Noakhali UP member sent to jail for issuing birth certificates to Rohingyas

A court in Noakhali today sent a union parishad member of the district's Senbagh upazila to jail in a case filed for issuing birth and naturalisation certificates to Rohingya refugees.

Noakhali chief judicial magistrate passed the order after police produced Abdul Hakim (37), a member of ward no 3 of Kadra Union Parishad, before the court this afternoon, said Abdul Baten Mridha, officer-in-charge of Senbagh Police Station.

The court also rejected his bail prayer after a hearing, our Noakhali correspondent reports quoting the police official.

Abdul Hakim was arrested from his house in Joynagar village early today, said Abdul Baten.

UP member Hakim had issued the birth and naturalisation certificates to three Rohingya youths so they could get Bangladeshi passports, said the OC.

According to police, on September 5, 2019, Ashadul Islam, sub-inspector of Akbar Shah Police Station in Chattogram city, filed the case after three Rohingys were arrested from the port city for allegedly collecting passports from Noakhali regional office on December 24, 2018 using birth and naturalisation certificates of Kadra union.

The Rohingyas refugees -- Mohammad Yusuf, Mohammad Musa and Mohammad Abdul Aziz of Hakimpara refugee camp of Cox's Bazar Ukhiya upazila—used the address of Najarpur and Senbagh villages to collect the certificates.

Today, Senabagh police arrested UP member Abdul Hakim following an arrest warrant issued by a Chattogram court, said Md Alamgir Hossain, superintendent of Noakhali police.