Himu's Window

This picture published in the daily Sangram in 1971 shows members of the fourth Razakar Force taking oath over the holy Quran after completing training under Rajshahi Peace Committee in 1971. Read Julfikar Ali Manik's story Religion was the major weapon of the anti-liberation elements including Jamaat-e-Islami in their attempts to foil the birth of Bangladesh and in helping the Pakistani invaders, who launched genocide triggering the nation's armed struggle for independence on March 26, 1971. "Jamaat-e-Islami cherishes Pakistan and Islam as an inseparable entity," commented former Jamaat ameer Golam Azam in 1971. He was also the chief of the East Pakistan unit of Jamaat during the Liberation War. Jamaat's mouthpiece the daily Sangram covered a speech by Golam Azam in 1971. "Pakistan is the house of Islam for the world Muslims. Therefore, Jamaat activists don't justify being alive had Pakistan disintegrated," Golam Azam was quoted by Sangram as addres

The first court of Rajshahi Divisional Special Judge yesterday sentenced seven militants of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) for life in connection with the August 17 serial bomb blast case filed with Motihar Police Station. The convicts include JMB's regional ammunition supplier Torikul Islam, Rajshahi district commander Shafiullah Tarek Kalam, and a zonal JMB commander Abu Isa alias Enamul Haque Mithu, Hasan Ali Ekhwan, Jahangir Alam Abidur and Arif alias Alal. Sheikh Enamul Haq Moni, an adherent of militant kingpin Asadullah Al Galib, is convicted in absentia. He commanded JMB's western zone in Rajshahi till 2006 in guise of a journalist. Torikul was arrested in Godagari, near the Indian border, with 5,000 detonators in December 2005 while others with ammunitions at different times. M Motazidur Rahman, judge of the court, also fined them Tk 20,000 each and in case of defaults they will undergo two more years of rigorous imprisonment, said public prosecutor Moklesur

A case was filed yesterday against former Deputy Speaker Akhtar Hamid Siddiqui with Mohadevpur police station in Naogaon on charge of cheating authorities of a private primary school. Shamima Yasmin, headmistress of Bagdob Girls' Primary School, lodged the case against Siddiqui and his aide Mahbub Alam Hasan, also a union parishad chairman.  In her case, Yasmin alleged that the accused took Tk 1.70 lakh in toll and promised to include their school under the government's Monthly Payment Order (MPO). Allegations of cheating, misappropriation and issuance of death threat have been brought against the accused under sections 420, 406 and 506 of the Bangladesh Penal Code in the case, said M Mofazzel Hossain, superintendent of police (SP) in Naogaon. The plaintiff in her case alleged that she paid Tk 50,000 directly to Siddiqui and Tk 1.20 lakh through Mahbub Alam in two phases of May and June in 2005. “After taking the money, Siddiqui denied the school authorities to include under MP

Furious BNP terms the case fabricated   The Detective Branch (DB) police in Naogaon arrested former deputy speaker and BNP leader Akhtar Hamid Siddiqui from Mohadevpur upazila yesterday evening under the Special Powers Act (SPA) for making 'seditious statements'. "He has primarily been arrested under the SPA for making anti-state statements and threatening the police", Mofazzel Hossain, Superintendent of Police (SP) in Naogaon, said. The SP told The Daily Star that government high ups were apprised of the situation before the arrest was made, and the police have also written to the home ministry for permission to press sedition charges against Siddiqui. Ilyas Fakir, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Mohadebpur police station, filed a general diary (GD) on Thursday night accusing the BNP leader of threatening him with 'dire consequences' and of making statements subversive to the government and the state. Siddiqui's statements suggest he might have

A woman works at a strawberry field in Rajshahi. Growers and traders of the fruit are expecting a Tk10 crore annual turnover, as they launch its commercial cultivation this year. Photo: STAR Strawberry growers and traders in Bangladesh are expecting Tk 10 crore in annual turnover, as they go into its first-ever commercial cultivation this year.  Rajshahi University teacher Dr Manzur Hossain, who developed the fruit nearly a decade ago, expects nearly 25 tonnes of output from about 8.5 acres of land in 45 districts until April.  Growers claim the cultivation of this money-spinning, nutritious, delicious foreign fruit will spin nearly Tk 10 crore worth of trade a year.  “The initial commercial production will meet 50 percent of the gross annual demand for the fruit. At present, the demand for the fruit stands at 50 tonnes,” said Hossain, also the general secretary of Bangladesh Strawberry Farmers Association, which monitors the fruit's cultivation in the country.  Production will con

Rajshahi city unit of Awami League at a press conference yesterday demanded removal of six police officers for allegedly favouring Islami Chhatra Shibir cadres during the violence on Rajshahi University and Rajshahi Medical College campuses. However, the police blamed the campus authorities and alleged the authorities refrained them from performing their duties following directives of Rajshahi Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton. The AL leaders demanded removal of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) Commissioner Mahbub Mohsin, Additional Commissioner Hafizur Rahman, Assistant Commissioner (Boalia zone) Humayun, officers-in-charge (OC) of Rajpara Police Station (PS) Anisur Rahman and Rafiqul Islam of Motihar PS. Besides, a group of AL leaders at the press conference also demanded removal of RMC Principal Towhidul Alam and RMP Assistant Commissioner (detective branch) Mahfuzur Rahman. http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=79535

Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) is linked to the BDR massacre, Commerce Minister Lt Col (retd) Faruk Khan said today. "We've so far identified some persons in the BDR who are associated with the JMB," he said, based on feedback from the investigators, UNB adds. The commerce minister added that it was part of a conspiracy. Khan was speaking today (Thursday) at the annual meeting of the International Business Forum of Bangladesh at the Hotel Sheraton in the city. "When the government was moving towards a change for desired development, the conspirators staged the carnage in a bid to 'unsettle' the government and people," he told his business audience. "A dangerous conspiracy is going on to destroy the development of the country," Faruk added. The commerce minister said though the opposition party was silent at least for three days after the BDR massacre, now it is acting as a specialist in the matter. He said peop

At least four of the mutineers of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) are believed to have been active members of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) before they joined the paramilitary force. They all hail from Bagmara of Rajshahi, the stronghold of the Islamist militant outfit JMB, where extremists led by JMB's former operation commander Bangla Bhai, later executed, launched their atrocities.  Anwar, one of the four was well-known cadre of Bangla Bhai. He was allegedly involved in the murder of Awami League (AL) leader Yasin in 2004 in Bagmara. A team of the 'operation rebel hunt' has recently raided houses of Anwar, Ismail, Kawsar and Aftab but in vain.  The four were present at Pilkhana during the mutiny before they fled and they are still on the lam, said officers engaged in the 'operation rebel hunt'.  “There might be many more like them and we are looking into it”, said one of the officers.  The officers said some 10 to 12 rebel soldiers took shelter at Ismail&

Tuesday, March 10, 2009 Investigators in Rajshahi are trying to detect whether there is any link between BDR rebels and the patrons of outlawed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). The investigators have information about recruitment of a number of JMB or other outfits' operatives as border guards since 2004 on political recommendations, say officials involved in the Operation Rebel Hunt. A number of politicians were arrested, went into hiding, or were affected in some ways since the 1/11 changeover following their alleged patronage of militancy. "We have asked the BDR Headquarters for a list of new recruits from Rajshahi and neighbouring districts. Identifying the recruits will take time as necessary documents are now scattered," says a senior officer. He adds they are likely to take help from the computerised database prepared during the voters' registration with photograph for properly identifying these men. The official informs that they will emphasise how m

An army helicopter crashes in Tangail this (Monday) morning. PHOTO: TV grabStar Online Report General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Jessore Cantonment Maj Gen Rafiqul Islam and Pilot Lt Col Shahid killed in an army helicopter crash in Tangail this (Monday) morning. Visit The Daily Star

Rajshahi police have sought permission from the home ministry to file at least 10 sedition cases in connection with the mutiny of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) soldiers in the division. Police drafted the cases on Wednesday and sent letters to police headquarters in Dhaka seeking necessary permission from the home ministry, said Mokhlesur Rahman, deputy inspector general (DIG) of Rajshahi range police. “After getting permission, police will record the cases and investigate them”, he said, adding that permission has been sought for no more than 10 cases. “As per rules, the home ministry's permission is essential for lodging cases with sedition charges”, said the DIG. Expressing solidarity with the Pilkhana mutineers, the soldiers in different northern regions, including four battalions in Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj districts, fired hundreds of shots and put barricades on roads on February 25 and 26 in order to destabilise the country, police said. Jamiruddin, a 35-year old rick

Smuggling through the Rajshahi border points have increased considerably due to laxness of border guards in the last few days, said people in the bordering villages. Indian drugs including heroin and phensidyl and clothes are entering the country through the borders in huge quantity, they said. "One has to cross the Padma River twice to go to the Indian border at Char Majardia. There are at least 10 boats at ferry points for carrying smuggled items," said a villager. While going to the village at daytime, this correspondent saw some 11 boats at the first ghat (ferry point) on the Padma and 14 boats at the next ghat but only one boat in each ghat was engaged in carrying villagers across the river. Villagers said smugglers use the other boats only during the night. Similar picture is available also at other Padma ghats toward the Indian borders including Sonaikandi, Khar Chaka, Bidirpur and Char Asariadaha. Five BDR men were seen on duty at Char Majardia BDR camp. Asked about t

Tuesday, February 24, 2009 Unidentified criminals, in guise of members of detective branch (DB) of police, kidnapped another trader near village Chowgram on Natore-Bogra road in Natore district Sunday evening. They kidnapped Ashraful Islam, owner of Zamtoli Filling Station, at about 7pm with Tk 1.50 lakh in possession. Ashraf was returning to his Shingra home from Zamtoli bazaar along with his son Mizanur Rahman. While narrating the incident, Rahman said, "We set for home by a CNG-run auto-rickshaw with the days' income." "At a desolate place near Chowgram, about 10 criminals on board two microbuses waylaid us. Identifying themselves as DB policemen, they searched our auto-rickshaw and took away my father with them by a microbus". Rahman lodged a case with Shingra Police Station. He feared the miscreants might kill him or demand ransom. "A big network of criminals seems to be involved in the kidnapping", said Singra Police Station act