Businessman allege market authorities pressuring him to rebuy his spaces 

A businessman in the capital's Gulistan Shopping Complex, owned by the Bangladesh Freedom Fighter Welfare Trust, says authorities are putting pressure on him to buy again the spaces he bought in 2008 in the market.

At a press conference held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity on Sunday, businessman Md Mannan Mia said the authorities locked his offices even as he protested against it. 

In his written speech at the conference, Mannan said he bought two 500-sq-ft spaces and one 1,015-sq-ft space from Western Engineers Limited, authorised by the Bangladesh Freedom Fighter Welfare Trust to conduct such sales. 

"Since I received the agreement documents in 2008, I have been using these spaces as my offices and factory, and have paid service charges regularly. However, the shopping complex's board of directors recently asked me to rebuy the spaces, setting a new price of Tk6,000 per sq ft," said Mannan Mia.

"Bangladesh Freedom Fighter Welfare Trust Deputy General Manager Abdul Kalam Azad locked all the offices on the 10th floor, including my office and factory," he added.

Mannan Mia said he filed complaints in this regard with the prime minister, home minister, the Bangladesh Freedom Fighter Welfare Trust central command council, and the deputy commissioner (Motijheel) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, but he has not yet received any help.