Bangladesh Today

Ershad freed from CMH, made Prime Minister’s special envoy

2014-01-13T20:36:00.001+06:00

Jatiya Party chairman and former president Hossein Mohammad Ershad was freed from Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka on Sunday after a month-long mysterious admission to CMH. He was made ‘special envoy’ of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, with the status of a full minister.
Ershad, who had reportedly been ‘detained’ from his President Park house at Baridhara on December 12 and taken to the CMH, joined the oath taking ceremony of the new cabinet members at Ganabhaban in the afternoon as a guest after he had been ‘released’ from the CMH.
A gazette notification signed by cabinet secretary Mohammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said Ershad had been made the special envoy of the prime minister with the status of a minister.
The notification neither gave the details of the responsibilities of the special envoy and nor said under which law Ershad was appointed the special envoy. Another notification said the prime minister using the power vested in her by Section 3B(1) of the Rules of Business 1996, appointed the four advisers with the status of full minister.
After the oath taking ceremony, Ershad drove straight to his residence at about 6:30pm using the road inside Dhaka cantonment. His party supporters crowded the house before he reached there. After getting down from his jeep, a composed Ershad went straight to his apartment without talking to anybody.
His party presidium member SM Faisal Chisti told the gathering - Sir has returned home in good health.
Ershad’s mysterious admission to the CMH had spun a lot of stories and one morning he was seen playing golf at Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka cantonment.
On Saturday, Ershad took oath as a lawmaker of the 10th parliament formed through the January 5 elections boycotted by the BNP-led opposition, after he was taken to the national assembly building by a group of people said to be intelligence men who took him back to the CMH.

Ghulam Azam verdict - 90 years in prison

2013-07-16T18:11:00.001+06:00

International Crimes Tribunal 1 (ICT-1) on Monday handed former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Ghulam Azam 90 years in prison for conspiracies, planning, incitement to and complicity in the genocide and crimes against humanity and murder of four civilians during the War of Liberation in 1971.
The three-member International Crimes Tribunal-1 pronounced the historic verdict against Ghulam Azam, now 91, in the crowded courtroom on the first floor of the Old High Court building in tight security.
‘Having considered the attending facts, legal position and the gravity and magnitude of the offences committed by the accused, we unanimously hold that he deserves the highest punishment i.e capital punishment … But in the same breath, we cannot overlook the mitigating circumstances which have come up before us for its due consideration,’ presiding judge Justice ATM Fazle Kabir said.
He said that Ghulam Azam was 91 years of age with his long ailment and the two factors had been considered in taking a lenient view in giving him punishment.
Ghulam Azam in panjabi, lungi and a white cap was produced before the tribunal in a wheelchair.
As the tribunal completed delivering the verdict at around 1:45pm, he was speechless, looking around blankly and touching his forehead sitting in the dock.
The law enforcers took him to the ground floor of the tribunal building.
Thousands of people, freedom fighters, political and cultural activists, who gathered outside the tribunal, burst into protest as the
tribunal handed Ghulam Azam 90 years in jail instead of death sentence.
The tribunal found him guilty on all 61 counts under five charges of conspiracy, planning, incitement to and complicity in committing genocide and crimes against humanity and murder of four civilians. He was indicted on May 13, 2012 on 61 counts.
The tribunal awarded him 10 years in jail each for conspiracy and planning, 20 years each for incitement to and complicity in the genocide and crimes against humanity committed across the country and 30 years for the murder of Siru Miah and three other civilians in Brahmanbaria.
‘The period of sentences awarded to the accused shall run consecutively or till his death,’ Justice ATM Fazle Kabir said pronouncing the unanimous verdict.
Ghulam Azam is now undergoing treatment in the prison cell of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital under the Dhaka Central Jail authorities.
This was the fifth verdict in war crimes cases in independent Bangladesh and the second by the ICT-1, constituted on March 25, 2010.
A large number of freedom fighters, lawyers, intellectuals, cultural activists and journalists were present in the courtroom to hear the verdict.
A few of junior lawyers of the defence team, including Saifur Rahman, Tariqul Islam and Sajjad Ali Chowdhury, were present though their seniors did not turn up because of what they said ‘unavoidable circumstances’.
Jamaat enforced a countrywide shutdown on the day to press for release of Ghulam Azam and other leaders facing the war crimes charges.
Emerging from the tribunal after the verdict, the prosecution chief coordinator, along with other members of the team, said he was not completely happy with the verdict as Ghulam Azam was not handed death sentence.
When asked whether they would appeal to the Appellate Division against the verdict, he said that they would decide after receiving and going through the full verdict.
Chief defence counsel Abdur Razzaq, at a press briefing at his Dhanmondi house said, ‘We are aggrieved. We are astonished. We think the verdict was emotional and devoid of justice. Such a verdict can hardly be found in the history of the world’s criminal cases. The prosecution has failed to prove any of the 61 counts against Ghulam Azam,’
He said that the defence would appeal against the verdict in the Appellate Division.
Ghulam Azam’s son Abdullahil Aman Azmi, coming out the tribunal, said that the case against his father was ‘a case of no evidence’.
He said that if justice had been done, his father would not have been given even a minute’s sentence. ‘He would have been freed if justice had been done.’
Azmi termed his father a ‘language movement hero’ who was general secretary of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union twice and the verdict was delivered to ‘destroy his image’.
On April 17, on completion of the closing arguments by the lawyers of the two sides, the tribunal reserved the verdict for pronouncement on a later date.
Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, before delivering the verdict, it had taken the tribunal about three months to collect reference books which caused the delay in the delivery of the verdict.
He said that the full judgement was of 243 pages and the tribunal would read out a summary judgement of 75 pages.
Besides the presiding judge, two other tribunal members – Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Anwarul Haque – also read out parts of the verdict.

Reshma rescued after 17 days

2013-05-11T20:59:00.001+06:00

It’s a miracle! A garment worker named Reshma was rescued alive on Friday afternoon from a mountain of rubble of collapsed multi-storey building Rana Plaza on the 17th day of hectic salvage operation into the country’s worst industrial disaster at Savar. The army-led rescuers traced the survivor in a basement cavity under the debris of Rana Plaza at around 3:15pm. Almost 408 hours into the rescue operation, a rescuer heard Reshma groaning, officials on the spot said.
Rescue workers said as they could see somebody moving a small stick, peeping through a hole of a collapsed roof, they were confused whether any of the rescue workers was trapped in. They talked to her through a pipe and came to know about her identity. As the jubilant rescuers inquired about her condition, Reshma said she was not much hurt.
She said she was trapped under the collapsed building and went to the room of Namaz (Muslim prayer). “I used to eat the foods left by others. I drank drops of water poured into the room from the above. At one stage, the foods were finished—and I was living on small quantity of water.” She said she had been starving in last two days as all foods were finished.

Having traced the survivor, rescuers had given her water and biscuits, stopping use of any heavy machines to make sure that the survivor is not hurt anyway.
“I used to hear the sound of machines used by the rescuers and hoped that I will be brought to safety by the grace of Allah,” she added.
“All present at the site raised their hands in prayer to have the working girl alive amongst them,” says a firsthand account of the breathtaking moment—rarely seen before. She was taken to Savar CMH immediately after the rescue.

Reshma is the youngest of the three daughters and two brothers born to their parents. Her husband, Razzak, left her seven months ago. Hailed from village Kashigari in Ghoraghat upazila of Dinajpur, Reshma used to work at New Wave Bottoms on the second floor of the commercial complex, Rana Plaza.
Army doctors at the CMH said she is out of danger. Yet the physicians were examining her for more safety.

On April 24, the 9-storey building, which housed five garment factories, a branch of bank and a market, collapsed all of a sudden. The death toll rose to 1058 in the worst accident in the garment industry - country’s main export earner and employer of around four million people, mainly women.

Savar Tragedy - Death toll rises to 402

2013-04-29T21:49:00.000+06:00

Rescue workers pull a garment worker alive from the rubble of the collapsed Rana Plaza building. Some 2444 garment worker rescued alive so far.

Hefajat-e-Islam’s Dhaka march, calls shutdown for Monday

2013-04-06T23:08:00.001+06:00

Hefajat-e Islam on Saturday called dawn-to-dusk hartal for Monday from the grand rally that held at Motijheel intersection protesting “obstructions” on long march in various spot.
The organisation announced fresh agitation programme of rally in different district and division of the country and threatened the government of blockading Dhaka on May 5 if its 13-point demand including stern action against what they called atheist bloggers is not met by April 30.
Communications between Dhaka and the rest of the country were almost snapped on Friday as buses stayed off the roads, frequency of trains were reduced, and water vessels remained anchored at river ports fearing violence ahead of Hefajat-e-Islam’s Dhaka march today.
Transport owners said they did not operate buses on long routes on Friday fearing violence over rival programmes of ‘long march’ by Islamists and a 24-hour shutdown enforced by 25 socio-cultural-professional organisations and a transport blockade by Ganajagaran Mancha that began Friday evening.
The Hefajat-e Islam leaders alleged that specific orders from the authorities led to the scarcity of transport. They said they would march for Dhaka ‘on foot’ in case vehicles were not available. Ferry services were also closed at Mawa point creating a long tailback of vehicles on both sides of Padma and no vessels left for Dhaka from southern districts.
Frequency of trains was reduced in the eastern zone of railway but the officials claimed they did not cancel any train. ‘The forced derailment of a train in Comilla left an adverse impact on train schedules and it is yet to become normal,’ said Bangladesh Railway’s divisional manager (Chittagong) Sukumar Bhowmik.
The railway authorities on Friday night cancelled schedules of express trains which were supposed to leave for Dhaka from different cities, including Chittagong and Rajshahi.
In Chittagong, the railway authorities suspended trips of three trains to Dhaka and Noakhali scheduled for Saturday night while another Dhaka-bound train got stranded as miscreants removed tracks in Baraiarhat area of Sitakund. Mohammed Zakir Hossain, divisional traffic officer at the eastern zone of BR, said they had suspended the scheduled trips due to security concern amid frequent subversion during strikes.

Police stormed into BNP office - Countrywide daylong hartal today

2013-03-12T19:19:00.000+06:00

A team of police led by ADC Mehedi Hasan stormed into BNP's central office and broke open the door of party secretary general’s room yesterday.

Police and members of other law enforcement agencies last evening stormed into the BNP central office at the city's Nayapaltan and broke into different rooms including breaking into the office room of the Party Secretary General using hammer.
The raid was unprecedented and lasted over two hours. They also arrested several senior leaders of the party who gathered at the office after attending a pre-scheduled 18-party rally in the front of the party office including Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam and Joint Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed while putting other senior leaders on siege.
Later, police arrested BNP vice chairmen Sadeque Hossain Khoka and Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, chairperson's adviser Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, joint secretary generals Aman Ullah Aman, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed and Mohammd Shahjahan and opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque from the party office and took them to DB office in Mintu Road.
Several female leaders, including BNP vice chairman Selima Rahman, were also under siege but later they emerged from confinement while police allowed them to leave the venue. Spot reports said at least 185 BNP and 18-party leaders and workers were arrested by police from the party office during the raid and search from room to room in the five storied building. During the drive, police also ransacked different rooms of the four-storied building.

Mehedi Hasan, additional deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Motijheel), told reporters that they searched the office and arrested the leaders and workers for creating an anarchic situation in the area. He, however, claimed 6 cocktails were seized from office.
Just hour before the raid, a pre-announced rally of the 18-party alliance in front of the Nayapaltan office ended in chaos which was triggered by explosions of some cocktails. Some 10-11 cocktails were blasted at 5:00 pm near the Nightingale intersection area, some yards from the venue of the rally, when Fakhrul began his speech. Within a minute, he declared the end of the rally after announcing the hartal programme.
Fakhrul alleged that the government had ordered police to unleash violence. “The government’s henchmen are attacking our peaceful rallies,” he said and urged the party faithful to stand against such moves. He further blamed the government for Monday’s explosions. “The government has done it,” he said before he was whisked away. He said the opposition will observe countrywide hartal Tuesday (today).
Sadeque Hossain Khoka said the government has already made the country into a ‘police state’ and wants to foil the movement of the people by using muscle power under the 'razakar' home minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir. He also said under the leadership of Khaleda Zia, people would topple the government through movement and compel them to arrange the next election under non-party caretaker government.

Meanwhile, Leader of the opposition Begum Khaleda Zia held an urgent meeting of the party's apex body to review the dramatic development last night at her Gulshan office, and demanded unconditional release of leaders and activists arrested from BNP's central office. Otherwise BNP and 18 party alliance will observe 48 hours of general strike countrywide on 18 & 19 March.
The alliance also reaffirmed today’s countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal earlier called by Fakhrul before his arrest from the party central office.
Meanwhile, JAGPA chief Shafiul Alam Prodhan was also picked up while coming out after a meeting of the BNP-led 18-party alliance at BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office at night.

Death toll hits 125 in 5 days

2013-03-05T19:09:00.000+06:00

The total death toll so far rose to about 125 in violence centering the verdict on Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee on Thursday. Of those killed 113 were claimed to be Jamaat-Shibir men and also include 6 police men.

Hundreds of others including villagers received injuries from bullets in clashes between law enforcers and Jamaat-Shibir activists in atleast 18 districts countrywide.

The number of deaths and injuries were changing fast as reports of clashes and violence were pouring into the city from different places.

A brutal murder by Chhatra League activists

2012-12-10T17:41:00.000+06:00

Bishwajit Das, a 24-year-old young man was killed in an attack by a group of Bangladesh Chhatra League activists, who took him for a pro-blockade activist, yesterday.

A group of 10-12, swooped on him near Bahadur Shah Park in Old Dhaka around 8:30am on his way to work. They beat him with sticks and iron rods and hacked him with sharp weapons. Bishwajit died after he was taken to Mitford Hospital for treatment. According to dozens of eyewitnesses, the attackers are BCL activists of Jagannath University (JnU).

A group of pro-opposition lawyers brought out a procession around 8:30am, marching towards Bahadur Shah Park in support of the opposition-called blockade, when a group of BCL activists of JnU attacked the procession and beat up some lawyers, witnesses said. In a few minutes, a sound of an explosion was heard nearby and the BCL men started chasing pedestrians.

Bishwajit, who was also among the pedestrians, ran for life and got into a nearby building, said Ripon Sarder, a rickshaw puller who took him to the hospital. "They [BCL] were beating him even as he was running for life," Ripon added.

According to family members, Bishwajit was not involved with any political party. Originally from Shariatpur, he used to live with his elder brother at Hrishikesh Das Lane at Sutrapur.

Friends of freedom honoured

2012-10-21T19:54:00.000+06:00

Bangladesh Saturday honoured 61 more of the nation’s 1971 foreign friends, mostly from neighbouring India, for their remarkable ‘supports and contributions’ to its emergence through nine months of Liberation War 41 years ago.

The then Indian defence minister, Jagjivan Ram, and a number of veterans of the Indian army who fought in the 1971 war were among the Indians and conferred upon ‘Friend of Liberation War’ honour while former Indian Prime Minister IK Gujral and ex-Nepalese Prime Minister late Girija Prasad Koirala awarded Bangladesh Liberation War Honour at a special ceremony, third of its kind in Bangladesh.

President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina together handed over the awards along with citations to the foreign distinguishes at a colourful ceremony at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital.

Several of the elderly 1971 foreign friends appeared in wheelchairs with beaming smiles to receive the honour in person while some were represented by their relatives as they were honoured posthumously under a government plan to formally acknowledge their contributions.

Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pankaj Sharan represented several Indians at the ceremony. Ram’s grandson and Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar’s son Anshul Abhijit received the crest on behalf of 1971 Indian defence minister Jagjivan Ram while Famous Indian film-star Sabana Azmi received on behalf of his father noted poet and lyricist Kaifi Azmi Padmashree.

“He (Ram) was instrumental in the creation of the joint command of Bangladesh and Indian forces for the final assault (on Pakistani troops) which led to the victory,” the citation for the ex-Indian defence minister reads.

Out of the 61 honoured guests, 51 are Indians while the others are from six other countries who extended their supports to Bangladesh as aide workers, politicians, journalists, artistes and diplomats. .

In his speech President Zillur Rahman termed the contribution of foreign persons to the country’s War of Liberation as invaluable, inspiring and precious.

“Your endless generosity will remain in our hearts forever. As a friend of ours, I believe, you would continue your valuable support and cooperation in our development process in the years to come,” he said.

Expressing sincere gratitude to the ‘foreign friends’ for their unequivocal support to Bangladesh’s independence, Sheikh Hasina said: “As we honour our heroes today, we reaffirm our faith in the principles we stood for.”

The Prime Minister further said: “Your support reconfirmed that our cause was right and our struggle could not be trampled. You heard our yearning for justice, honour and dignity. You added to our voice and magnified it for the global community.”

The Cabinet Division, the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs jointly arranged the colourful function.

Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni and State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Capt (retd) AB Tajul Islam also addressed the function, while Joan A Dine, a social worker of the USA, spoke on behalf of the award-recipients.

Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hussain Bhuiyan conducted the function and read out citations to the persons and institutions who got the awards. One of the recipients of the honour this time is Col Ashok Tara, a well- known veteran who took part in and survived several crucial and deadly battles with Pakistani troops and was decorated subsequently with Indian army’s gallantry award.

Tara, an army major at that time, however, is more known for his role in rescuing incumbent Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, her mother and Bangabandhu’s wife Begum Fajilatunnesa Mujib, sister Sheikh Rehana and brother Sheikh Russell from the captivity of Pakistani troops at the fag end of the liberation war.

The awardees include former Chief Minister of Tripura Nripen Chakraverti, Chief Minister of Meghalaya Williamson A Sangma, former Indian minister Dr Triguna Sen, former general secretary of Indian Communist Party Chandra Rajeshwar Rao, former Indian ambassador Sashanka S Banerjee, eminent Indian lyricist Gouri Prassanna Majumdar, leader of the national liberation front of former south Vietnam Nguyen Thi Binh, Brigadier (retd) Sant Singh Maha Vir Chakra, Brigadier (retd) Kailash Prasad Pande Maha Vir Chakra of Indian Army and Captain (retd) M N R Samant Maha Vir Chakra of Indian Navy.

The government has also awarded numbers of foreign journalists including Dilip Chakraborty, Manosh Ghosh, Hiranmoy Karlekar, Pankaj Saha, Tarun Sanyal, Robin Sengupta, Anil Bhattacharya, Bhupen Datta Bhaumik, Aveek Sarker and Santosh Kumar Ghosh of India, Sir William Mark Tully of the UK, Sven Stromberg of Sweden and Anthony Laurence Clifton of Australia.

“We have an initial list of over 500 such foreign friends who made immense contribution to the birth of Bangladesh. We want to honour them all in phases,” State Minister for Liberation War Affairs retired captain AB Tajul Islam told BSS ahead of the ceremony.

He said more 1971 foreign friends were expected to be conferred with the honour in ceremonies at home and abroad in phases while foreign ministry officials said the next such ceremony would be held in Dhaka coinciding with the Victory Day celebrations in December this year.

The then Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, was the first ‘foreign friend’ to be conferred with the honour while her daughter-in-law and ruling Congress president Sonia Gandhi received the honour on her behalf last year at a special ceremony.

Bribe money used in Sengupta’s telecom business

2012-10-07T19:32:00.000+06:00

Azam Khan, the whistleblower of the railwaygate scandal, appeared in a two-part interview aired on Rtv on Friday and Saturday nearly six months into the scandal.

On Saturday, Driver Azam Khan claimed that railway's money had been used in the telecom business of former railway minister Suranjit Sengupta's son Soumen Sengupta.

"Discussion about the business of Suranjit's son Soumen Sengupta took place in front of me," Azam.

On April 9, Azam drove Faruq's microbus into Pilkhana, and blew the whistle that there was 74 lakh cash stashed in the vehicle.

Apart from Faruq, railway's general manager (east) Yusuf Ali Mridha and Dhaka division security commandant Enamul Huq were in the microbus. Faruq was sacked and Mridha and Enamul were suspended following the incident.

After the vehicle entered Pilkhana, the Border Guard Bangladesh detained the four for that night but freed them the next day when their identification was confirmed.

Not only as minister, Suranjit had been involved in several grafts involving recruitment and transfer when he was the head of Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Azam told the private television.

The driver claimed that Suranjit used to phone State Minister for Law Quamrul Islam and tell him, "I am sending my APS. There are some quotas."

If Suranjit Sengupta had given five (names), the APS would add five more and get money, Azam claimed.

After the railwaygate scandal, the APS offered Azam ten to twenty lakh taka on condition of saving the then railway minister, the driver said.

"The APS told me that if you agree with us, you will get a good amount but I (Azam) told him that it was not possible for me."

Earlier, the APS told Azam that from next time, they would collect money through a bank account of a Suranjit's friend as it had become risky to carry the money in car.

"I had targeted to get them arrested with the money. As they decided not to carry money in my car anymore, it was the last chance for me. So, I drove the car into the Pilkhana on April 9," he said.

Azam quoted the APS, "We both know where the money was going. I have taken all the responsibilities (for the money). Do not implicate any others. Do not implicate Suranjit Sengupta. Implicate me. You will say, the money is mine."

Apprehending that he might be killed or abducted if he comes out of the hideout, Azam appealed to the prime minister and the home minister for securing his life.

"I feel bad. I want to see my father and mother," he said.

Seeking Suranjit's comment, the Rtv contacted him but Suranjit, the minister without portfolio, termed all the allegations baseless.

"What is the meaning to tell all this now? Want to drown the government? He has been called by the Anti-Corruption Commission several times. He did not turn up. Why did he not utter a single word in last six months?" Suranjit said.

Azam in the first interview with Rtv aired on Thursday night said the Tk 74 lakh stashed in his car was being taken to the then railway minister Suranjit's house.

Earlier on April 15, Yusuf Ali Mridha in a written statement to the ACC said he along with Faruq and Enamul was going to Suranjit's Jigatola residence that night.

And though a government investigation found irregularities in the recruitment in the railway's east zone, a railway departmental report on May 13 gave a clean chit to Suranjit Sengupta, saying he had no involvement in the scandal.

According to railway sources, some 1,128 people were given jobs in the railway's east zone in the last one year. Allegations are Yusuf and Faruq took Tk 3 to 5 lakh from each of the jobseekers.

Tk 74 lakh was being taken to Suranjit’s house

2012-10-06T22:45:00.000+06:00

Missing Driver Azam Tells RTV

Opening a Pandora’s Box of midnight money scandal that led to the resignation of Suranjit Sengupta from railways ministry, missing driver Azam Khan has said on private TV channel RTV that the money was being carried to the minister’s residence.

Azam Khan has been missing since the minister’s sacked APS, Omar Faquque Talukder, suspended Railway Genneral Manager Yusuf Ali Mridha and Railways Police Commandant Enamul Haque were confined at Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) gate on April 9 midnight with Tk 70 lakh.

Due to his desperate move, Omar Faquque and others were held at the BGB gate and now he is disclosing the story behind the scandal.

Speaking on the TV channel from an undisclosed location, Azam Khan said the above personnel were going to Suranjit Sengupta’s residence with the huge amount of money to bribe the minister to get several hundred people appointed in the railways department.

“So far I know GM Mridha entered into a contract with APS Faquque to secure the job with the help of the minister”, he said.

Azam referred to a conversation of APS Faquque, GM Mridha and Commandant Enamul Haque that Tk 10 crore will be given to the minister in exchange for appointment of 600 people.

The scandal resulted in a critical situation for the government, forcing Suranjit Sengupta to resign from the post of railways minister on April 16, 2012. APS Faquque was sacked while GM Mridha and Commandant Enamul Haque were suspended. Later the trio remained fugitive for some days to avoid arrest.

On August 14, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed cases against them as they concealed information in their submitted wealth statements.

Besides, ACC has approved filing another case against Yusuf Ali Mridha for his involvement in railway appointments.

Azam said, “When they were making it to the minsiter’s house, I turned the incident into another direction.”

He said the above mentioned officials started their journey with the money from house no 3 located at road no 5 in Dhamamondi.

Narrating the incident of that night he said “When I drove the car to GBG gate, they asked me where I was going. I told them as you are carrying bribe money, I have entered the car to the gate to get you arrested.”

He said at first the officials offered him Tk 5 lakh, then half and finally the whole amount to drive the car out of GBG gate and let them go free.

“I turned down their request, saying that I won’t be an accomplice in the bribery.”

He mentioned the name of some Mashiur who is involved in this appointment business.

“He [Mashiur] handed over a cheque for Tk 3 crore to the APS to secure the job of several hundred people in railways department”, he added.

Azam said on several occasions, the persons made it to the minister’s house with bribe money.

He said the APS and others tried to shift the responsibility to the government. “They asked me to drop the matter on the pretext that the government is involved in the incident.”

“But I know the Prime Minister has a stand against corruption. She wants that no corrupt goes scot-free.”

He made a plea to the government to protect him as he is hiding to avoid the wrath of the above mentioned officials.

In an instant reaction, Suranjit Sengupta rejected the statement made by driver Azam.

“No, these are false and fabricated allegations against me. These are bogus stories created by the media.”

The minister without portfolio questioned as to why driver Azam did not make his statement to the inquiry committee earlier.

“Why did he not go through investigation process? He has been absconding for long. From where has he appeared now? Everything is designed to make me scapegoat”, he told reporters.

Oil-Gas committee vows to continue protest

2012-10-02T21:35:00.001+06:00

Rehnuma Sultana
The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports at rally in front of the National Press Club on Monday condemned the police attack and vowed to continue the movement until its seven-point demand was met.

Speakers at the rally said about 50 leaders and activists of the committee were injured in Sunday’s police attack on the march towards the energy ministry. Police fired rubber bullets, tear gas, and charged baton on the peaceful march. The committee convener Sheikh Muhammad Shaheedullah asked the government to bring to book the police personnel responsible for the attacks on the marchers.

The committee to press its demands including withdrawal of latest power price hike effected from September 1, leaders said at the rally. The national committee will continue its movements until the increased power tariff was withdrawn and quick rental system cancelled. A select group of businessmen close to the government are benefitting from the quick rental plants at the cost of the people. The national committee will enforce agitation programmes, including hartal, siege and sit-in, to realise its demands, Shaheedullah said.

Communist Party of Bangladesh central leader Ruhin Hossain Prince said that their activist Arafatul Kabir Rizvi was seriously wounded in Sunday’s police action.

Socialist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Khalequzzaman said that the national committee would continue its movement until the seven-point demand was fulfilled.

Ganasanghati Andolan coordinator Abdus Salam said frequent power price was adding to the sufferings of the people.

Revolutionary Workers Party general secretary Saiful Huq called on the government to withdraw increased power tariff immediately.

Workers Party leader Ragib Ahsan Munna, Democratic Revolutionary Party general secretary Mushrefa Mishu, Workers Party (Reconstituted) general secretary Abdus Satter, Samyabadi Dal leader Moshayed Ahmed, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal leader Mahiuddin Chaowdhury Liton, Jaitya Gana Front leaders Abu Taher and Shamsul Alam also spoke at the rally.

The rally was followed by a protest procession.

Humayun Ahmed laid to eternal rest at Nuhash Palli

2012-07-24T17:58:00.002+06:00

Nation pays tribute to Humayun

2012-07-23T18:34:00.002+06:00

Nation is paying their last tribute to the eminent soup-opera maker Humayun Ahmed who died of colon cancer at a New York hospital.

At first, President Zuillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid their last tribute to the noted writer. President’s Military Secretary paid tribute on behalf of him while Parliament deputy leader Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury paid tribute on behalf of the Prime Minister. Then, people from all walks of life are paying their last tributes to Humayun Ahmed.

From the morning, thousands of people irrespective of caste, creed, religion and political parties thronged Shaheed Minar to express deep grief and grievances too, over the “irreparable loss” in the field of Bangla literature.

Sammilita Sangskritik Jote President Nasir Uddin Yusuf Bacchu told banglanews, “The body of the writer will be kept at the Central Shaheed Minar for three hours from 11:00am for people to pay last tributes to Humayun. Later, Humayun’s body will be taken to National Eidgah for janaza.”

Sammilita Sangkritik Jote has arranged the all preparation to pay tribute by people to Humayun.

People are entering through Rumana Chattar of Dhaka Medical College and exit through Jagannath Hall or Shibbari Crossing. Huge contingent of police have been deployed in the area to ensure security of the grieved people.

The body of eminent soap-opera maker Humayun Ahmed arrived here on Monday morning. An Emirates Airlines flight carrying Humayun Ahmed landed at Shahjalal International Airport at 8:54 am.

The renowned writer and filmmaker passed away at Bellevue Hospital, New York on Thursday around 11:20pm BST (1:20pm EST). He was fighting colon cancer. According to hospital records, he succumbed to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Humayun Ahmed dies - end of an era...

2012-07-20T01:45:00.002+06:00

Popular Bengali fiction writer Humayun Ahmed, 64, has died at a New York hospital after a nine-month battle against colon cancer, bringing the curtains down on a nearly four-decade long illustrious career.

Dr Abdul Momen, the Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, told that he had passed away at 11:30pm Thursday Bangladesh time at Bellevue Hospital.

Wife Meher Afroz Shaon, younger brother Mohammad Zafar Iqbal and publisher Mazharul Islam were at the Bellevue Hospital at the time of death.

President Zillur Rahman, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia have been leading the nation in mourning the novelist, playwright and filmmaker.

Arriving in New York on Sept 14 last year for treatment, he had two major surgeries on his colon since June 12 at Bellevue. He had earlier gone through 12 chemotherapy cycles at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre.

The writer's condition was stated critical after he had undergone the second surgery on June 21, when doctors detected infection of an unknown virus on his body and were unable to treat it. When news of his critical health first came out, legions of his fans expressed concern.

Journalist couple brutally killed

2012-02-12T18:41:00.004+06:00

Two well-known TV journalists have apparently been murdered in yet unexplained circumstances at their Dhaka home where they lived with their only child, the police and family said.

The bodies of ATN Bangla senior reporter Meherun Runi, in her mid-30s, and husband Maasranga Television news editor Golam Mustofa Sarowar, known as Sagar Sarowar, 37, were discovered on Saturday morning at their rented flat at west Rajabazar in the capital.

The police found the bodies of the couple lying in a pool of blood. Sarowar’s hands and legs were tied, and marks of wounds inflicted by sharp weapons were on their bodies.

The police official said the couple’s room was visibly ransacked and drawers were open. Surprisingly, valuables like laptop and camera were there in the room and nothing was apparently missing.

They were killed in the early Saturday, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station officer-in-charge Zakir Hossain Mollah said. The police have detained a security guard for questioning.

‘We have detained the building’s security guard Polash Rudro Paul for questioning,’ he said. ‘The matter is still unclear. We are investigating,’ Zakir said.

The OC said after waking up around 7:00am on Saturday, the couple’s 5-year-old son ‘Megh’ found the bodies lying on the floor of their bedroom. He then called his grandmother (Runi’s mother) and informed her of the incident. The grill of a kitchen window was found cut with an opening of 1.8 feet, OC Mollah added.

The detective wing head of the Rapid Action Battalion, Ziaul Ahsan, said, ‘In the primary investigation, it appears to be a pre-planned act. It also occurred to us that the killers did know them previously.’

The couple used to live on a fourth-floor flat of a multi-storied apartment complex on 58/A/2 holding of the area. The Tejgaon police deputy commissioner, Imam Hossain, told journalists that the detained security guard of the building, Palash Rudra Paul, said Sagor had come home around 2:00am. He saw no strangers getting in the apartment complex later on.

The police deputy commissioner said, ‘A grill at the kitchen was cut with an opening. The opening was such that only a child could enter. This fact is also being taken into consideration.’

Hamida Sultana, who lives in the flat next to the journalist couple’s, said she overheard conversations in their flat on Friday evening and thought there were guests in their home. But there was no record of guests on the security guard’s logbook.

‘Palash said sometime before the Fajr prayers, apartment owners’ association president of the building Mohammad Nurunnabi rang him up and said he (Nurunnabi) had heard someone crying on the floor right above his. Nurunnabi lives in the flat right under Sagor’s,’ Hossain said.

According to one of Sagor’s co-workers, Zobair Ahmed, a reporter at Maasranga TV, Sagor was at the television office until 1:30am. He said he also was on duty on Friday night and talked with Sagor. ‘I was stunned to learn about this incident in the morning,’ he said.

Criminal Investigation Department members of police reached the scene of the murder around 11:00am.

Sarowar returned to Bangladesh in 2011 after a few years in Bonn, working for Germany’s Duetsche Welle as a broadcaster and a reporter. He had previously been with Ittefaq, Jugantor, Sangbad among other news outlets.

According to relatives, Sagor’s ancestral home is on Nawabpur Road in old Dhaka, where one of his four sisters currently lives. Runi, whose parents live at a house nearby, had worked with Sangbad, Jugantor and Channel I.

Forensic experts suspect ‘non-professionals’ killed Runi and Sarowar. ‘Both bodies have marks of random slashing with knives and sharp weapons,’ forensic expert Sohel Mahmud, who conducted the autopsy, said. ‘The wounds have led us to suspect that the murderers are not professionals.

‘There were 29 large wounds on Sagor’s body along with 20-25 small cuts. A knife was found inserted 80 per cent into the left side of his chest. We removed it here (during post-mortem examination). The butt of the knife was missing.’

Mahmud said there were two deep wounds in Runi’s stomach. ‘Her death was hastened, as a blood vessel was severed,’ he added. As the news of their death spread, mass media workers and people living nearby thronged there.

On behalf of the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, her press secretary Abul Kalam Azad and special assistant (media) Mahbubul Alam Shakil, home minister Shahara Khatun, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Dhaka University vice-chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique, inspector general of police Hassan Mahmood Khandker, Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Benazir Ahmed and many others went to the spot. They offered their condolences to the grief-stricken family members.

Journalists from different media organisations staged a token strike in front of the National Press Club on Saturday afternoon, demanding arrest and trial of those behind the murder of Sarowar and Runi.

More than 50 journalists from various organisations took part in the strike. Among them were Sharfi Ahmed of Baishakhi TV, Shah Sikander Rehman of Banglavision TV, Zilhas Uddin Nipun of ABC Radio and Javed Akter of ATN News.

Later, the journalist couple was laid to rest at Azimpur Graveyard at 8:45pm Saturday. Family members, colleagues and well-wishers of the couple were present during the burial at Azimpur.

Before the burial, three separate namaz-e-janaza were held at different places including Dhaka Reporters’ Unity, Maasranga Television compound and on ATN Bangla channel premises.

Abdur Razzak given teary farewell

2011-12-27T21:23:00.003+06:00

People bade Abdur Razzak a teary farewell as the frontline organiser of the Liberation War was laid to rest at Banani Graveyard with state honour on Monday afternoon.

A smartly turned out contingent of the police gave a state honour as bugles played the Last Post before the body was lowered into the grave at the banana Graveyard. Mourners observed a minute’s silence and offered at the graveside.

Senior Awami League leaders handed over Razzak’s body to his two sons, Nahin and Fahim Razzak, who joined the burial rites, as mourners burst into tears.

Among others, AL leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Abdul Jalil, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Obaidul Quader, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Mahbubul

Alam Hanif, BM Mozameel Haque, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Abul Kalam Azad and Hasan Mahmud were present. A group of freedom fighters also paid their last respect to Razzak.

The cabinet at its weekly meeting on the day adopted a condolence motion on the death of Abdur Razzak, also Awami League advisory council member and a former minister.

The meeting recalled the contributions of the veteran leader to all democratic movements beginning from the education movement in 1962, said the prime minister’s press secretary Abul Kalam Azad.

Abdur Razzak, whose illustrious political career spanned half a century, died in King’s College Hospital in London on Friday after protracted illness.

Earlier, the fifth and last namaz-e-janaza of Abdur Razzak was held at the graveyard around 3:40pm.

The body was flown to Razzak’s ancestral village at Shariatpur’s Damudda in the morning and brought to Banani Graveyard from there at about 3:30pm.

People from walks of life, including politicians, lawmakers, lawyers, socio-cultural activists and students gathered at Razzak’s ancestral home in Damudda and on the upazila parishad premises where the body was kept for public view, to pay homage to the late leader, who was lawmaker elected from Shariatpur-3 constituency.

Razzak’s fourth namaz-e janaza was hold at the Damudda upazila mosque after Johr prayers. Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Hemayetullah Auranga and Shariatpur district president Jamal Sharif attended the janaza.

Razzak’s first namaz-e-janaza was held in London on Saturday. His body was flown to Dhaka by a special Biman on Sunday. His second and third namaz-e-janaza were held at South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad and Jatiya Eidgah ground with thousands of mourners attending.

The AL leader’s body was also kept at his Gulshan house, Central Shaheed Minar premises and AL headquarters on Bangabandhu Avenue, for public view on Sunday.

President Zillur Rahman, prime minister Sheikh Hasina and people from all walks of life paid tributes to the late leader by placing wreaths at the coffin.

AL leaders and activists wore black badges and the party flag flew at half-mast atop party offices across the country on Monday – the last day of a two-day mourning programme.

Razzak, a political luminary and popular leader, never lost a general election in his career.

He was also the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on water resources ministry. He was water resources minister in 1996-2001.

Razzak, was one the three members of the core committee of the Swadhin Bangla Biplabi Parishad, widely known as ‘nucleus’, a radical group of the Chhatra League that in early 1960s had conceived the idea of an independent nation state and started work for its establishment.

Razzak was also in the forefront of all landmark movements in the turbulent 1960s, including the historic six-point movement, the 11-point movement and the movement against the Agartala Conspiracy Case that climaxed in the 1969 popular uprising and culminated in the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.

He was the organising secretary, general secretary and presidium member of the Awami League during his illustrious political career. He was also general secretary of BKSAL, formed by the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975.

Abdur Razzak fought relentlessly against communal and reactionary forces throughout his political career. He was also a leader of the movement against autocrat Ershad in 1980s.

Record pass in Primary Terminal Examination

2011-12-27T21:13:00.003+06:00

About 97.26 per cent of the examinees passed the primary terminal examination this year, according to the results published on Monday. The pass rate in Ebtedayi terminal examination was 91.28 per cent.

Officials said the pass rate of primary and Ebtedayi terminal examinations this year increased than the figure of the previous year.

Last year, the pass rate was 92.34 per cent in primary terminal examination and 83.93 per cent in Ebtedayi terminal examination. The pass rate was 88.84 pee cent in the maiden primary terminal examination in 2009. The examinations were held from November 23 to 30.

Male students did well this year than the female students in terms of pass rate. The pass rate for male students was 97.48 per cent and for female 97.08 per cent in primary terminal examination and 92.51 per cent for male and 90.23 per cent for female in Ebtedayi.

This year for the first time, the results were published according to the grade system.

Of the successful candidates in primary terminal examination, 105,673 got GPA 5 while 2,150 students got GPA 5 in Ebtedayi terminal examination.

In primary terminal examination, the highest GPA 5 achiever was from Dhaka division and the lowest achiever was from Sylhet division. Some 41,731 students got GPA 5 in Dhaka and 3,291 got GPA 5 in Sylhet.

A total of 26,42,155 students took the examination this year in 6,176 examination centres.

Primary and mass education minister Afsarul Ameen and other officials of the ministry handed over the results to prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday morning.

The results were later available on website at dpe.teletalk.com.bd and at the districts and upazila education offices. Students and their guardians also collected the results through short message service from mobile phone operators. The examination is considered to be the biggest public examination in the country.

Some 4,287 physically challenged students sat for primary terminal examination and the pass rate was 96.64 per cent while in Ebtedayi 418 physically challenged students took the examination with the pass rate being 94.98 per cent.

Among seven divisions, students of Barisal division did well in primary and their pass rate was 99.05 per cent. In primary, the pass rate in Rajshahi was 97.63 per cent, in Khulna 98.13 per cent, in Dhaka 98.08 per cent, in Chittagong 97.24 per cent, in Sylhet 90.59 per cent and in Rangpur 96.85 per cent.

Students of Barisal division also did well in Ebtedayi terminal examination. The pass rate was 94.65 per cent.

Among the different types of educational institutions, students of PTI schools did well and the pass rate was 99.88 per cent. The pass rate in BRAC-run school was 99.73 per cent, in model government primary schools was 98.63 per cent, in High school adjacent primary schools 98.17 per cent, in kindergarten schools 98 per cent, in government primary schools 97.89 per cent, in registered non-government primary schools 95.95 per cent, community primary schools 94.78 per cent, in non-registered primary schools 93.74 per cent, Shishu Kalyan schools 92.69 per cent and NGO-run schools 91.45 per cent. The lowest pass rate was in Ananda school at 73.37 per cent.

In primary terminal examination, the top three educational institutions were Monipur High School in Dhaka, Viqarunnisa Noon School and College in Dhaka and Motijheel Ideal School and College in Dhaka.

In Ebtedayi, the top three madrassas were Darusjannat Siddiqiya Kamil Madrassa in Dhaka, Baitus Sharaf Kamil Madrassa in Chittagong and Tanjimul Ummah Cadet Madrassa in Dhaka.

No students of 371 schools and 99 madrassas who took the examinations became successful whereas in 68,629 schools and in 6074 madrassas, 100 per cent students passed the examinations.

The government introduced the public examinations for Class V students in 2009. Only students of general schools sat for the exam that year. From 2010 the Ebtedayi madrasa students are also taking the examination.

The examinations were held in Bangla, English, maths, religious studies, science and social science with a total of 600 marks.

The students must pass the terminal exams to get enrolled in Class VI. Scholarships would be awarded on the basis of their results in primary terminal examinations.

Killers are not killers!

2011-10-26T19:50:00.005+06:00

Scores of crazy transport workers cheerfully hurling shoes at a portrait of film star & road safety campaigner Ilias Kanchan, from the "grand" rally of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Malik-Sramik Oikyo Parishad at the Central Shaheed Minar on Monday.

Below are some comments made by online readers of The Daily Star:

Faqrul USA
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 12:55 AM GMT+06:00 (19 hours ago)
What an errant family of workers the minister is maintaining for his political purpose. I am quite concerned that these errant people were allowed to disrespect Shaheed Minar complex without any resistance from the police. The bold picture reveals the sense that they have occupied our foundation of independence for their personal interest having no national interest at all...is it a drama staged at the Sheed Minar to demonstrate their popularity and solidarity with the government? What a choice to demonstrate against a committed soul whose public record is much more superior than the ministers most likely blessing the notorious event. Shame!
Mohammad Rahman
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 12:57 AM GMT+06:00 (19 hours ago)
I have lost my words to describe this. This is ridiculous. Where is the dignity and morals of these people?

I strongly codemn this. As a civil society we have to unite and ensure road safety at any cost.
Eddo Brandis
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 12:58 AM GMT+06:00 (19 hours ago)
I cannot imagine how much our society has deteriorated! And it is very unfortunate that the State is backing such deterioration. Demanding safe road is not centred with an individual, it is for all even the criminal minister who is misleading the unconscious transport workers. Alas! Unfortunate for the nation! Criminality dominates society!
Raihan Sharif
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 06:20 AM GMT+06:00 (13 hours ago)
Hoodlums heedless of basic common road sense, parading their ability to cow down a whole nation and administration, and given political cover by a transport gangster turned minister, who in turn is sheltered by a PM whose lust to win elections has seemingly become monstrous!
Dejwar
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 07:18 AM GMT+06:00 (12 hours ago)
Mr Ali is talking against the interest of public. It will undoutedly go against the interest of the ruling power in the next election. Wait & see.
Md Ibrahim Khalil
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 07:25 AM GMT+06:00 (12 hours ago)
Shame on the Shipping Minister!!
Md Mahbub-ul-Alam
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 08:41 AM GMT+06:00 (11 hours ago)
This is not true. The drivers are not always responsible for all accidents. It happens for different reasons. What about the driver of Tarique Masud's microbus? Branding all drivers as killer is totally wrong.
Nazneen Ahmed
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 10:39 AM GMT+06:00 (9 hours ago)
There are two sides of the coin... We tend to hold the drivers responsible only, which is justified to some extent as they are the primary perpetrator. But what about those people who actually own the buses and hire these drivers in return for low salaries? Why are going Scot-free? Drivers are only employees. If the rich, so-called educated owner groups are utter callous in maintaining employee plus vehicle standards, then the subsequent results will only be accidents. This group is the main culprit pulling strings from behind.
kamal
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 10:46 AM GMT+06:00 (9 hours ago)
It's really alarming to see an angry mob or drivers/helpers chanting slogan against road safety campaigners. Now, it's time to find out their interests are whether evil or not, and take initiatives to solve the issue accordingly.
Reaz Hassan
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 10:50 AM GMT+06:00 (9 hours ago)
Such loathsome dirty stinking sick fools are polluting the sanctity of Shaheed Minar. This is reprehensible. And just think, their leader is a ruling party minister! Perhaps we need an avatar to cleanse our homeland from all sorts of such pitiable 'performances'. I am sure the movement for safe roads would be further strengthened by such nefarious deeds, and Ilias Kanchan would be endeared by the people for his selfless noble cause.
waqar khan
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 11:45 AM GMT+06:00 (8 hours ago)
It shameful for the whole nation that being a public representative and minister Shahjan stood beside the killer transport drivers ignoring mass peoples sentiment and fading the government image.
Rusafie
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 09:58 AM GMT+06:00 (10 hours ago)
This so called minister is not at all capable for being a minister! This minister should rather stay in the line of all those illiterate transport workers not in the cabinet!

And if Prime Minister doesn't remove him from his position, then it'll be a questionable mystery always that what's Prime Minister's intention?
hasan mohib
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 02:54 PM GMT+06:00 (5 hours ago)
Oh no!

It is totally unexpected.
jahid
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 02:56 PM GMT+06:00 (5 hours ago)
All drivers are not killer at all. But shipping minister should have shame...

Jamaat's Violent Confrontation

2011-09-20T21:30:00.003+06:00

Activists of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami fought pitched battles with the police and torched scores of vehicles in the city on Monday afternoon after the law enforcers intercepted the party’s protest march. About 20 vehicles, including four police cars, were burnt and damaged during the clashes that spread across a large area from Kakrail to Shantinagar and Paltan.

Reports of clashes between the Jamaat activists and police also came from different parts of the country, including Chittagong and Comilla that left about 100 more people injured.

Leaders and activists of Jamaat took to the streets on the day in protest against the ‘conspiracy’ to try the party leaders on ‘false’ charges by using a ‘black law’ and demanding their release. Jamaat claimed that at least 700 leaders and activists were injured and 400 were arrested across the country. Dhaka Metropolitan Police said that they had arrested 75 persons during clashes with Jamaat activists in Dhaka city.

After the clashes, the police on Monday night arrested Jamaat’s acting secretary general ATM Azharul Islam at the party’s Moghbazar headquarters. Witnesses said ATM Azhar was arrested when he was coming out of the party’s central office after a press conference. Jamaat publicity secretary Tasneem Alam was also arrested along with him. DMP Ramna zone deputy commissioner Krishnapada Roy confirmed the arrest of the Jamaat leaders.

The injured policemen were given treatment at Central Police Hospital at Rajarbagh while a number of Jamaat activists were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Police in some districts foiled the Jamaat demonstrations without any major incidents by arresting its leaders and activists.

A large number of police and members of Armed Police Battalion with water cannons and armoured carriers were deployed at different places ahead of the scheduled demonstrations in Dhaka.

The capital’s Kakrail, Paltan, Bijaynagar, Shantinagar and Malibagh areas turned into virtual battlefields during the clashes that left around 100 people, including 30 police personnel injured.

Police fired several hundred shots, mostly rubber bullets, and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.

Jamaat activists set fire to at least 17 vehicles, including two police vans, a police jeep and a prison van during the violence. The activists also attacked buses and other vehicles and torched nine motorcycles.

Witnesses said police had charged batons and fired a barrage of tear gas shells to disperse hundreds of Jamaat activists who gathered at the Diploma Engineers Institute at Nightingale crossing at Kakrail to march towards Paltan.

But police swung into action and tried to disperse them by using batons. Soon the clashes spread out to Paltan, Bijaynagar, Fakirerpool and Malibagh areas.

Activists of Jamaat and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir confronted the police with sticks and hurled stones during the nearly two-hour clashes.

A large number of people, mostly those returning home from work, suffered as transports went off the roads and police also cordoned off the intersections at Paltan, Bijaynagar, Kakrail and Malibagh restricting movement of traffic.

The demonstrators, in the face of firing of tear gas and rubber bullets, retreated to different nearby lanes from where they hurled stones at police.

Most of the shops and business establishments remained closed in the areas during the clashes.

Correspondent in Chittagong reported that activists of Jamaat had vandalised several vehicles in the port city on Monday afternoon. At least three policemen, including CMP assistant commissioner Abdul Mannan, were injured in the clashes triggered by police action on the Jamaat activists trying to stage demonstrations in Muradpur area of the port city. Police arrested a number of activists at the spot.

In Comilla the activists of Jamaat clashed with police for about an hour after the law enforcers stopped a procession in Chawkbazar area. The angry demonstrators smashed windowpanes of four commercial banks and attacked buses. The police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse about 4,000 activists and arrested 11 people at the spot.

In Bogra, the police dispersed Jamaat activists by charging batons when they tried to bring out a procession at Barogola. Jamaat claimed that six activists were injured during the police action.

Strong quake shakes country

2011-09-18T19:40:00.002+06:00

A magnitude-6.8 earthquake shook most parts of the country along with the capital for over a minute today evening.

Television reports, however, said shattered window panes of different high-rises in the capital fell on the ground.

People gripped by panic rushed to the streets from their offices and residences and called loved ones after the tremor started at around 6:45pm.

There were no immediate reports of casualties and the duration of the quake was not known instantly.

The epicentre of the quake was 490km northwest of Agargaon Met office in Dhaka, an official said.

Reports of tremor came from Manikganj, Gazipur, Kishoreganj, Khulna, Chittagong and Rajshahi.

The quake also hit northern India on Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to buildings, reports news agency Reuters.

The US Geological Survey said on its website the quake was centred 64 km north west of Gangtok, in Sikkim. It was 10 km deep.

Tareque Masud and Mishuk Munier killed in a tragic road accident

2011-08-14T16:34:00.003+06:00

Noted filmmaker Tareque Masud, media personality Ashfaque Munier Mishuk and three others died yesterday in a fatal road crash on Dhaka-Aricha highway in Manikganj, sending shockwaves through the nation.

Tareque's wife Catherine Masud, painter Dhali Al Mamun, his wife Dilara Zaman Jolly and film production staff Saidul Islam were injured in the accident. They are now receiving treatment at the Square Hospital in the capital. The wounded are now out of danger, said Syed Modasser Ali, health adviser to the prime minister.

The microbus carrying the team to Manikganj town collided head-on with a bus on the Dhaka-Aricha highway at Ghior in the afternoon. The team was on its way to meet the Manikganj deputy commissioner for permission to shoot for Tareque's latest project “Kagojer Phool” after visiting a shooting spot in Shibalaya upazila. Police found the bus 40-50 yards off the spot.

Film production crew Wasim and Jamal, and microbus driver Mostafizur Rahman are among the dead. Bodies of Tareque Masud and Chief Executive Officer of ATN News Ashfaque Munier, popularly known as Mishuk Munier, would be taken to the Central Shaheed Minar at 10:30am today for people to pay last respects, said Nasiruddin Yusuf Bachchu, president of Sammilita Sangskritik Jote.

Body of Mishuk will be brought to ATN News office at Karwan Bazar at 10:00am today, reported the private television station. Their bodies were kept at the mortuary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.

Rois Uddin, officer-in-charge of Ghior Police Station, told The Daily Star that a Chuadanga-bound bus from Dhaka collided with the microbus travelling to Manikganj town in Joka area at about 12:15pm.

The bus left Dhaka with nearly 50 passengers after 10:30am. It was travelling at high speed when it hit the microbus coming from the opposite direction, said several passengers of the bus.

“The passengers told us that they could hardly see anything outside as it was raining heavily at that time,” said Noor-e-Alam, assistant superintendent of police of Shibalaya Circle.

The driver did not slow down the bus even before taking a left-turn in Joka area. It hit the microbus at high speed after travelling about 10 yards from the turn. Half of the microbus was smashed on impact.

“I saw five bodies tangled in the wreckage. The wounded were trying to crawl out of it,” said 70-year-old Bomkesh Sarker, who lives just 15 yards off the scene. Locals rushed there to rescue the victims and one of them informed police about the incident.

Catherine Masud, painter Dhali Al Mamun and his wife Dilara Zaman were whisked off to Manikganj Sadar Hospital at about 12:45pm. They were later taken to the Square Hospital in the capital.

The five bodies were first taken to Manikganj Sadar Hospital morgue at 2:00pm and then to Dhaka Medical College morgue around 6:00pm.

Bodies of Wasim, Jamal and Mostafizur have been handed over to their respective families, mentioned Nasiruddin Yusuf Bachchu.

The bus driver left the vehicle with passengers 40-50 yards off the spot after the accident. “The bus staff fled the scene leaving the vehicle,” said Noor-e-Alam. Police seized the bus and took it to Borongail police outpost.

The bus driver, Jamir Uddin, is from Daulatdiar village in Chuadanga, reports our Kushtia correspondent. Bus owner Mujibul Haque Khokon said Jamir has been driving bus for three decades and working for him for the last two years.

Khokon claimed that he lost contact with Jamir after the accident. “If I manage to contact Jamir, I'll ask him to surrender,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Zillur Rahman, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia, and leaders of socio-cultural organisations expressed deep shock at the deaths.

BNP Lawmakers beaten badly by police on first day of strike

2011-07-07T22:01:00.003+06:00

The police attacked lawmakers and activist of the opposition BNP and its allies in Dhaka and elsewhere on the first day of their 48-hour general strike on Wednesday amid continued arrest of leaders and activists and imprisonment in trial by mobile courts for their suspected involvement in picketing. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party said that 400 activists, including the party’s former lawmakers Quamruddin Ehiya Khan Majlish and Nure Ara Safa, had been arrested at places across the country. Eighty of them were arrested in the capital.

The police attacked about 30 BNP lawmakers on Manik Miah Avenue as the strike began. The leaders were headed for the party’s central office at Naya Paltan about 7:00am under leadership of the opposition chief whip Zainul Abedin Faruque.

The lawmakers said that when they walking down the road, a team of policemen, led by Harun-or-Rashid, additional deputy commissioner of the Tejgaon zone, suddenly started abusing them, which led to an altercation.

The police then attacked the opposition chief whip as Harun shouted ‘action,’ the lawmakers added.

Policemen in riot gear beat Farroque with truncheons, tore off his polo shirt and kicked him down on the ground.

As he tried to escape, the police chased him to the lawmakers’ apartments, captured him in the garage of a building and severely beat him again, the lawmakers said.

The injured Farroque was taken to the flat of lawmaker Syeda Ashifa Ashrafi Papiya and then admitted to the intensive care unit in United Hospital at Gulshan.

‘They kicked me down on the ground. I got injured in the head and the leg. You can still see the stains of blood on the floor of the garage of this building,’ Farroque said when he was staying in Papiya’s house.

The ICU in-charge in United Hospital, Asif Mahmud, said that Farroque was taken to the ICU after an operation.

‘He has injuries overall the body, especially in the legs. The legs have swollen. He feels acute pain in the head and at knee-joints. He is also suffering from respiratory problems,’ Mahmud said.

Harun-or-Rashid, who was a member on the Chhatra League central committee headed by Bahadur Bepari told, ‘As I saw him about to attack a vehicle, I grabbed him by the collar and asked him “Why are you doing this, Sir?” and he pushed me down.’

‘Then there was a scuffle. And I also got injured. I am now admitted to Police Hospital at Rajarbagh,’ he said, brushing aside the allegation of launching an attack on Farroque.

The BNP lawmakers planned to lay siege to the office of the speaker and lodge a complaint with him but later dropped the plan as Farroque needed to be sent to hospital. They later lodged a complaint with the speaker in the evening when the session was on.

The police picked up former lawmaker Nure Ara Safa, also the president of Jatiyatabadi Mahila Dal, and seven others at noon from Mohakhali when she was leading a procession.

Property Tax for property valued over Tk 50 lakh

2011-04-12T22:42:00.004+06:00

Citizens of Bangladesh having property worth more than Tk 50 lakh will have to pay tax, National Board of Revenue (NBR) said on Tuesday.

The new tax, styled as ‘Property Tax’, will be slapped primarily on people living in the metropolitan areas.

“Primarily the tax will be imposed on owners of lands and buildings in the metropolitan areas,” Aminur Rahman, a member of the NBR, during a discussion on the policy with the stakeholders at a city hotel.

The property tax will be fixed on the value of property as per its market price, he said.

He did not disclose any amount when journalists asked for so as an example.

The NBR member said the revenue watchdog will form a separate specialised unit in this regard.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith and NBR Chairman Nasiruddin Ahmed were present among others at the meeting.

Full version of Barrister Andalib Rahman's speech in Bangladesh Parliament on 27 March 2011

2011-03-31T22:36:00.005+06:00

Barrister Andalib Rahman is the chairman of Bangladesh Jatiya Part. This is the complete video of Parliamentary speech by Andalib Rahman Partho on 27/03/2011. His bold appearance in the national assembly brought mass attention at home and abroad.