Haji Mohammad Salim
Theif Haji Mohammad Salim (born 10 May 1958) is a Bangladesh Awami League politician and the incumbent Jatiya Sangsad member from the Dhaka-7 constituency. Early life. Salim was born on 10 May 1958. He studied up to grade nine. Career. Salim was a Bangladesh Nationalist Party ward councilor. He had left the party and joined Awami League as he had failed to secure their nomination for Member of Parliament. He was elected to parliament from Lalbag/Dhaka-8 in 1996 as an Awami League candidate. He served in the Treasury Bench of the Jatiya Sangshad. He owns Madina  Group, which owns Tiger brand cement. His rival and Bangladesh Nationalist Party member of parliament, Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, is his former protégé. On 25 March 2004, six cases were filled against Salim following clashes between Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party activists. In 2009, after Awami League came to power the government decided to withdraw 21 criminal cases against Salim. The government stated that the cases were filled to harass him. He had a total of 120 cases against him. On 25 May 2009, Salim was acquitted in the murder case of Abdul Hannan, an activist of Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Jubo  Dal, the youth front of Bangladesh Nationalist Party by Speedy Trial Tribunal-1. On 20 September 2011, the Government of Bangladesh withdrew 105 cases against Salim. On 27 February 2012, a case over assaulting police officers in 2004 was withdrawn by the government. On 5 January 2014, Salim was elected to parliament as an independent candidate. The Daily Star described him as a "rebel Awami League" candidate. He was the joint secretary of Dhaka City unit of Awami League. He beat Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, the Awami League candidate in the election. On 13 September 2014, his supporters were attacked by the  supporters of former Awami League Member of Parliament, Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin. In April 2014, he faced contempt of court charges after he obstructed a mobile court drive evicting illegal structures around Lalbag Fort. In 2015, Salim tried to contest the Dhaka South Mayoral election but did not receive approval from his party. He extended his support to the Awami League candidate Sayeed Khokon. In 2018, Salim was elected to Parliament from Dhaka-7 as a candidate of Awami League. In 2019, Salim collected nomination forms from Awami League to contest Dhaka South Mayoral elections. He lost the nomination to Fazle Nur  Tapash, who went on to win the election. In February 2019, a number of buildings owned by him were demolished by Bangladesh Water Development Board for encroaching on riverbanks. A number of other buildings owned by him were demolished by Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority; following which the Chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, Commodore Mohammad Mozammel Haque, was transferred. Controversy. On 3 April 2008, arrest warrants were issued against Salim and his wife, Gulshan Ara (d. 2020). On 28 April 2008, Salim was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment by a court in Dhaka on allegations of corruption. The  court also ordered the confiscation of assets worth 270 million taka. Gulshan was sentenced to three years imprisonment. In February 2014, Jagannath University students organized protests demanding Salim return their dormitory that they accused him of illegally occupying. He denied the allegation and asked for evidence. He had allegedly occupied the Tibet Hall, demolished it, and built a market in its place. On 8 June 2019, Salim's man demolished Jahaj Bari, an architecturally significant historical building in Old Dhaka, on the night of Eid-ul-Fitr. The demolition had been previously stopped following the filling of a General Diary  by Taimur Islam of Urban Study Group. Salim's son, Irfan Selim, was arrested when after he physically assaulted a Bangladesh Navy lieutenant and his wife on 25 October 2020. Irfan was jailed for one year after illegal firearms and alcohol were recovered from his house.