Watermelon field carved out of reserved forest in Rangabali, 500 casuarina trees uprooted

Several local individuals in Rangabali upazila of Patuakhali have been accused of taking a settlement of reserved forest land and turning it into a watermelon field. For this, 400 to 500 casuarina trees were uprooted and earth was cut to build an embankment and a boundary wall.

The Forest Department has filed a general diary (GD) at Rangabali Police Station over the incident, according to the Patuakhali Forest Department district office.

According to Forest Department sources, Arif Mir, Manik Molla, Sabbir Mir and several unidentified people from Rangabali entered the reserved forest land at Char Signboard in Kaukhali. There they used excavators to uproot trees from a casuarina plantation on 10 hectares of land. Afterwards, earth was cut to build an embankment for watermelon cultivation and a boundary wall was put up around the plot.

The Forest Department said that after receiving information from local people, its staff went to the scene and tried to stop the accused. But they continued cutting earth, claiming they had taken a settlement of the land from the upazila administration.

Jalal Ahmed Khan, acting officer of the Kaukhali Forest Department, said the department planted casuarina trees on 30 hectares of land at Char Signboard in Kaukhali in 2022. On Saturday afternoon, the accused entered the forest and uprooted 400 to 500 casuarina trees with excavators, then cut earth to build an embankment in preparation for a watermelon field.

He added that staff went to the scene on receiving the news and tried to stop them, but they defied the obstruction and continued cutting earth. Later, with permission from district officials, a GD was filed against them at Rangabali Police Station on Saturday night.

Forest Department sources said the same individuals had, on 18 November 2025, destroyed about 25,000 casuarina trees in that forest with excavators and cut earth to build an embankment. The department filed a case against them in the Rangabali Senior Judicial Magistrate Court over that incident. The case is still ongoing.

Accused Arif Mir made a different claim about the tree felling and the use of forest soil for the embankment. He said the land the Forest Department claims as forest land was legally settled to them by the upazila administration, and they were cutting earth lawfully to make a watermelon field. He claimed the Forest Department was creating trouble for them without reason.

It was learned that in November 2025, Jahidul Islam, a tahsildar at the Rangabali upazila land office, prepared a report describing the forest as khas land. Afterwards, Rajib Das Purkayastha, then UNO of Rangabali and holding additional charge as Assistant Commissioner (Land), showed the forest land as khas and gave a settlement to the accused. The Forest Department later filed a case in the Rangabali Senior Judicial Magistrate Court against tahsildar Jahidul Islam and several others over the incident.

According to the district forest officer's office, Jahidur Rahman, divisional forest officer of the Patuakhali Coastal Forest Division, sent written letters to the Patuakhali Deputy Commissioner on 3 August and 15 October seeking cancellation of the settlement given by the Rangabali upazila administration.

Jahidur Rahman claimed the forest land settled by the upazila administration is in fact reserved forest. He said they had written twice to the district administration seeking cancellation of the settlement, but he did not know what steps the district administration had taken, nor had he been informed by them.

Rangabali UNO Nazmul Hasan said the Forest Department, land office officials and those involved in destroying the forest have been asked to come to his office with documents supporting their claims. If verification shows the land belongs to the Forest Department, legal action will be taken against the accused. Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Abdul Kaiyum said the Forest Department's letter to the district administration reached him today, and after speaking with the Rangabali upazila administration and investigating, necessary action would be taken if the land is reserved forest. Deputy Commissioner Chowdhury Ashraful Karim could not be reached despite repeated calls to his mobile phone.