Several farmers, who leased their land in Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira to Shakib Al Hasan Agro Farm, now want their land back as well as due lease payments.
Forming a human chain before the crab hatchery on Thursday, the land owners said the farm authorities have failed to make lease payments and have not returned their land either.
As a result, they said, they have been leading miserable lives for some time.
A five-year deal was signed on January 1, 2016, for the hatchery on 48 bigha of land.
As the farm is closed, the land owners are not getting back any of the money owed or the land.
According to the agreement, Bangladesh’s ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan along with two of his business associates, Sagir Hossain Pavel and Md Imdadul Haque, leased each bigha of land for Tk12,000 from the 12 owners, and the contract expired on December 31, 2020.
Saiful Islam, the son of one of the land owners, said: “There was signboard earlier bearing the name of Shakib Al Hasan, but there is no mention of his name anywhere anymore.”
The farm is neither renewing the contract nor returning the land, he said.
Another leaser, Surat Ali Gazi, said the land owners had taken their plight to the local union parishad chairman, but he could not do anything to resolve the issue.
“He [Shakib] must not be having monetary problems. We want the problem to be addressed; we do not want to get the administration involved and ruin his image,” he added.
The signboard bearing the former Bangladesh captain’s name has been removed, said Burigoalini UP Chairman Nazrul Islam.
A local resident, Abdul Halim, said he doubts that the cricketer is still involved with the farm. “I do not want to accuse him of anything without proof as he is a national treasure.”
A person involved in the project, Imdadul Huq, and the manager of the enclosure, Toufik, said the farm is closed now, before assuring that the land owners will get their money soon. The farm is facing losses, they explained.
Shakib’s associate Sagir Hossain Pavel, who is a former cricketer, said the all-rounder is not with the farm anymore.
“We asked for two months to settle all the debts, but the land owners started their protest before we could do that. Hopefully the problem will be resolved soon,” he said.
Earlier, in 2020, the employees of the farm went on strike demanding arrears, and were finally paid after the Bangladesh Cricket Board intervened.