Himu's Window

Saturday, September 19, 2009   Wealthy leader took lease of govt plot meant for landless An Awami League leader of Bagmara, who possesses two small industries and ancestral property, managed to get lease of a piece of government land (Khas land), depriving the genuine landless people. Abdur Razzak, AL general secretary of Goalkandi union, obtained lease of a five-decimal plot of land for 99 years claiming himself landless and now constructing a two-storey building on it flouting the lease contract. Locals said Razzak has long been trying to grab the land by living in a temporary house there. After Awami League came to power, he applied for a lease of the land. The district administration approved his prayer last May following recommendations of the Upazila Committee for leasing khas lands, headed by the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO). At one corner of the land, bicycle mechanic Govinda runs his workshop. But he has lately been under tremendous pressure to leave ...

Wednesday, September 16, 2009 An otter (udbiral) was electrocuted inside its cage at Rajshahi Central Zoo yesterday due to alleged negligence of the zoo authorities. The 13-year-old male otter died instantly as it came in touch with a falling power-line. Its body was taken out from the cage an hour later, zoo sources said. "The loosened electrical line fell over the cage at around 9:30am when crows sat on the line, and the otter was trying to chew it," said Farhad Uddin, veterinary surgeon of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) that operates the zoo. M Sadekul Islam, an RCC official and in-charge of the zoo, acknowledged that RCC's electricity department is responsible for the incident as they draw line from the main source without any concern for the safety of animals as well as visitors. The otter was buried behind the zoo control room at 12:00noon after its autopsy, he said. The female partner of the otter perhaps could not recover from the shock of this tragic incident an...

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 Over a thousand members of the indigenous Mahali community observed Jitia Parbon (a Mahali festival) at Baganpara village under Godagari upazila last Saturday amidst much fanfare. Mahali children, women, and men from some 18 villages of Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainwabganj participated in the daylong festival that started from midnight. The remote Baganpara village reverberated with life as groups of Mahalis danced with the beats of dhol, madol and other traditional instruments. The festival formally started with a prayer for the well being of the country. Although the festival is considered to be the biggest social event of the Mahali community, it was not observed for about half a century until the celebration resumed last year. "Mahalis withdrew from celebrating the festival since many of them converted to Christianity. But now, we find our existence as Mahalis is at stake and this festival is part of our identity," said Zakar...

Monday, September 14, 2009    Police yesterday pressed charges against six militants including two top leaders of Islam O Muslim, the new JMB offshoot, revealing that they were raising the secret outfit and accumulating small weaponry from India to kill opponents of JMB. Police submitted the charge sheet to the third court of judicial magistrate against the accused Abdur Rahim alias Shahadat, 32, chief of Islam O Muslim, and former JMB's Rajshahi regional commander, and Selim alias Saifullah alias Harun Mistri, 26, chief military commander and mastermind of the outfit, former JMB's military commander Abdul Momin and Abdur Rakib alias Sumon, 28, of Chapainwabganj, Jalal Uddin alias Sagor, 38, of Naogaon and Hafez Sajedur Rahman alias Hanif of Bagmara. Sub-Inspector Babul Akhtar of Bagmara Police Station has been investigating the affairs of Islam O Muslim for the last three months and charged them under sections 8, 9 and 10 of Anti-terrorism Ordinance 2008. A...