Tangail College Lecturer Accuses Power Officials of Harassment Amid Ongoing Billing Disputes

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A college lecturer in Tangail’s Sakhipur is currently in hiding following a series of legal disputes with the local power utility, surfacing on social media this Sunday to allege systematic harassment by officials. Sarowar Alam, a lecturer at Borochona-Kutubpur College, utilized a 20-minute Facebook livestream to claim that the Sakhipur Power Development Board (PDB) has targeted his family with malicious lawsuits.

Alam alleges that the conflict originated after he refused a bribe of 20,000 taka allegedly demanded by a power department official on December 29 of last year. Following his decision to file a general diary with the local police regarding the solicitation, Alam claims the utility retaliated by filing a case against him for illegal electricity usage, demanding 130,000 taka in arrears.

The lecturer, who holds a master’s degree from the University of Dhaka, reported that he was arrested on February 2 and spent 70 days in jail before securing his release. He contends that while he was incarcerated, a second case was filed against him linked to his mother’s electricity meter. Fearing further arrest, Alam remains in hiding, missing the recent Eid festivities and failing to attend his professional duties at the college. He has publicly appealed to local members of parliament and government authorities to intervene and end what he describes as a campaign of harassment.

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In response, the Sakhipur PDB has categorically rejected the allegations of misconduct. Executive Engineer Abubakar Talukdar stated that the legal actions taken against Alam were strictly procedural, stemming from prolonged non-payment of electricity bills at both the lecturer’s residence and a business site at Noluya Bazar.

According to Talukdar, the utility’s records confirm that the connections were disconnected due to unpaid dues, and subsequent illegal usage triggered the formal litigation. The official maintained that the department has no interest in harassing the lecturer, noting that Alam was released once he settled the arrears for one of the cases. Talukdar asserted that the remaining legal issues would be resolved immediately upon payment of the outstanding bills, dismissing the claims of harassment as false information disseminated to evade financial obligations.