to sell the property, reportedly worth Tk 4 crore, for a fraction of its market value in March last year. Although the full payment was agreed upon, Zahir reportedly paid only Tk 1 crore, leaving Tk 26 lakh unpaid.

Another controversy involves a dispute over 300 acres of fallow land in Jalalabad Noagaon village of Sadar upazila. Zahir reportedly took possession of 101 acres of the land in 2011, promising to resolve a conflict between two groups of villagers. He then established a college named after him and his wife on this land.

MUFFLING THE MEDIA

To suppress unfavourable news, Zahir harassed journalists with legal cases under controversial sections of the Information and Communication Technology Act. In 2016, senior journalist Shoeb Chowdhury faced four cases under the ICT Act for a story suggesting that Zahir might not get the AL ticket in the 2018 polls. Shoeb was jailed for 84 days in 2017. "For the past 15 years, the people of Habiganj have been in a state of terror. Abu Zahir has imprisoned and harassed many journalists by filing digital security cases against them, including me," Shoeb said.

Zahir effectively controlled the journalism landscape in Habiganj by instilling fear with these cases, resulting in jail time for several journalists and attacks on their offices and homes.

As a life member of the Habiganj Press Club, Zahir also had a group of journalists loyal to him. Zahir and one of his aides filed two cases against Daily Amar Habiganj Editor Sushanta Dasgupta and three other journalists of the local newspaper. The next morning, Sushanta was arrested from the newspaper's office in Habiganj town and was granted bail 23 days later. The cases stemmed from allegations made by Sayeduzzaman Zahir, general secretary of the press club, that the newspaper had published "false" news accusing Abu Zahir of corruption and irregularities.

FAMILY LEAGUE

Politicians opposing Zahir, including party members, faced intimidation. District BNP Joint Convener Advocate Nurul Islam said the Awami League's reign of dictatorship was marked by repression and physical intimidation by leaders like Zahir. Even notable figures within the Awami League have been sidelined due to their dissenting views. Several prominent leaders, including former state minister Advocate Mahbub Ali and former woman MP Amatul Kibria Chowdhury Kaya, were excluded from the AL's district committee in its 2019 council for opposing Zahir. However, some of those who were excluded were subsequently reinstated in the committee through central intervention.

While Zahir is the president of the Awami League's Habiganj district unit, his family members and relatives control the committees of the organisations affiliated with the party. His wife Aleya serves as the general secretary of the district Mohila League and was elected chairman of the Zilla Parishad, while their son Jamil is a joint general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League's Habiganj district unit despite living abroad for several years.

Zahir's nephew Ataur Rahman is a former mayor of Habiganj Municipality. His other nephews Faizur Rahman and Saidur Rahman are the general secretary and former president of the district BCL, respectively. Zahir's brother Badrul Alam serves as the joint general secretary of the district Jubo League.