Assistant Land Officer Posts Facebook Message Blaming UNO for His Death; Later Taken for Treatment

Arifur Rahman Shanto, assistant commissioner (land) in Jamalganj upazila of Sunamganj, posted a message on Facebook blaming Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shilpi Rani Modak for his death. After the post circulated widely, a message appeared on the UNO’s Facebook account claiming that the assistant land officer’s account had been hacked. He was subsequently taken for medical treatment, according to reports.

The post blaming the UNO was published on Friday night, October 23, from a Facebook account named “AC Land Jamalganj.” The UNO and several other people later went to the assistant land officer’s residence and took him to a hospital.

Arifur Rahman joined Jamalganj about two months ago and had been living in the upazila headquarters with his wife.

In an interview with a television channel, UNO Shilpi Rani Modak claimed that the assistant land officer had been experiencing mental health problems. She said a cake-cutting event had been arranged at her residence on Friday night to celebrate her three-year-old daughter’s birthday, and the assistant land officer’s wife had attended. According to the UNO, the Facebook post appeared shortly after the assistant land officer left the gathering.

She said that after the post came to public attention, police and others went to his residence and found him behaving unusually. His wife then decided to take him to Sylhet for treatment. The UNO said he was currently in Dhaka under his family’s care.

Shilpi Rani Modak also alleged that the assistant land officer assaulted an Ansar member that night and threatened to kill her three-year-old daughter. She further claimed that he behaved rudely toward people he encountered on the street. These allegations have not been independently verified.

The UNO also questioned why the assistant land officer had mentioned her name in the Facebook post, saying she did not understand why he had referred to her.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Matiur Rahman Khan told the media that the family had informed the administration that the assistant land officer had previously experienced mental health difficulties. According to information provided by his wife, a child had died in Jamalganj a few days earlier, and the assistant land officer had been responsible for the child’s care. The family said his condition had deteriorated following that incident.

The additional deputy commissioner said the officer was currently under the care of his family.