Himu's Window

Friday, November 27, 2009 Police yesterday shifted a detained Awami League leader arrested on charges of mugging and demanding toll to hospital apparently to release him in the face of pressures by the ruling party men. Mahbubur Rahman, acting AL general secretary of Godagari upazila, was arrested along with his son Rajesh at his home in connection with a mugging case in the early hours yesterday. Mahbub was admitted to Police Hospital around 5:00pm, while Rajesh was hauled before a court that sent him to jail, said police and court sources. "Mahbub was admitted to the hospital as his health deteriorated. But we sent Rajesh to the court," confirmed Abdul Kuddus Chowdhury, additional superintendent of police. "We will decide about him after he recovers," Chowdhury added. AL leaders including Jubo League President Asaduzzaman were putting pressure on the police for his release since 12noon, sources say. At around 3:00pm, the AL leaders along with

Read The Daily Star special supplement recollecting the gruesome events of Bangabandhu Murder, the related conspiracies, and the roles of some prominent actors.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 Several lawyers including the president and the general secretary of Rajshahi Bar Association were assaulted as two groups of lawyers scuffled during the association's general meeting at the hall room of first Bar Bhaban in the city yesterday noon. The general meeting, called over discussion on recent resignation of 11 members of the executive committee of the association, was postponed as some lawyers chased each other and damaged chairs and tables at the meeting venue. The 11 lawyers, including a vice president and six secretaries of the association, resigned on October 31 protesting corruptions and forgery involving Tk 26 lakh allegedly by association President Mohammad Yahia and General Secretary Lokman Ali. The unwanted situation ensued at around 2:45pm when Entajul Haque Babu, a public prosecutor and member secretary of Rajshahi Ainjibi Oikya Parishad, was delivering speech at the meeting. He demanded that the association committee

Wednesday, November 18, 2009   The councils of BNP Rajshahi city and district units have now become uncertain as intra-party feuds deepened further yesterday. Leaders and activists loyal to former state minister Kabir Hossain and former lawmaker Nadim Mostafa staged demonstration in the city yesterday against BNP's Organising Secretary Mizanur Rahman Minu who, they said, arbitrarily formed committees at different upazilas, wards and municipalities without following the party constitution. They urged the high command to save the party from the clutches of Mizanur Rahman Minu. Minu refuted the allegations, saying the protesters are young in politics. "We will be able to reach a consensus before the councils," he said. In the protest meeting at Shaheb Bazar zero point, district BNP joint conveners Delwar Hossain and Motiur Rahman alleged that at least 1,000 BNP leaders and workers could not be enrolled as members of the city unit as membership forms were

Saturday, November 14, 2009 Boalia police released a businessman after two and a half hours of the arrest as hundreds of cloth traders laid siege to the police station protesting "unfair arrest" Thursday night. Police said, a team of Detective Branch (DB) and Malopara police arrested Shamim Ahmed, owner of Alam Cloth Store, around 8:00pm on recovering 50 grams of heroin from his motorcycle parked outside the shop. Shamim was released around 11:00pm upon an undertaking by Rajshahi city's Panel Mayor Shariful Islam Babu in the face of the protest. The agitating traders alleged that some policemen or hired goons hid the heroin in Shamim's bike to satisfy a grudge as he denied a policeman 'Eid gifts.' Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Sarder Nurul Amin said, "We released Shamim sensing a conspiracy as claimed by the traders." He formed a two-member probe team led by assistant commissioner of DB Tariqul Islam to look i

Lawmaker Fazle Hossain Badsha yesterday called on all to resist conspiracies against the government steps to restore the constitution of 1972 as well as to start the trial of war criminals. He said the government steps are underway for reestablishing the four basic principles of the constitution of 1972 as Bangladesh's birth was based on the ideals. Badsha, also a politburo member of Workers' Party of Bangladesh, said as per its election pledge, the government is also going to try the war criminals as trial is the only way to console the souls of 30 lakh martyrs of the liberation war and innumerable families who were victimised during the war. "But the anti-liberation forces of BNP-Jamaat, who were in power for a maximum period since the independence through killings and conspiracies, are still hatching deep-rooted plots to destabilise the process of peace and humanity since their defeat in the December 29 elections." "Although the Awami League (AL

Monday, November 2, 2009   Adulterated fertilisers have flooded the markets of Rajshahi and its adjoining districts just before the cultivation of Rabi crops, much to the concern among the growers. Spurious fertilisers are being made secretly at houses and underground factories in different upazilas of the district, said police and officials. A section of dishonest fertiliser dealers of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) are also allegedly engaged in selling spurious fertilisers. A group of unscrupulous traders are manufacturing fertilisers rampantly in many houses of Nandangachhi, Shimulia, Baidyanathtala, Faridpur, Gobindapur and Barkatpur villages of Charghat upazila, locals said. They are selling triple super phosphate (TSP), di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) by mixing smuggled Indian fertilisers with local ones while muriate of potash (MoP) by mixing sand or salt with brick dust and colours, said a number of farmers. Against this backdrop, the Agricult

Sunday, November 1, 2009 Students of Rajshahi Government College enforced a wildcat strike on the campus yesterday demanding cancellation of the transfer order of Principal Dr Ali Reja Muhammad Abdul Mazid. The students under the banner of Students' Movement Council (Chhatra-Chhatri Sangram Parishad) observed a token hunger strike from 8:00am to 1:00pm after putting the administrative building under lock and key. They also locked the main gate of the college and barred the teachers, staff and students from entering different departments and holding classes and examinations. Several students said Principal Abdul Mazid has created a congenial academic atmosphere on the campus and undertook different development activities during the 15 months of his tenure. "We will go for indefinite strike if the transfer order is not cancelled immediately," said Md Badsha Alam, the first joint convenor of the Students Movement Council. Alam, also joint convenor of the col

Sunday, November 1, 2009   Eleven executives of Rajshahi Bar Association yesterday resigned protesting alleged corruption by association's president and general secretary. They are vice-president AKM Mizanur Rahman, third joint secretary Habibur Rahman, audit secretary Shamsul Haque, Library secretary Mahmudur Rahman, press and information secretary Masud Sarder, accounts secretary Nazmul Haque Mintu, magazine and cultural secretary Rajab Ali and members Abdul Matin Chowdhury, Parvez Towfik Zahedi, Aftabur Rahman and SM Mofazzal Haque. The announcement of en masse resignation came from a press conference at Rajshahi Metropolitan Press Club at noon. Some 50 other senior lawyers under the banner of 'Rajshahi Ainjibi Oikya Parishad' were present at the press conference. The lawyers alleged that Bar Association President Muhammad Yahiya and General Secretary Lokman Ali were engaged in distributing forged vokalatnama (power of attorney) among the lawyers and

Sunday, November 1, 2009   Eleven executives of Rajshahi Bar Association yesterday resigned protesting alleged corruption by association's president and general secretary. They are vice-president AKM Mizanur Rahman, third joint secretary Habibur Rahman, audit secretary Shamsul Haque, Library secretary Mahmudur Rahman, press and information secretary Masud Sarder, accounts secretary Nazmul Haque Mintu, magazine and cultural secretary Rajab Ali and members Abdul Matin Chowdhury, Parvez Towfik Zahedi, Aftabur Rahman and SM Mofazzal Haque. The announcement of en masse resignation came from a press conference at Rajshahi Metropolitan Press Club at noon. Some 50 other senior lawyers under the banner of 'Rajshahi Ainjibi Oikya Parishad' were present at the press conference. The lawyers alleged that Bar Association President Muhammad Yahiya and General Secretary Lokman Ali were engaged in distributing forged vokalatnama (power of attorney) among the lawyers and

Friday, October 23, 2009   Uncle of a victim in Rajshahi sued 56 JMB men on charge of killing his nephew while a Khagrachhari court sent a suspected militant of the outfit to jail rejecting his bail prayer yesterday. A case was lodged with a Rajshahi court yesterday accusing 56 JMB militants of murdering Abu Taleb and dumping his body to an unknown place in 2004. Taleb's uncle Amjad Hossain filed the case and the court directed the officer in-charge (OC) of Bagmara to take legal steps in this regard. The accused include two alleged JMB advisers in Bagmara -- Abdus Sattar BSc of Sakoa and Lutfar Rahman of Majhgram -- and the outfit's area commanders Mostafizur Rahman alias 'Killer' Mostak and Mamun Muhuri of Polash. Goalkandi Union Parishad (UP) Jamaat ameer Abdul Majid Khan and his son Anwar Hossain, a Shibir adherent at Rajshahi University are also among the accused. Amjad Hossain alleged that the accused kidnapped Abu Taleb from his home at Sajuria