Haji Mohammad Salim

Salim was born on 10 May 1958. He studied up to grade nine.[5]

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.[6] He was elected to parliament from Lalbag/Dhaka-8 in 1996 as an Awami League candidate.[6] He served in the Treasury Bench of the Jatiya Sangshad.[7] He owns Madina Group, which owns Tiger brand cement.[8][9] His rival and Bangladesh Nationalist Party member of parliament, Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, is his former protégé.[10]

On 25 March 2004, six cases were filled against Salim following clashes between Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party activists.[11]

In 2009, after Awami League came to power the government decided to withdraw 21 criminal cases against Salim.[6] The government stated that the cases were filled to harass him. He had a total of 120 cases against him.[6]

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.[12]

On 20 September 2011, the Government of Bangladesh withdrew 105 cases against Salim.[13]

On 27 February 2012, a case over assaulting police officers in 2004 was withdrawn by the government.[14]

On 5 January 2014, Salim was elected to parliament as an independent candidate. The Daily Star described him as a "rebel Awami League" candidate.[15] He was the joint secretary of Dhaka City unit of Awami League. He beat Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, the Awami League candidate in the election.[16] On 13 September 2014, his supporters were attacked by the supporters of former Awami League Member of Parliament, Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin.[17] In April 2014, he faced contempt of court charges after he obstructed a mobile court drive evicting illegal structures around Lalbag Fort.[18]

In 2015, Salim tried to contest the Dhaka South Mayoral election but did not receive approval from his party.[19][20] He extended his support to the Awami League candidate Sayeed Khokon.[21]

In 2018, Salim was elected to Parliament from Dhaka-7 as a candidate of Awami League.[22]

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.[23][24] In February 2019, a number of buildings owned by him were demolished by Bangladesh Water Development Board for encroaching on riverbanks.[25] 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.[26]

On 3 April 2008, arrest warrants were issued against Salim and his wife, Gulshan Ara (d. 2020).[27][28] 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.[29]

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.[15] He had allegedly occupied the Tibet Hall, demolished it, and built a market in its place.[30]

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.[31][32]

Salim's son, Irfan Selim,[33] was arrested when after he physically assaulted a Bangladesh Navy lieutenant and his wife on 25 October 2020.[34][35] Irfan was jailed for one year after illegal firearms and alcohol were recovered from his house.[36]