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Rokun Ud-Dawla Man on the street ‘The court is on the second floor, he presides over the 16th Magistrates Court,’ said the duty police officer with a look of suspicion in his eyes. The court is packed, so I take a seat on the docket and put my bag on my lap. Instantly, I attract attention since I have a beard and a bag and I am asked to identify myself. ‘I am from New Age, the daily,’ I respond and the room comes to a pin drop silence. I am whisked to a room which is simple yet extraordinary, the shelves lined with dangerous chemicals. Behind the desk, a simple, amicable man with a purpose in his eyes gives me a smile. He is magistrate Rokun Ud-Dawla, scourge of the food adulterator, and possibly one of the most instantly recognised faces of the law in Dhaka city. Since early 2005, Rokun Ud-Dawla’s merciless exploits with the mobile courts has been a regular fixture on news bulletins.    As we get talking Rokun Ud-Dawla gets his niggling suspicion out of the way. ‘Look, don’t ask me whether I’m doing all my mobile court raids because I want a career in politics. I don’t want to get into politics. I am a career civil servant, politics would be suicide.’    That said, the interview gets underway. ‘One of my first big operations was in 2000 when I was working as a magistrate under the Chandpur District administration,’ he tells me. ‘I was the leader of a taskforce created to rid the Meghna River of the karen jaal (fishing nets) and the practice of catching of jhatka (immature hilsa fish).’ In a brave move, resisting great local and outside pressure, Rokun Ud-Dawla took possession of thousands of the banned nets and burnt them publicly to the roars of joyous onlookers. But just when everyone thought he was done for the day, Rokun Ud-Dawla struck a second time. This time, in secret operation in the middle of the night Rokun Ud-Dawla detained three ships and uncovered large illegal stocks of petrol, diesel and other ingredients intended for use in adulterating cement. This was the time, when the press started taking notice of the exploits of righteous magistrate Rokun Ud-Dawla.    On 30th July 1961, Rokun Ud-Dawla was born in Dhaka’s Tejkunipara. His father was the then Additional Administrator of military lands and the family was based in Dhaka Cantonment. At the age of one, Rokun Ud-Dawla went to live in his mother, Hosniara Begum in their ancestral home in Ahmbaria village in Chittagong. His childhood was spent cheerfully going about life in the village whilst attending a local primary school. After passing the eighth grade, he was delighted to return to the Dhaka Cantonment and to his father. In 1981, he passed his HSC with flying colours from Dhaka College.    I ask him if it’s taxing to kept travelling from district to district in government service. ‘A lot of people find it disruptive and dislike change and the extensive travelling,’ he says. ‘Personally, it has helped me understand the diversity of elements that make up our country,’ says Rokun. ‘In a way, it has helped define me and my purpose to serve my country,’ he adds with a twinkle in his eye. ‘I believe patriotism is all one needs to bring about positive change in our country.’    Rokun Ud-Dawla is married to Farhana Ferdous and has two daughters, Humaira and Rokunuljannat. ‘In fact, my father-in-law has helped me setup a fund to create greater economic independence amongst women in Chittagong’s Lokkhi Chori area,’ says Rokun Ud-Dawla with a shy glance. ‘Family life is very important to me, it reminds me what I am fighting for and gives the courage to go forward,’ he says.    Rokun Ud-Dawla completed his Masters in History from Dhaka University and was working on his M.Phil when he sat for the BCS exam. On the 26th of February 1991, he was recruited as an administration cadre of the Bangladesh Government. Until the 6th of March 2000, Rokun Ud-Dawla had held a number of important positions in Jessore Government administration. Yet his passion for History did not die. ‘I love reading about history, in my opinion it is a great teacher. Not to mention that the tales of the past, its glory and tragedies can be very inspirational,’ he says. Rokun Ud-Dawla is a member of the Bangladesh Asiatic Society and the Bangladesh Itihash Society.    Gardening is Rokun Ud-Dawla’s favourite pastime. The time spent in the picturesque settings of Chittagong and travelling around Bangladesh has garnered this interest he says. ‘My schedule is very hectic thus I get very little time to indulge myself. But gardening is a passion that soothes my soul and helps me wash away the dirt of the day,’ he says.    On 14th July 2005, a news item regarding colour adulteration of fruits sparked a mobile court investigation by the Home Ministry into fruit markets and gave birth to Rokun Ud-Dawla’s war against fraud. Till date, the mobile court has fined approximately Tk 56 lakh in 541 cases and incarcerated 116 individuals for a maximum of one-year jail sentence. ‘I am very proud to have done something that has furthered the national cause,’ he says. The décor of his office room is proof of the work he has done. In Rokun Ud-Dawla’s eyes, the big drawback of the mobile court has been the lack of logistical support.    ‘At the same time, I would like everyone to remember that I am Magistrate of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrates Court. The mobile court is an additional duty that I carry out when given a mandate,’ explains Rokun Ud-Dawla.    As he says this, an old man bursts into the room and identifies himself as an officer who had worked under the magistrate in Lokkhi Chori. The visitor reveals the adventurous side of the man Rokun Ud-Dawla. It turns out that his exploits in climbing hills to reach people who don’t have access to the law is renowned among the people of Lokkhi Chori. ‘He used to climb the 1,800-feet Kalapahar and then walk for another 14 to 15 hours to visit needy people in remote regions,’ the man tells me.    The court is ready for him to start another day of hectic proceedings. Regrets? Rokun Ud-Dawla has none. ‘I have been very blessed with an opportunity and I want to hold on to what I have been given. All I want is the mandate to continue my work’ he says. Interview: Adnan Khandker / Photo: Andrew Biraj

HEROES    Muhammad Zafar Iqbal     A life in quantum leap    Professor Sirajul Islam     Making history    Farhad Mazhar     And the seed shall set you free    Selim Al-Deen     Telling our tales, our way    Shamima Khatun     Biralakhi to New York    Professor Rabiul Husain     Visionary philanthropist    Brother Ronald Drahozal     A mission apart    Kanak Chanpa Chakma     Brushstrokes of brilliance    Kazi Zahedul Hasan     The chicken king from Harvard    Rokun Ud-Dawla     Man on the street  FACES FOR THE FUTURE    Tamara Abed     Trendsetter    Dr Reyan Anis     Healer    KM Tanjib-ul Alam     Man of edict    Syeda Rizwana Hasan     Green crusader    Maqsood Sinha & Iftekhar Enayetullah     Garbiologists    Audity Falguni     Word artist    Arnob     Music maker    Javed Jalil     Expressionist    Mahmudur Rahman     FDI-getter    Razeeb Hasan Chowdhury     Visualiser    Khalid Mahmud Khan     Style merchant    Zillur Rahman     Umpire

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