The High Court has directed that all the white stones looted from Bholaganj in Companiganj, Sylhet, be returned to their original place within seven days and has sought a list of those involved in the incident.
The High Court bench of Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque and Justice Ainun Nahar Siddiqua delivered the verdict on Thursday after hearing a writ petition. Advocate Manzil Morshed represented the petitioner in court.
Earlier that morning, Supreme Court lawyer Mir AKM Nurun Nabi filed another writ petition in the High Court, demanding swift action against those responsible for the indiscriminate looting of white stones in the area. The High Court bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Syed Zayed Mansur scheduled the hearing for this petition on August 17.
The petition stated, “The white stone area in Sylhet is a popular tourist destination. The streams flowing through large, medium, and small stones were one of the main attractions of this tourist spot. Over the past four months, stones of all sizes have been openly looted.”
Local residents and tourists have alleged that this looting has been carried out openly under the ‘protection’ of influential quarters, threatening not only natural resources but also the tourism industry.
The petition demanded that relevant authorities take appropriate action against those responsible for the incident.
It also called for deploying additional law enforcement personnel in the white stone area of Bholaganj. Additionally, the petition sought a rule asking concerned government officials to explain their inaction so far in taking action against those involved in the stone looting.
Earlier, in an overnight drive on Thursday, joint forces had recovered 12,000 cubic feet of looted stones from the Bholaganj-Sada Pathor tourist area in Sylhet, after public outcry over the rampant looting. Several trucks involved in transporting the looted stones were seized and Purbo Islampur Union Parishad Chairman Alamgir Hossain Alam was arrested by law enforcement in connection with the theft during the drive.
This follows the formation of a three-member inquiry committee to investigate the looting on August 12, scheduled to submit its report by Sunday. This is in addition to an Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) team launching its own investigation and visiting the Sada Pathor site on Wednesday.
