Land grabbers have installed a marker, inset, to take over the land of poet Golam Mostafa's home in Monohorpur of Shailkupa in Jhenidah. Photo: Azibor Rahman

The ancestral home of poet Golam Mostafa in Jhenidah is under threat from two land grabbers, who claim partial ownership of the land.
The house was built by the poet himself on five bighas of land in Monohorpur village of Shailkupa upazila.
Mostafa (1897-1964), who is considered an icon of Islamic renaissance in Bengali literature, was born and breathed his last in this very house in 1964. "Shishur Pon" and "Prarthona" are two of his most prominent poetic works. He also penned the lyrics of "Amra notun, amra kuri," a familiar children's song in Bangladesh.
All of a sudden, Sadar Uddin and Alauddin, two brothers, have recently come up with the claim that they own 24 decimals of land of the house complex.
To establish their possession, they even set up a demarcation pillar last month.
According to the poet's children and locals, the brothers are involved with local Awami League and wield immense political clout in the area.
When this reporter asked the duo if they have any document to prove their claim, they replied in the negative.
All they could say is, "They (poet's family) had been occupying our land illegally. So, we are taking it back now."
Feroj-Khan-Noon, headmaster of Kabi Golam Mostafa Secondary School in the village, said the late poet himself had built this house.
The poet left four sons and three daughters. One of the sons is Mostafa Monowar, renowned puppeteer and former director general of the state-run BTV. He, however, could not be reached for his comments.
Youngest daughter Rashida Haque Hena said they don't live there and their cousins look after the house. Taking advantage of their absence, Sadar Uddin and Alauddin are trying to grab their ancestral property, she alleged. She also urged the local administration to take steps to prevent this illegal occupation of their property.
Contacted, Shailkupa Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Assistant Commissioner of Land Mohammad Ali Prince said his office would take immediate steps to settle the dispute in light of the government records.