SAFF champ Akhi’s family in legal trouble over Sirajganj land gifted by PM

When the entire nation has been celebrating the victory of female football players for winning SAFF Women's Championship, footballer Akhi Khatun's family Sirajganj's Shahjadpur upazila is facing legal trouble for a land gifted to her by the prime minister.

A local court on September 19 imposed section 144 on the land and ordered local administration to submit a report.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on June 4 this year gifted the piece of khas land to Akhi, who won the golden boot in SAFF U-18 Women's Championship, for building a house. Since then, her family has been facing legal troubles regarding the ownership of this land.

A local man, Md Mokaram Hossain, filed a case with the court claiming the land originally belongs to a mosque.

Akhi's father Md Akter Hossain said, "I am a labourer. I am lucky that my daughter has been performing well for the nation. When the prime minister's gift came to my family, we were happy. But now I am worried if we will ever get possession of the government-donated land."

Akter also blamed the local administration for giving him the "disputed land".

Shahzadpur UNO, however said the khas land is under Khotian No.-1, so this is originally government's land.

"Nobody has the right to occupy the land." he said adding that, if the right papers are submitted at the court as per its order, the complexity will be resolved.

Meanwhile, two policemen of Shahjadpur Police Station have been closed and attached to the district police lines on charges of misbehaving with the family members over the land issue.

Md Akter Hossain said that two policemen visited his family in order to deliver the court order on September 21, 2022 and misbehaved with them.

A committee was formed to investigate the matter, said Additional Superintendent of Police (Shahzadpur circle) Md Hasibul Islam.