bdnews24.com :Sirajganj Municipality Mayor and BNP leader M Mokaddes Ali has been suspended from his office for being accused in a case of sabotage.The LGRD ministry’s order to this effect, signed by Deputy Secretary Md Khalilur Rahman, was faxed to the district’s Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Billal Hossain on Thursday. Hossain said, the order asked Panel Mayor-2 Selim Ahammed to function as acting mayor for the time being. The suspended mayor is the general secretary of the BNP’s district unit. Accused in six cases, Ali has been absconding for a long time.He was also accused of setting fire to a railway coach near the venue of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s rally at Mulabarhi on Oct 11, 2010. The order said Mokaddes Ali continuing as mayor was against the interest of the municipality and the public, and also against administrative expediency. It directed that Ahammed be handed over the responsibilities within next three days. Ahammed is the Organising Secretary of the district unit of the Juba League, youth front of the ruling Awami League. He told bdnews24.com he had already been discharging the duties of mayor in Ali’s absence.Ali said he was a victim of political vengeance. “The action has been taken unethically as part of political vengeance though I had been properly discharging duties of the municipality,” he told bdnews24.com by telephone. The election to the Sirajganj municipality was held on Jan 12, 2011.
