Dhaka: A contractor has alleged that the administrative officer of Nagarkanda municipality and his aide assaulted him and broke his hand after he refused to pay a bribe for the release of a pending bill.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the accused are municipal Administrative Officer Humayun Kabir and his aide Moslem Uddin. Contractor Hasibul Hasan Abdullah alleged that the incident took place in the administrative officer's room at the municipality around 1:00 pm on Wednesday. He was initially taken to Nagarkanda Upazila Health Complex and later referred to Faridpur General Hospital for further treatment.
Hasibul stated that his company, Syeda Jahanara Enterprises, completed RCC casting work on three roads under the IUIDP project in 2023. The bill for the work was approved about eight months ago but remains unpaid. He alleged that Humayun demanded 15 percent of the bill as a bribe for releasing the payment, claiming he had already paid Tk 5 lakh on August 10 but was later asked to pay another Tk 5 lakh.
Hasibul claimed that when he went to the municipality office on Wednesday to discuss the pending bill, Humayun and Moslem assaulted him with a galvanized iron pipe, resulting in a fractured hand. He has filed a complaint with the police regarding the incident.
Humayun, however, denied the bribery allegations, stating that the bill had not been paid because the contractor's work was incomplete. He mentioned that the municipality administrator and Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) instructed officials not to release the payment until the work was finalized. Humayun further claimed that the contractor, upset by the decision, initiated the attack and denied assaulting the contractor or using a GI pipe.
Nagarkanda municipality Administrator and UNO Rezwana Afrin acknowledged the contractor's bill, stating that payment was withheld due to discrepancies in the work. She emphasized that the payment would not be released until the work was completed, adding that she was unaware of why the contractor went to the administrative officer's room. Rezwana described any assault inside a government office as undesirable and assured that the matter would be investigated, with legal action taken accordingly.