KHULNA, Sept 16, 2025 (BSS) - Sufia Khatun, a beggar of over-70-year-old, has at last got back her only homestead with the help of the Khulna Zonal Settlement Office (ZSO) recently after a long harassment. Sufia, also a widow with no kids, now maintains her livelihood by begging. There was a small hut on 27-decimal land inherited by her in Islamkathi Mouza under Tala Upazila of Satkhira. A powerful local man seized her homestead by forging documents during the previous Awami League government leaving Sufia, living a hand-to-mouth life, in a devastated situation.  No one came forward to help her reclaim the paternal land and house from the influential AL man. While wandering in despair, she learned that the Khulna Zonal Settlement Office (ZSO) might assist in recovering her property. Since then, she began visiting the ZSO regularly, but as a poor old beggar, no one paid attention to her plea. One day, while roaming on the office premises, she came across Khulna Zonal Settlement Officer, Md. Yusuf Ali. He listened to her problem and arranged a hearing on her complaint. The claim was found valid after hectic searching, and the Settlement Office officially restored the land records in her name. Though Sufia still begs for food during the day, at least she now can sleep peacefully in her own home. Talking to BSS, Sufia said with a smiling face that she got justice during this government.  I slept on the street for the last five years, a local influential AL man grabbed my ancestral land, I went from door to door, including our local parliament member, but nobody paid heed to my complaint,  she said. Sufia added,  Now I am very happy as I am sleeping in my father s homestead for just a couple of days.  A similar experience Ajiar Rahman, a resident of Padmapukur mouza under Shyamnagar upazila in Satkhira, had to go through as 16 decimals of his fish farm were grabbed with fake deeds by a local influential AL man. Ajiar, too, filed a case with the ZSO, and within just two days of hearings, the land was returned to him. In fact, several dozen victims of land fraud have regained their properties over the past six months through the ZSO s intervention. Now the harassment of ordinary people at the Khulna Zonal Settlement Office has decreased significantly in the last six months. Brokers, who once crowded at the ZSO office, are no longer active. With the publication of field survey gazettes, land-related fraud has reduced, revenue collection has increased, and unnecessary cases are no longer being entertained. According to ZSO sources, manual field surveys and khatian (record-of-rights) preparation have been ongoing for nearly three decades. The Khulna division comprises 2,451 mouzas, of which surveys of 10 mouzas were canceled, while 6 have been reserved for digital surveys. So far, surveys of 2,322 mouzas have been completed and gazette notifications have been issued. Each mouza contains lands ranging from 3,500 to 4,000 khatians. After the political change, final verification of 56 mouzas has been completed in the last six months and every month 4 5 mouzas are being gazetted compared to just one mouza per month in the past. Talking to BSS, Khulna Zonal Settlement Officer Yusuf Ali said,  After taking the charge, I have been trying to work maintaining transparency.   My target is to complete the manual surveys before the digital ones begin. I also inherited about 1,500 pending cases from my predecessor,  he said. By law, any fraudulent alteration or clerical error in published khatians must be challenged within one month. But here, cases were even being filed after six months or a year. Resolving those cases is also a big challenge, but we are making every effort to solve the problems.  He said, any citizen who is facing such problem would get justice and get back their lands if he or she has proper documents. 

CHATTOGRAM, Sept 16, 2025 (BSS) - Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) arrested seven activists of the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) during a torchlight procession in Boropool area under Bandar thana last night. Confirming the incident, OC of Bandar Police, Aftab Uddin said the activists, carrying torches, sticks, and other weapons, staged a sudden procession around 10:00 pm, chanting slogans against the interim government. "Police rushed to the scene after receiving information, prompting the participants to flee," he added, noting that the banned BCL activists were planning to create anarchy and violence in the area. The arrested activists were identified as Md Ibrahim Khali Tusher, 24; Asif Mahbub, 24; Nayon Shill, 23; Md Sagar, 25; Zahidul Islam, 22; Masud Howleder, 30; and Moinuddin, 30.  Police seized sticks, brickbats, and cell phones from their possession. A case has been filed with Bandar Police in connection with the incident. In a separate operation, Khulshi Police under CMP arrested Mohammad Ibrahim, president of AL's Kabirhat upazila unit of Noakhali district, from South Khulshi around 2:30 am. Ibrahim, elder brother of former AL lawmaker Ekramul Karim Chowdhury of Noakhali-4 constituency, had been on the run in connection with a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Kabirhat thana.  He was produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court, which ordered him to be sent to jail.