Man stages hunger strike in Jessore to recover long-standing debt from property deal gone wrong

A migrant worker has launched a public protest in Jashore, sitting in a symbolic hunger strike outside a residential building to demand the recovery of 1.02 million taka he claims he is owed. Al Amin, who spent years working in Saudi Arabia, initiated the demonstration in front of the Raunak Sunflower Tower on Rabindranath Tagore Road on Thursday, citing a four-year-long struggle to retrieve his funds.

The protest began on Wednesday afternoon and continued through Thursday, attracting significant attention from local residents and passersby. Amin utilized a sound system to play a recorded narration of his ordeal, highlighting his plight as he occupied the sidewalk with placards detailing the transaction.

According to Amin, the dispute stems from a failed business arrangement involving a commercial shop. He alleges that four years ago, he paid Shahriar Palash 1.02 million taka to purchase a shop, facilitated by an intermediary named Mizan. Amin claims that after receiving the payment, Palash repeatedly delayed the registration of the property. Upon investigation, Amin discovered that the shop was subject to a ownership dispute among multiple stakeholders and was not solely owned by Palash as claimed.

Amin, who returned from Saudi Arabia in poor health, stated that he has exhausted his savings on medical expenses and is now in severe financial distress. He stated that he resorted to the public demonstration after all private attempts to secure a refund were ignored by Palash.

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Addressing the allegations, Shahriar Palash acknowledged receiving the funds but attributed the failure to complete the transaction to the ongoing ownership disputes. He claimed that efforts are underway to sell the shop to another party, and he intends to reimburse Amin once that sale is finalized.

Local law enforcement has taken note of the public protest. Masum Khan, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Kotwali Model Police Station, confirmed that authorities are aware of the situation. However, he noted that no formal complaint has been filed by the victim, adding that police will initiate an investigation should a formal report be submitted.