Rows of sand-carrying ships are parked near the Padma Bridge in Jajira, Shariatpur. The photo was taken last Friday evening.

There have been allegations of extortion from hundreds of sand-carrying ships that stop near the Padma Bridge in Jajira, Shariatpur. The extortion begins every evening in the name of allowing people to stop on the river bank. A local gang is extorting between 200-500 taka from each sand-carrying ship.

Sand-carrying ship workers and local residents have alleged that a gang and some dishonest members of the naval police are involved in the extortion. However, the police have denied the allegations.

It is known that sand is loaded from the Jamuna River in various regions including Pabna every day and taken to various regions including Dhaka, Narayanganj, Chandpur by hundreds of sand-carrying ships under the Padma Bridge. On the way, the sand-carrying ships stop at Majhirghat Zero Point in Jajira Upazila of Shariatpur, 2 kilometers downstream from the Padma Bridge. After staying there all night, the sand-carrying ships leave for their destination in the morning.

Local residents and workers have alleged that a group including locals Suruj Madbar, Jasim Madbar, Shajahan Chowkidar, and Razzaj Chowkidar are collecting extortion money in the name of helping to keep sand-carrying ships anchored on the banks of the Padma at night. Extortion of 200-500 taka is being collected from each sand-carrying ship.

On Friday evening, when I went to Majhirghat Zero Point, I saw hundreds of ships loaded with sand arriving at the banks of the Padma River one after another. At that time, two members of the Padma Bridge South Police Station were seen near the sand-carrying ship.

When asked, Sub-Inspector (SI) of Padma Bridge South Police Station Fuad said, "I came here to see if anyone is doing any scam." When asked about the extortion allegations, Fuad said, "We don't know anything about extortion. We don't know who is doing the extortion."

Local resident Bachchu Faraji, who was present at the time, said, "Every day from afternoon to 8 pm, hundreds of sand-laden ships come and dock here. When the light of dawn breaks, the ships again go to their respective destinations. A local gang including Suruj Madbar, Jasim Madbar, Shajahan Chowkidar, Razzaj Chowkidar is collecting extortion from these sand-laden ships. 200-500 taka is collected from each ship. If the extortion is not paid, they are prevented from boarding. The Majhirghat Naval Base police and the Padma Bridge South Police Station are involved in this extortion. They come here every evening and collect extortion from here.

Bachchu Faraji said, "This area is prone to erosion by the Padma. There is a risk of further erosion on the riverbank as hundreds of sand-carrying ships are allowed to dock here every day. Therefore, we, the people of the Padma, demand from the administration that sand-carrying ships not be allowed to dock here."

Another local resident, Haji Kashem Madbar, said, "The sand-laden ships anchored on the banks of the Padma have caused the banks to break. We are in fear, we don't know when our houses will collapse. Some miscreants are taking money from sand-laden ships and arranging a stopover here. We want no sand-laden ship to dock here."

Mangal Madbar, a former Union Parishad (UP) member of the area, said, "A group is taking a bribe of 200-500 taka from each sand-carrying ship and allowing hundreds of ships to dock on the banks of the Padma."

A sand-carrying ship employee named Mohiuddin said, "We have brought sand from the Jamuna and are going to Dhaka. We will stop here at night. For this, some people here are taking a bribe of 200 taka from us."

Regarding the allegations of extortion, Suruj Madbar said, "Some locals help tie up the sand-carrying ships with poles and keep them guarded. So the people on the ships are happy to give some money. No one extorts here."

Regarding the allegations, Majhirghat Naval Base In-charge SI Mosharraf Hossain told The Daily Global Nation, "No one from my naval base is involved in extortion. If we find evidence of anyone's involvement, action will be taken."

Padma Bridge South Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Akram Hossain said, "The police are on duty to ensure that no sand-carrying ships enter the Padma Bridge and surrounding erosion-affected areas and to remove them. The police went there as part of their regular duty. None of our police is involved in extortion from sand-carrying ships. I don't know whether anyone else is extorting money."