Don't rent house to supporters of banned party: Announcement made in police's name spreads panic in Ctg neighbourhood
The announcement explicitly used the name of "Karnaphuli Police Station," however the OC has denied such claims
A public announcement, made in the name of the local police station, urging landlords to refrain from renting homes to supporters of any banned political party, has sparked widespread panic among residents and tenants in Chattogram's Karnaphuli area.
A video of the incident went viral on social media yesterday (18 September), leading to public criticism and concern.
In the video, a young man, dressed in a white lungi and a green jersey, is seen making an announcement from a CNG-run auto-rickshaw, urging homeowners not to rent out homes to unfamiliar tenants without proper documentation and specifically called on them not to accommodate "members of any banned political party".
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He warned that legal action would be taken against landlords who ignored the directive. The announcement concluded by explicitly using the name of "Karnaphuli Police Station".
Many tenants expressed fear, worrying that they could face similar pressure from the authorities.
However, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Karnaphuli Police Station Mohammed Sharif said, "We have never issued such a directive. It was broadcast incorrectly, and the matter has since been corrected."
Upon investigation, the person making the announcement was identified as Parvez, a local resident, although he could not be reached for comment by The Business Standard.
Meanwhile, the Operations Officer of Karnaphuli Police Station, Mizanur Rahman, admitted that a directive was issued during a "Citizen's Forum" meeting, where landlords were advised to verify tenants' identities before renting out their homes.
However, he claimed that the person making the announcement "said additional things" that were not part of the official directive.
In this regard, former joint secretary of BNP's Karnaphuli Upazila unit, Harunur Rashid, said, "This kind of 'strict' police activity regarding house rentals was last seen a decade ago. I cannot understand why the administration has suddenly started such activities."
"I expect the administration to exercise extra caution to ensure that local landlords and innocent political workers are not harassed by these police actions," he added.
