Mustafa Sarwar Farooqui, the famous “Dhends farmer”, are you too?

Staff Correspondent

Former cultural affairs advisor Mustafa Sarwar Faruqi has been accused of irregularities in the distribution of grants from the Cultural Grants Commission (Arts and Theater) sector of the Ministry of Culture for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

An investigative report by Desh TV has revealed detailed images of these irregularities, which have caused widespread outrage in the cultural arena.

The investigation found that grants worth around Tk 22.2 crore were allocated to more than 30 cultural institutions through the Farooqui-led commission. Out of this, grants were given to 7 theater groups or cultural organizations located in Dhaka, mentioning their names.

But Desh TV’s investigative team has found on-site that these theaters or organizations with the aforementioned names or addresses do not exist—and never have. They have been identified as ‘fake’ or ‘ghost organizations’.

According to a report by Desh TV, there have been allegations of lack of transparency, lack of scrutiny, and possible nepotism or other vested interests in the grant distribution process. Cultural activists and theater professionals have expressed strong anger over the incident.

They say it is shameful for the cultural sector to allocate government funds to non-existent institutions instead of genuine cultural practitioners.

The allegations have sparked widespread discussion and criticism on social media and in cultural circles. Some have called it ‘The Farooqui Syndicate’ and seen it as part of a larger-scale corruption scandal, although no detailed evidence has been released directly linking Farooqui to the allegations. On the other hand, some have dismissed the report as false propaganda.

According to official documents from the Ministry of Culture, specific policies and instructions were issued for providing grants to cultural institutions and insolvent cultural workers in the fiscal year 2024-25. The commission was responsible for scrutinizing the applications. But the list of non-existent institutions that emerged during the investigation highlighted the weaknesses of this process.

This incident has further strengthened the question of transparency and accountability in the cultural sector. There are demands for a formal explanation or investigation from the relevant authorities. This investigative report by Desh TV has created an opportunity to raise awareness against corruption in the cultural arena.