Stop building courthouse on Barisal 'church land'

Minority community leaders yesterday demanded that the government back off from building a courthouse on the "grabbed" land of a century-old church in Barisal city.

They sought the prime minister's intervention in stopping the construction and recovering the land of Barisal Saint Peter's Church, adjacent to Barisal District and Sessions Judge's Court.

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However, the law minister and the Barisal District Bar Association president refuted the allegations of grabbing and said it was government land.

Bangladesh Christian Association, National Church Council of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha, National Christian Fellowship of Bangladesh, and Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikya Parishad made the call from a news conference at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital.

In a statement, Secretary General of the Christian Association Nirmol Rozario said Saint Peter's Church was one of the oldest in the country, covering 2.52 acres of land.

But violating laws, Barisal District Bar Association grabbed the church's pond (measuring 79.9 decimals) and filled it on April 10 last year. The pond was dug for baptising Christians by the church, he added.

When Christians had formed a human chain in the city the next day to protest filling of the pond, a group of people attacked them leaving 18 injured, he said.

Rozario said they had informed the prime minister, law minister, chief justice and authorities concerned about the matter, and filed a writ petition with the High Court. Since the High Court rejected their petition, they filed a leave to appeal with the Supreme Court, which is now pending, he added.

However, amid protest Law Minister Anisul Huq laid the foundation stone of a multi-storey court building on the "church land" on January 12 this year, he said.

Rana Dasgupta, general secretary of the Oikya Parishad, said it was a matter of regret that the government "grabbed" the church land, while the bar association assisted in it.

"Nowadays not only a section of people are tying to grab land in the name of the ruling party, but also the government is making attempts to take away the land of religious minorities," he said.

Supreme Court lawyer Subrata Chowdhury asked, "How could the law minister lay the foundation stone even after knowing all the facts?"

He added the district bar association even passed a resolution so that no member of the association could fight a legal battle for the church.

Subrata said they would  file a complaint with Bangladesh Bar Council against the association's move.

Anisuddin Ahmed, president of the bar association, said the government filled its own land, and the association did nothing to do with it.

He said as lawyers, they were present when the law minister laid the foundation stone.

"It's not true that the bar association grabbed the land. The land is actually owned by the court itself," he said. He also denied passing any resolution barring its members to defend the church in court.

Law Minister Anisul Huq said as far as he knew the case over the land was already disposed of, and there was no dispute over the land now. "The land belongs to the government," he added.

Rozario, however, said, "What the law minister said was not correct. The case is still pending."

Meanwhile, the wall on the west side of the pond had been built by the court, said both Reverend Shanti Mondal of the Parish Community, Barisal and Barisal District Bar Association President Anisuddin.