The lawmaker from Kushtia-2 (Mirpur-Bheramara) constituency, now on the run, faces seven cases for vandalising opposition rallies, all filed on February 12 with Mirpur and Bheramara police stations.

Several murders were committed in his constituency during his 10-year tenure as lawmaker from the constituency. Relatives of some of the victims pointed finger at Shahidul but did not file cases. Preparations are on now to file cases against him in connection some of the murders, sources in Mirpur and Bheramara said.

Shahidul was elected from Kushtia-2 in 1996 and 2001 elections.

Sources in law enforcers said, after proclamation of emergency, they raided Shahidul's house to nab him for his alleged corruption and protecting musclemen and outlaws.

His elder brother Touhidul Isam Alam, chairman of Bheramara municipality and president of local Bheramara upazila BNP, was arrested on March 2. He is now in Kushtia jail.

Sahidul started life as a lecturer of Zoology at Bheramara College in 1981. He was removed from service in 1986 after a probe body headed by the then Deputy Commissioner (DC) found Sahidul's Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) fake.

Sahidul left the college and went to Dhaka, where he developed relationship with some front ranking BNP leaders.

After fall of Ershad government, Sahidul returned to Kushtia and became involved with BNP.

He tried for nomination in 1991 election but did not get. He however managed to make his wife Selina Sahid a lawmaker from reserved seats.

This opened up scope for Sahidul and gradually he established his supremacy in Mirpur-Bheramara area.

As former BNP lawmaker from the constituency, veteran freedom fighter Abdur Rouf Choudhury, declined to take part in the farcical February 15 polls in 1996, Sahidul availed the chance and became a 'lawmaker' in the one party election that was later scrapped.

Sahidul was nominated in the June 12, 1996 national election and was elected. It is alleged that he used outlawed party cadres to rig vote.

Sahidul allegedly used notorious outlawed leader and the then Gono Bahini (GB) chief Sirajul Islam Siraj alias Koshai Siraj in 1996 election. Koshai Siarj campaigned for Sahidul, intimidating voters not to go to polling centers.

During Awami Lwague rule, when Siraj surrendered to law enforcers at the call of the then home minister Mohammad Nasim in 1999, Sahidul asked a BNP man run the gang earlier led by Siraj. The BNP man was the then chairman of Ambaria Union Parishad. He was killed in April 21, 2004.

Sahidul also brought into his fold Abri Hasan, a top cadre of Janajuddho faction of Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-ML) in 2000. Abir campaigned for Sahidul in 2001 election.

Three Awami League (AL) activists--Asadul, Sawapan and Ferat Ali--were killed in July 15, 2001, allegedly following an altercation with Sahidul's men over use of low quality materials in a road reconstruction work. A construction company allegedly owned by Sahidul's relative was doing the reconstruction work.

Chhatra League leader Gama, brother of slain Aadul, filed a case with Mirpur police accusing Sahidul. Police dropped Sahidul's name from the charge sheet. The case is still pending as the plaintiff submitted a naraji petition against the charge sheet.

Mirpur upazila BNP president Al-Mamun-ur- Rasul alias Babu Khan was killed in April 2004 by some unidentified criminals when he was returning home from Mirpur Bazar at night.

Soon after the killing, Sahidul phoned local journalists and police and said that Janajuddho cadres did the murder.

But Janajuddho later said its cadres were not involves in the murder, saying the murder was done by hired men in a sequel to internal feud in BNP.

Sources said Sahidul had a feud with Babu Khan over local party politics. The Babu khan murder case is still pending.

Police searched Sahidul's house in Bheramara town on April 1, 2001, arrested his cadre Sanjoy Kumar and recovered one rifle and five revolvers. Police filed case accusing Sahidul but the case is still pending.

On March 24 last year, another case was filed against Sahidul in connection with the murder of BCL activists Sanwar Hossain Jibon, Mizanur Rahman Majnu and Miton Hossain. The case is still pending.

It was gathered that development projects involving at least Tk 600 crore were sanctioned for Mirpur-Bheramara area in last five year.

Nine construction companies carried out the works. Sahidul's relatives owned six of them.

Different sources claimed that huge amounts were misappropriated by the firms owned by Shahidul's relatives.

The company owned by his close relatives got the Tk 85 crore Sagarkhali-Barabila irrigation project work in Amla in Mirpur upazila last year.

They also constructed Mirpur municipality building involving Tk 96 lakh and implemented several project including construction of Talbaria, Chatian and Sadarpur Union Parishad complexes involving Tk 1.5 crore, several primary schools at Tk 2 crore, Mirpur-Poradah road reconstruction work at 55 lakh, Malihad-Sadrapur road at 3.5 crore, Sadarpur-Amla GK canal at 52 lakh, Paharpur-Lakmipur bridge at 1.30 crore and Mosharrafpur bridge at Tk 88 lakh. Sources alleged massive corruption in these works.

Sahidul's musclemen forcibly occupied five government approved sand quarries (balu mahal) in Padma river. Even lessees of the sand quarries could not establish their rights there, some of them alleged.

The five sand quarries are at Baro Mile, Katdah, Krittnagar, Bishalchandi and Minapara on the Padma, leased from the Mineral Resouers Development Bureau (MRDB) in 2003.