Shahjalal Shrine donations reach more than 88 lakh taka in fourth public count

A total of 88 lakh 92 thousand 966 taka in cash was found during the fourth public counting of donations at the Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) Shrine in Sylhet on Saturday.

The counting also uncovered One bhori nine ana two rati of gold and foreign currencies from more than 15 countries. The donations were collected from three donation vessels and five donation boxes at the shrine.

Sylhet City Corporation Administrator Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury announced the total after the counting was completed at the shrine premises in the afternoon.

The donation vessels were opened in the morning in the presence of Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Al Mamun. The cash and other valuables were then counted publicly in the presence of magistrates, police and Ansar personnel, with madrasa students carrying out the counting.

The foreign currencies included £5, 3,994 Indian rupees, 5 Thai baht, 99 Saudi riyals and 25 halalas, 29 Malaysian ringgit, US$8.02, 903 Omani baisa, 57 UAE dirhams, one Iraqi dinar, 21 Qatari riyals and 50 dirhams, €30.10, 0.025 Bahraini dinar, 50 Papua New Guinean kina, 15 Chinese yuan and 5,000 Indonesian rupiah.

The counting was conducted under the supervision of a 13-member committee formed to ensure transparency and accountability in managing the shrine's income and expenditure.

The money will be deposited into a designated Sonali Bank account opened in the shrine's name through the district administration, officials said.

The shrine's donations have been counted publicly at regular intervals since June as part of efforts to introduce greater transparency into the management of the funds.

The first public count on June 22 found Tk 17,65,549, along with gold and foreign currencies. The second count on July 11 found Tk 47,10,153, while the third count on August 15 yielded Tk 70,88,672, along with foreign currencies, 2 bhori 1 rati of gold jewellery and 1 bhori 2 ana of silver.

The first three rounds produced a combined Tk 1,40,64,374 in cash, according to the district administration.

The government formed an oversight committee in June to establish a transparent and accountable system for managing donations at the shrine following controversy over the handling of its funds. Until a new mechanism is finalised, donations are being counted under the existing system and deposited into a bank account overseen by the district administration.