The Anti-Corruption Commission has launched a new investigation against Pir Dillur Rahman, the controversial spiritual leader of the Rajarbagh Darbar Sharif, over allegations of accumulating wealth illegally.
The move, however, raises the question of whether it is tough for government agencies to reveal the myth behind a so-called Pir's web of crime.
The new step was taken in the wake of allegations received by the anti-graft body and preliminary reports by detectives, which suggest that the activities of Pir Dillur and his associates and followers are similar to those of extremist and banned extremist organizations. They deliberately misrepresent the Holy Quran and Hadith and incite people into killing and jihad.
The ACC has formed a three-member team, led by deputy director Anwarul Haque, to investigate the matter. The other members are Assistant Director Md Saiful Islam and Deputy Assistant Director Md Altaf Hossain.
According to sources, the new committee has already sent letters to several governmental organizations to seek property information.
While there is a High Court directive regarding the issue, the anti-graft body has received allegations against Pir Dillur of deceiving general people in the name of religion, grabbing thousands of acres of land in different parts of the country through various irregularities, illegally occupying a rubber plantation, and acquiring illegal assets.
Pir Dillur and his syndicate have grabbed land and obtained illegal wealth by cheating people in the name of religion as well as through misinterpreting Islam, according to ACC sources. The anti-graft body decided to investigate the allegations after verification of the information.
ACC report
In 2021, the ACC formed a three-member team, led by deputy director Md Jahangir Alam, to investigate the matter. The investigation team submitted a partial report to the HC in the same year.
According to the report, Pir Dillur and his various organizations own 32,205.91 decimals of land spread across the country. Of this, 30,000 decimals of land are in the name of 12 rubber plantations on lease in the Lama area of Bandarban.
However, a total of 1,819.91 decimals are shown by the Muhammadia Jamia Shareef Madrasa and Yateemkhana (Orphanage). They have been described as donations, the ACC has found.
The investigators have also found 386 decimals of land, claimed to be owned through ancestral means, in Araihazar, Narayanganj.
Apart from this, 66.28 decimals of land in Motijheel are shown as joint property, where there are three six-storey buildings, from which Pir Dillur conducts his operations.
His known properties include the monthly magazine, Al Baiyenat and Daily Al Ihsan, a hospital, and 56 cars, the ACC report said, citing income tax documents.
As per the audit report submitted to the Income Tax Department, till June 30, 2021, a total of 1,819.11 decimals of land were acquired through purchases in various areas of Cox's Bazar, Comilla, Kushtia, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Gazipur, Chapainbaganj, Jamalpur, Joypurhat, Dinajpur, Naogaon, Nilphamari, Netrakona, Narsingdi, Pabna, Panchagarh, Pirojpur, Bogra, Brahmanbaria, Barguna, Bhola, Manikganj, Moulvibazar, Rangpur, Lakshmipur, Lalmonirhat, Sherpur, Sirajganj, Sunamganj, Dhaka, Narayanganj, and Khagrachhari police stations.
Some information and records were found during the investigation in the context of sending letters to various offices.
The ACC hopes to acquire detailed information on the assets following the investigation.
When contacted, Rajarbagh Darbar Sharif spokesperson Mahbubul Alom Arif claimed that the allegations were baseless.
"All properties, including mosques and madrasas, were donated by the Pir’s followers," he told Dhaka Tribune.
CTTC report
In December 2021, the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, in a report submitted to the High Court, said the activities of Pir Dillur, his associates and followers were similar to those of extremist and banned extremist organizations.
Reviewing the Daily Al Ihsan and the monthly paper, Al Baiyenat, and several other books published by them, the CTTC said that the leaders of the Rajarbagh Darbar Sharif deliberately misrepresented the Holy Quran and Hadith in the name of Islam to mislead religious people and incite them into killing and jihad.
The CTTC investigators also observed that through their propaganda, religious extremism and militancy, religious prejudice, and sectarianism are being disseminated in various ways.
The report also said such activities are in direct conflict with government policies, existing laws of the country, the Constitution, and the basic spirit of the Liberation War, as well as against social and communal harmony.
However, the Pir objected to the claims made in that report.
CID report
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has found that Pir Dillur and his followers opened various institutions, including madrasas and mosques, to confuse innocent people by harassing them with false cases and misinterpreting religion.
There is evidence of fatwas being issued, stating that it is Islamic duty to kill people of different faiths and religions, which are similar to the ideas propagated by banned militant organizations, the CID mentioned in the report.
