A upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) has allegedly fired an imam who asked the public servant to move a little to maintain queue during Jummah prayers at Lalmai Masjid in Comilla.
The incident took place at Bhatra Kachari Central Jame Masjid near the Perul union land office of the upazila on Friday.
The sacking led to widespread criticism after it circulated on social media. However, UNO Md Forkan Elahi Anupam denied the allegation, claiming the information was entirely false.
Imam Maulana Abul Bashar explained that he requested worshippers to straighten the rows. One of the worshippers in the same row happened to be Lalmai UNO Md Forkan Elahi Anupam, whom the imam did not recognize.
The imam recounted the incident, stating that the UNO called him and the muezzin to the south side of the mosque after the prayers. When someone present there asked if he knew the UNO, the imam said he did not. The UNO then became agitated, threatening to immerse him in water and questioning his qualifications.
The UNO then called the local UP chairman, Khandaker Saifullah, and Member Golap Hossain. Then the UNO questioned the imam about his request to move during prayers. The imam explained that if the imam could not lead the prayers, the person standing next to them had to fulfil the duties of the imam.
When the imam left the mosque, a worshipper informed him that he no longer had a job, citing the UNO and the chairman.
The incident was announced the following day, and several worshippers confirmed the truth of the incident.
Zahirul Islam, secretary of the mosque management committee, said he prayed in another mosque on Friday but later heard about the dispute involving the imam and the UNO.
Hafez Parvez Hossain, the mosque's muezzin, corroborated the imam's account and said he did not recognize the UNO, leading to the misunderstanding. He said the UNO threatened to submerge the imam in water multiple times.
Perul South UP Chairman Khandaker Saifullah claimed he was unaware of the threat. He criticized the imam and the muezzin's behaviour, leading him to request the mosque committee to remove the imam.
UNO Md Forkan Elahi Anupam defended himself, stating that the mosque's imam was not appointed by the upazila, making the allegation of his firing inaccurate.
Later, the UNO engaged with the Bhatra Kachari Mosque committee and local worshippers to clear up any misunderstanding. He stated that a vested quarter was spreading rumours about the unintentional incident.
