National Citizen Party (NCP) lawmaker Abdul Hannan Masud has faced fresh criticism after a ferry operating in Hatia was reportedly turned back from the middle of the river to pick him up after he missed its departure from the terminal.
The incident took place at Chairman Ghat in Hatia upazila of Noakhali on Saturday afternoon, with passengers alleging that the move reflected an abuse of power.
A ferry official described the practice as a “rule for VIPs”, although Hannan Masud had earlier said there was no such thing as VIP treatment after facing criticism over another ferry-related controversy on 1 June.
According to locals and passengers, the ferry Mahananda left Chairman Ghat for Nalchira Ghat carrying passengers and goods-laden vehicles. Shortly after its departure, Hannan Masud arrived at the terminal.
Around 23 minutes after leaving the ghat, the ferry changed course and returned to Chairman Ghat, where the NCP lawmaker boarded along with his party activists.
Md Zahir Uddin, a representative of the ghat leaseholder, said the ferry authorities initially informed him that the vessel would not depart, before later saying it would leave at 3:30pm.
“But about 23 minutes after leaving, the ferry returned again to take MP Hannan Masud. I have never seen such an incident in the history of ferry services in Hatia,” he said.
A passenger said the ferry had already travelled a considerable distance before suddenly turning back.
“After leaving the ghat quite some time earlier, I suddenly saw the ferry turning back. Later, when we returned to the terminal, I saw MP Hannan Masud and his associates boarding the ferry,” the passenger said.
“On one hand, we were crossing the river in fear amid such adverse weather conditions, while the MP showed his power,” he added.
The ferry’s marine engineer Sazzadul Islam said certain procedures were followed for VIP passengers. “Certain rules have to be followed in the case of VIPs,” he said.
Ferry master Nurul Amin said, “After departure, the marine engineer informed me that the MP had arrived at the terminal and that the ferry had to be turned back to pick him up. We then returned to the ghat, took the MP on board and travelled to Nalchira Ghat.”
However, Hannan Masud denied that the ferry had travelled far before returning. Speaking to journalists, he said he reached the terminal within one minute of the ferry’s departure.
He claimed that “a vested quarter is spreading confusion over the matter”.
The incident comes amid renewed scrutiny over the NCP lawmaker’s involvement in ferry-related controversies.
Media reports said the same ferry, Mahananda, remained anchored at Nalchira Ghat for more than two hours on the night of 31 May allegedly for Hannan Masud.
Facing criticism over that incident, the lawmaker issued a statement denying any special privilege. He said he had reached the Hatia ferry terminal at the scheduled time to return to Dhaka but had to wait for around 45 minutes.
He alleged that an interested group had deliberately prevented motorcycles, trucks, microbuses and other vehicles from boarding the ferry, leaving them stranded on the road beside the terminal and creating severe traffic congestion.
In his statement, Hannan Masud said ferry services should not depend on any individual.
“I want to make it clear that ferry services do not depend on any individual or VIP. Ferries will operate according to the scheduled time and all passengers will receive equal service,” he said.
