"It is the right time to go against corruption and to resist it," he said while exchanging views with a cross section of people in Kurigram district headquarters.

As part of his countrywide tour to create mass awareness against corruption, Mashhud visited four northern districts--Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Gaibandha--yesterday and held meetings with the local administration, people including members of the civil society, journalists, lawyers, teachers and students, businessmen and field-level ACC officials.

They urged the ACC chairman as well as the caretaker government to take stern actions against the corrupt politicians, businessman and government officials.

Teachers and students' representative at the four districts recommended banning teacher-student politics in order to have corruption-free educational institutions across the country.

The ACC chairman urged all to form anti-graft committees at grassroots level with the slogan "I will not be involved with corruption or allow anyone to be involved with corruption".

"Good days for principles will come soon and by that time we will have to smash corruption's good days," he said. Mashhud said as the time has come to root out corruption, pressure has to be created on the corrupt people and institutions so that Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) cannot hold us in the 20 most corrupt nations list.

The anti-graft body chief said it is not possible to curb corruption by nabbing and bringing to justice a few corrupt people. Mass awareness against corruption in remote areas could help curb corruption in the country, said Mashhud adding that the ACC as well as the government will assist any forum or committee that will work for preventing and curbing corruption.

Terming corruption a problem, a stigma and a black stain, the ACC chief sought assistance from all quarters to free the country from this menace. He also advised all to take up the corruption issue at upazila, union and village levels and even within family members.

"It is the time to challenge corruption as no cadres will threaten you and no one will file false cases. You must use this opportunity and stand against corruption from your own position," said Mashhud adding that working in the capital will not solve this hydra-headed problem. Everybody should give their word that they would not be involved in corruption or allow anyone to be involved in it, he said.

Referring to Bangladesh's position on the TIB's corruption index, he said they want to take the corruption level in Bangladesh to such low levels that no elected government could deteriorate its position on the TIB list. He hopped that Bangladesh would be placed at the last position in the TIB's descending list of corrupt nations in future.

Rangpur Deputy Commissioner (DC) Khandoker Atiar Rahman delivered a welcome address at the RDRD Auditorium where Kajol Chandra Roy, a student, Wahida Begum, a teacher, District Press Club General Secretary Rashid Babu, Lawyers' Association President Abul Kashem, Chairman of Rangpur Municipality Abdur Rouf and RDRS Director Syed Shamsuzzaman also spoke.

In Lalmonirhat, DC Rafiqul Islam, Sila Karmokar, Sirajul Haque, SM Shafiqul Islam, Dr Selima Rahman, Capt (retd) Azizul Huq Birpratik, Aminul Huq Podder, Motiur Rahman and Abdur Rob Sujan expressed their opinion on the issue at the meeting.

In Kurigram, DC AR Mollah, Hamiduzzaman Mamun, Itika Debnath, Mominul Islam Manju, ATM Enamul Huq Chowdhury, Saidul Islam, Nurul Amin Ansary spoke at the meeting while at the meeting in Gaibandha DC Kazi Mohammad Anwarul Hakim, Faruqul Islam Faruk, Atika Banu, Gabindonath Das, Sikander Azam Anam, Shahajada Anwarul Kadir and Sarder Mohsin Uddin spoke.

Most speakers took an oath not to indulge in corruption or allow anyone else to be involved in corrupt practices.