Awami League leader Zahurul Alam Jashim. Photo: Collected

 
CHATTOGRAM, March 6, 2025 (BSS) - Law enforcement agencies arrested former councilor of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) and Awami League leader Zahurul Alam Jashim from Banasree area in the capital last night.

Jashim has notorious track record of different criminal activities including hill-cutting and grabbing, extortion and patronizing anti-social gangs in his constituency as well as adjacent areas for a long time using his political identity.
 
Jashim is co-accused of a case filed with Akbar Shah Police Station by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) when a BELA team led by its Chief Executive and current Forest, Environment and Climate Charge affairs Adviser Syeda Rezwana Hasan on allegation of attacking and threatening the BELA team during the organization's delegation visiting in the areas to see illegal hill cutting on January 26, 2023.
 
Confirming the news on Thursday, Akbar Shah thana OC Babul Azad said he was arrested from Banasree area of Rampura Police Station in the capital around 3 a.m on Wednesday.

The arrested Jashim is being brought to Chattogram. Jasim is a former councilor of CCC North Pahartali Ward No. 9 and joint convener of North Pahartali Ward unit AL. 

Jashim has emerged as a crime lord in the areas by encroaching government land particularly of Bangladesh Railway lands and properties. Besides, he managed to earn crores of Taka and established his own empire by cutting down hills rampantly, built residential plots on encroached government lands and over razed hills side by side used to extort money from business houses and individuals. 

Earlier, Jashim has been temporarily suspended from CCC Councilor post by the Ministry of Local Government on January 24 last following allegations against him in connection with an incident involving the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA).

There are dozens of cases have been pending against the controversial AL leader in various police stations of the city for his involvement in several criminal activities including attack on protesters during student-led July uprising.
 
It is learned that Zahurul Alam Jasim won the 2015 election as a councilor of CCC. The Hill Management Committee formed by the district administration had urged repeatedly to disconnect illegal electricity, gas and water connections from the residential facilities built on illegally occupied lands by hill cutting. But concerned utility service providing agencies could not implement the decision due to influenced and threat made by Jashim and his gang, local sources said.
 
On May 28, 2015, the Department of Environment (DoE) filed a case against Councilor Jashim on charges of hill cutting. 

In addition, the department fined Councilor Jashim's wife, Taslima Begum, Tk 20,000 on September 27, 2021, for cutting down a hill.

On August 10, 2020, the DoE filed a another case against Councilor Jashim for razing hills and constructing a structure adjacent to the Lake City residential area of Akbar Shah police station.