His finger traced down the rows, past names like Shanti Ranjan Das (Kishoreganj, 12 acres, seized for "absence during war"), Rupam Chandra Shil (Satkhira, fish farm, now under Bangladesh Krishi Bank), Mina Rani Pal (Jessore, three shops, under Zila Parishad control). Each entry was a life erased, a deed turned into a political token.
Farhad had obtained a leaked copy of the 2012 internal enumeration—a living document, updated quarterly by the District Vested Property Committees. It was not a public list. It was a weapon.
Farhad's throat tightened. His great-grandfather had migrated in 1965—six years before Bangladesh even existed as a nation. Yet here, in 2012, the state still called him an enemy. enemy property list of bangladesh 2012
Farhad still carries his copy. Not as a weapon. As a witness.
Years later, in 2019, a landmark case reached the High Court: Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh vs. Government of Bangladesh . The petitioners submitted the 2012 list as evidence. The court ruled that the term "enemy property" was unconstitutional—all vested properties must be reviewed, and restitution must begin. His finger traced down the rows, past names
It never did, fully. But the list remained what it had always been: a testament to the living ghosts of 1971, hiding in plain sight, bound in red tape and sealed with the ink of power.
He unrolled the brittle printout under a naked bulb. The header read: "Schedule of Enemy/Vested Properties – National Consolidation, 2012 – Ministry of Land." It was not a public list
Then he saw it: