PM orders renaming of 2 new unions allegedly titled after state minister’s sons

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered the Bogura district administrator to change two new unions’ names as they have similarities with the names of two sons of State Minister Shahe Alam.

The PM has given verbal instructions to Bogura Deputy Commissioner Md Towfiqur Rahman for initiating the renaming process for the newly formed Diganta and Simanta unions, the ruling BNP’s Media Cell confirmed on Friday evening, quoting Towfiqur.

Work will begin accordingly even before a formal letter is issued from the Prime Minister’s Office or other concerned departments, Towfiqur said, according to BNP Media Cell's official Facebook page.

The two unions’ history, heritage, geographical features and local people’s opinion will be prioritised in the renaming process, Towfiqur added.

The concerned upazila nirbahi officers (UNO) will convene new public hearings for fixing the new names for the unions ­– currently named Diganta and Simanta, Towfiqur added.

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On 11 June, the Bogura district administration issued a notification confirming the restructuring of two upazilas under the district.

As per the notification, four new unions were formed in the two upazilas.

Union “Mirbari” was formed under Shibganj upazila, while three unions – Simanta, Diganta and Swarnagram – were formed for the freshly created “Mokamtala upazila.”

Of the four unions, three – Mirbari, Simanta and Diganta – drew social media outcry for bearing names linked to State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam.

Mirbari is the name of the ancestral home of Shahe Alam, while Simanta and Diganta match the last names of the state minister’s two sons.

The names of the two sons are: Mir Shakrul Alam Simanta and Mir Saklain Alam Diganta.

The incident also drew political and parliamentary debate.

At the parliament, the state minister said it was only “coincidence” that there were similarities between the new unions’ names and matters linked to him.

He explained that the Simanta (border) union was named as it sits at the border of Gabtoli and and Sonatala upazilas under Bogura. The union Diganta was also named for its geographical features, he claimed.