Former MP's house occupied by 'student representative', turned into asylum

A six-storey house belonging to a former Awami League MP has allegedly been occupied by an individual posing as a student representative and turned into an asylum for people with "mental disorders" in Tangail.

Police and locals said the building of former MP and district Awami League General Secretary Joaherul Islam, who is known as VP Joaher, on the city's Choto Kalibari Road was taken over on Saturday morning.

A young woman named Mariam Mukaddas Mishti, who identified herself as a student representative, broke the lock of the house and led the seizure.

Tangail Sadar Police Station chief Tanvir Ahmed said he had heard of the incident from locals.

Since the students who led the mass civil movement have formed a new political party, he believes there is nothing left like student representatives or coordinators.

Regarding the capture of the building, Mishti told journalists: “The occupation of the building was announced earlier on Facebook.

“Asylum will be set up for the mentally disabled in the houses of all Awami League leaders. As part of that, we entered the building by breaking the lock in the morning. Around 20 people with mental disabilities from the Al-Muqaddas Foundation have been kept in that house.

"It cannot be termed as an encroachment as the building was not taken for any individual's use. An asylum is being made for the neglected lunatics of society."

Claiming that other coordinators also supported the move, Mishti said: "A person came from Joaherul Islam’s side and said that the asylum should be built there without demolishing the structure. According to his proposal, an asylum for the mentally disabled has been built."

However, Mishti could not say the name and identity of the individual.

Meanwhile, many locals have expressed discomfort over the development of the asylum for people with “mental illness” in a residential area.

However, nobody is willing to speak publicly on the issue as students are involved in the matter.

Responding to this, Mishti said: "If the patients have any impact on the lives of the people in the area, those with severe illness will be transferred to the house of another Awami League leader. People with light symptoms will reside here."

Al Amin, the Tangail coordinator of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, said: “We don't support that at all. In addition, Mishti played a role in the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, so it cannot be accepted that she will take special advantage. It does not go with the spirit of the anti-fascist movement."

He said, "Currently, no one is allowed to use the identity of the coordinator. We did not take any action to seize anyone's house. If someone does something like this, action will be taken against them."

Joaherul has been in hiding with his family since the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5.