Although 183,590 farmers were directly affected by the recent heavy rains in Sylhet division, only 91,951 have been included in the government's humanitarian assistance program announced by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
The exclusion of 91,999 affected farmers has sparked widespread anger, with many alleging favoritism, nepotism, and political bias in the preparation of the beneficiary list. According to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, 64,784 farmers in Sunamganj, 3,233 in Sylhet, 12,301 in Moulvibazar, and 11,633 in Habiganj will receive 15 kg of rice and Tk 3,000 in cash each.
On June 21, Giresh Barman of Dirai upazila in Sunamganj filed a complaint with the upazila nirbahi officer, alleging that multiple members of the same family, non-farmers, private tutors, and gold traders were included in the beneficiary list while many genuine flood-affected farmers were left out. He demanded that the list be revised to ensure deserving farmers receive assistance.
The Ministry of Disaster Management stated that the list was prepared through consultations involving deputy commissioners, upazila nirbahi officers, agriculture officials, local representatives, and Members of Parliament, following a decision taken at the Prime Minister's Office on May 19.
However, Md Mosharraf Hossain, Additional Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Sylhet Region, confirmed that although the field administration submitted a list of 183,590 farmers, the ministry later reduced the number of beneficiaries. He said the assistance covers May, June, and July, with two months of distribution already completed, and urged anyone with evidence of irregularities to file written complaints with the respective Deputy Commissioners.
The controversy has triggered protests in several parts of Sunamganj. Farmers held demonstrations in Paikurati Union of Dharmapasha Upazila and Shalla Upazila, alleging that relatives of union chairmen and members were included in the list while genuine farmers were excluded.
Protester Nayan Moni claimed the beneficiary list favored local representatives' relatives instead of actual victims. Farmer Shanto Das of Habibpur Union said all four acres of his cultivated land had been submerged, forcing him to send his wife and children to Gazipur after losing his livelihood. Social media has also been flooded with allegations of irregularities in Dirai Upazila, prompting the local administration to suspend the beneficiary list in Karimpur Union, while similar allegations have emerged in Jagdal and Charnarchar unions.
Dirai Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sanjib Sarkar said that an initial list of 23,000 farmers had been prepared for the agricultural assistance program in Dirai. However, the Prime Minister's Office later finalized a list of 11,776 beneficiaries.
He said the reduction in the number of recipients led to dissatisfaction among some farmers. "Those who received assistance believe the list is accurate, while those who were left out claim it is flawed," Sarkar said.
He added that a human chain protest was organized in one union under the leadership of two Union Parishad members. According to the UNO, the demonstration may have been influenced by a dispute with the Union Parishad chairman.
Sarkar said that specific complaints regarding the beneficiary list are being reviewed through hearings and resolved accordingly. He also noted that the distribution of assistance is now in its final stage.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, heavy rains caused Tk 997.83 crore worth of damage to IRRI-Boro paddy across four districts of Sylhet division. Sunamganj suffered the highest losses, with 43,747 hectares submerged, 129,559 farmers affected, 141,397 metric tons of paddy destroyed, and financial losses estimated at Tk 692.85 crore. In Sylhet, 590 hectares were submerged, affecting 4,235 farmers and causing losses of Tk 11.14 crore. Moulvibazar recorded 4,206 hectares submerged, 27,463 farmers affected, and losses of Tk 82.86 crore, while Habiganj saw 10,099 hectares inundated, 22,333 farmers affected, and losses estimated at Tk 210.68 crore.
The heavy rains in May inundated large areas of Sunamganj, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Kishoreganj, and Netrokona, severely damaging Boro paddy during the harvest season. In response, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman announced a three-month humanitarian assistance program for affected farmers in seven districts, but allegations surrounding the beneficiary list have raised concerns about the fairness and transparency of the relief distribution process.