The Department of Environment (DoE) has filed a case against Md Omar Ali, president of Baghaichhari Upazila BNP, for allegedly extracting sand illegally from the Kachalong River in Rangamati.
The Rangamati District DoE filed the case under the Bangladesh Environmental Conservation Act with Baghaichhari Police Station on 13 August, accusing Omar Ali of extracting sand without prior approval.
The team seized 24,300 cubic feet of sand from five piles and three sand extraction machines. Omar Ali and his associates, however, fled the scene.
The FIR stated that the upazila administration had previously fined Omar Ali Tk1 lakh for the same offence. It also said he violated Section 12 of the Bangladesh Environmental Conservation Act, 1995 (amended in 2010), making him liable under Section 15(1), serial 12 of the Act.
In another development, Suptarshi Saha, upazila project implementation officer (PIO), lodged a General Diary (GD) against Omar Ali at Baghaichhari Police Station on 11 July.
The GD accused Omar Ali of exerting undue pressure on the official and creating a disturbance at the PIO’s office.
Nasir Uddin Mazumder, officer-in-charge of Baghaichhari Police Station, confirmed the case.
He said cases filed by the DoE are prosecuted directly by the department, which handles all procedures, including arresting accused individuals.
Md Abdur Razzak, inspector of the Rangamati district DoE, confirmed the drive against the BNP leader but declined to comment further.
