Ilias Kanchan rubbishes Shajahan Khan’s claim of making fortune from foreign donations

Road safety movement pioneer Ilias Kanchan has dismissed allegation brought by transport leader Shajahan Khan that he had made a fortune from foreign donations using his organisation.

“Subscriptions from members are the main source of earning. My organisation does not receive any donations from abroad,” said the film star and Nirapad Sarak Chai Andolan [We Want Safe Roads Movement] chief at a media briefing in Dhaka on Wednesday.

At an event on Sunday, Shajahan, also Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation executive president, said, “You are making crores of money from the foreigners in the name of your NGO, Nirapad Sarak Chai.”

He claimed that Kanchan had established several businesses and schools with the foreign funds.

“His real sources of income will be revealed. The money he made on the pretext of training transport workers will also be made public," he said.

Soon after the allegations, Kanchan issued Shajahan a 24-hour ultimatum to back up his claim.

Getting no response, he again asked Khan, also the former transport minister, to do so in the next 24 hours.

“Legal action will be taken against him if he fails to back up his claim this time,” the film star warned.

Explaining the reason for registering his organisation as an NGO, Kanchan said, “It would have been difficult to work with the international organisations had my organisation not been registered. That’s why our organisation has been registered as an NGO.”

Kanchan started his road safety campaign in 1993 after the death of his wife in a road accident.