Himu's Window

Wednesday, February 17, 2010 Violence plotted in Dhaka; attackers' cell phone records show Jamaat connection In a major turn of events in the Rajshahi University violence investigation, the Detective Branch of Police yesterday arrested a member of the university syndicate in connection with the murder of RU student Faruk Hossain. Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Sarder Nurul Amin said Siddik Hossain was arrested at Rajshahi Court area around 6:00pm yesterday. Siddik is the Rajshahi city Jamaat assistant general secretary and also the principal of Islamia College. He said arrested Shibir cadres revealed his name. Meanwhile, three very high-ranking police personnel in Rajshahi told The Daily Star that Jamaat and Shibir leaders in Dhaka planned the February 9 attack on Chhatra League at Rajshahi University and the attackers were present at the public meeting of Jamaat Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami in Rajshahi on February 7. Sources say that investigators going through mob...

Wednesday, February 17, 20 Jamaat-Shibir men are killing people as per their plans and creating anarchy in a bid to thwart the move for trying the war criminals and banning religion-based politics, leaders of the ruling grand alliance said at a public meeting yesterday. They said the murder of Rajshahi University's Chhatra League activist Faruk Hossain was a part of Jamaat's master plan. The leaders argued that Jamaat-Shibir men have no right to do politics following cancellation of the fifth amendment of the constitution. Speaking as the chief guest, Jute and Textile Minister Abdul Latif Siddiki stressed strengthening the unity of the alliance at grassroots level in order to fight the anti-liberation forces and the Islamist militants. The government is facing difficulty in dealing with the chaos at different parts of the country, as there are elements of Jamaat-Shibir among police and government officials. Lawmaker Rashed Khan Menon blamed Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami for...

Monday, February 15, 2010 Refuting allegations against police administration, Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Commissioner Nawsher Ali yesterday blamed Rajshahi University authority for not playing its role to control February 9 campus violence that left one Chhatra League worker killed and about 100 people injured. Nawsher Ali said the allegation should not fall on the shoulder of entire police administration as nine policemen already have been suspended for their negligence. “Where were the proctors and halls' provosts during the attacks? If Dr Zoha (Martyr Shamsuzzoha) could brave Pakistani forces to save his students' lives, what the proctors and provosts did for their students. Even the VC himself did not come out of his home. Was it not their responsibility?” he asked. Showing phone call lists Ali said the VC phoned him at 3:06 am but the incident of killing was already over. Meanwhile, Shafiullah, an student injured in the attack, told The Daily Star that some 11 students, ...

Saturday, February 13, 2010 Rajshahi city Jamaat Ameer Ataur Rahman and 10 other Shibir men were taken on a five-day remand yesterday in connection with three cases filed for February 9 RU violence. The court of additional chief metropolitan magistrate granted the five-day remand while the police sought for 10 days. Ataur Rahman has been shown remanded in Faruk Hossain killing case. BCL activist and Rajshahi University student Faruk was hacked to death during the RU rampage. Police charged the Jamaat leader with ordering and provoking Shibir cadres to go berserk and perpetrate the murder. With the 11, the number of arrestees in Rajshahi following the RU incident has reached 46. Meanwhile, two injured BCL workers, Rahedul Islam Rahi and Ruhul Amin, earlier admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, lodged two more cases against some 90 Shibir leaders and activists with Motihar Police Station yesterday. Rahi accused 34 Shibir men, including RU Shibir president Shams...

Friday, February 12, 2010   Police yesterday arrested Rajshahi city Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Ataur Rahman in connection with the two cases filed for Tuesday's violence at Rajshahi University and the murder of Faruk Hossain. Meanwhile, police claimed to have recovered the body of an Islami Chhatra Shibir leader, accused of being involved in Tuesday's violence, at a house in Chapainawabganj. The law enforcement agencies have started combing operations at all the Jamaat-Shibir strongholds across the country. They arrested 32 Shibir men. Six were placed on remand. Rajshahi Metropolitan Police yesterday suspended another policemen in connection with negligence of duty at a Rajshahi University dormitory Tuesday. Police arrested Jamaat leader Ataur, also an assistant headmaster of Loknath High School in Rajshahi, around 10:15am yesterday as he was going to school, Boalia Police Station chief Jasimuddin told The Daily Star. Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Commissioner Naws...

Thursday, February 11, 2010   Police and Bangladesh Chhatra League Rajshahi University unit general secretary yesterday filed two cases accusing around 600 Islami Chhatra Shibir activists in connection with Tuesday's violence on campus and the murder of Faruk Hossain. Meanwhile, Rajshahi Metropolitan Police suspended eight policemen in connection with neglecting their duties. Police during raids at Rajshahi University and surrounding Jamaat-e-Islami-and-Shibir dominated areas picked up 63 Shibir men. Twenty-eight of them were placed on five-day remand each. Rajshahi University Chhatra League General Secretary Majedul Islam Opu filed a murder case in connection with the killing of Faruk Hossain, a Chhatra League worker and final-year student of the mathematics department, around 4:30am yesterday accusing 64 people, including 35 named Shibir leaders and workers. Motihar Police Station Sub-Inspector Ershadul Alam filed the other case with the same police station arou...

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 A final-year student and activist of Bangladesh Chhatra League was hacked to death by cadres of Islami Chhatra Shibir at Rajshahi University early yesterday. Around 100 others were wounded in overnight clashes between BCL and Shibir activists. Motihar police recovered the body of Faruk Hossain, a BCL activist and student of mathematics, from inside a manhole yesterday morning. Police say Faruk was hacked in the television room of Shah Mokhdum Hall around 2:00am and dumped into the manhole. The injured were admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital and RU Medical Centre. Condition of 17 of them is stated to be critical. Shibir men had cut tendons of at least four BCL activists, said leaders of Chhatra League, associated student body of the ruling Awami League. Police arrested 16 cadres of Shibir, associated student organisation of Jamaat-e-Islami, on charge of killing Faruk. The RU syndicate at an emergency meeting last night suspended a...

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 Police in a raid arrested 10 Islami Chhatra Shibir activists at Rajshahi University last night after Shibir men beat up two Chhatra League activists at Bangabandhu Hall. Three students were injured in sporadic attacks by rival students bodies. Nine Shibir men arrested at Bangabandhu Hall and the other at Habibur Rahman Hall. The incident sparked around 8:00pm when Asaduzzaman, a Chhatra League activist, tried to go to his room in Bangabandhu Hall, which Shibir dominate. The Shibir men led by Shibir General Secretary Khalid of that dormitory asked him to leave. Following an altercation, the Shibir activists beat up Asaduzzaman and Chhatra League activist Muhammad Kawsar at the dormitory gate. Police rescued the two and rushed them to Rajshahi University medical centre. Hundreds of armed cadres of both Shibir and Bangladesh Chhatra League took position at different points on campus following the incident. Shibir activist Israfil was beaten up by...

Monday, February 8, 2010   Rajshahi Sangskritik Shangha accorded reception to seven noted personalities of Rajshahi recently for their contribution to different fields of culture and sports at the Padma Ranga Mancha. The honoured personalities are: noted singer Rafiqul Alam, sports commentator Khoda Baksh Mridha, actor Abdul Aziz, footballer Shamsul Islam Mollah, classical singer Manjusree Roy, playwright Moloy Kumar Bhoumik and sculptor Mrinal Haque. Speakers at the function, held Friday night, underscored the need to uphold and nurture our cultural heritage to resist fundamentalism. They observed that the country remained deviated from its founding principles while development hindered for many years as there was a rise in fundamentalism. A revival in mass cultural practices could be vital to fight that, they said. They also demanded immediate trial of war criminals. Speaking at the programme, eminent littérateur Hassan Azizul Haque said that a life without an...

Published On: 2010-02-07   Awami League activists allegedly assaulted Jatiya Party lawmaker Abu Talha following an altercation over rice distribution under the Test Relief programme at Bagatipara Guest House in Natore Friday night. Witnesses said Talha, an MP of Natore-1 constituency, sat with Awami League leaders to discuss sharing of the distribution of Test Relief programme rice. The lawmaker suggested that out of the 200 tonnes of rice, 133 tonnes be distributed among the poor people of his constituency by Jatiya Party workers and 62 tonnes by Awami League workers and five tonnes by Workers Party men. The Awami League leaders, however, demanded greater share saying they had promised the people ahead of the elections. As the Awami League leaders kept on insisting, Talha asked them to go to Shefali Mamtaz, an Awami League MP, if they wanted more share. Witnesses say that the Awami League leaders became angry with this and assaulted Talha. There were instances of hu...

Friday, February 5, 2010 A unique economic governance index (EGI) is likely to be formulated in Bangladesh in a few months to improve the business climate for the private sector and encourage balanced development in regions. With the EGI, the government, local authorities, business leaders and entrepreneurs will be able to take steps to foster better economic environment, business expansion and employment. The Asia Foundation is designing the EGI for Rajshahi, Bogra, Sylhet and Barisal, incorporating business information from district headquarters, where surveys have been conducted since December. The findings will be disseminated both at national and regional levels in a few months, speakers said at a discussion at the Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (RCCI) auditorium on Wednesday. The information found in the surveys will also be compiled into a 'Guide to Best Practices' that will be used as a potential source of inspiration and ideas in engaging o...

Thursday, February 4, 2010 Land dispute with a cousin led the Monday's kidnapping of Abdur Rouf Badsha, general secretary of Chhatardighi union Awami League in Natore, police said. Police, however, said Abdur Razzak Raju who is the son of Badsha's cousin Moksed Ali Sarker was arrested thrice in the past for his suspected links with militant outfit JMB and looting arms from Bamihal police outpost. Raju and his detained brother Motiur Rahman hired five criminals from Natore town and rented a microbus for Tk 1,600 for kidnapping Badsha, police said. Abul Kalam Azad, officer-in-charge of Shingra Police Station in Natore, told This correspondent that a gang of nine led by Raju kidnapped Badsha from near Kaliganj Bazar under Chhatardighi Union around 8:00pm on Monday. The gang took him in a microbus and drove the vehicle towards Bogra. He said locals chased and caught the microbus with the seven kidnappers at Chapapur Bazar of Adamdighi upazila in Bogra after half an ho...

Monday, February 1, 2010 Hosts Bangladesh made a flying start in the T20 cricket competition of the 11th South Asian Games with an eight-wicket victory over Nepal in the opening match at the Shahid Kamruzzaman Stadium in Rajshahi yesterday. Bangladesh captain Mohammad Mithun entertained the crowd with a 21-ball 41 that contained seven boundaries and a six as the hosts romped to the 83-run target for the loss of 2 wickets in 9.3 overs in reply to Nepal's 80 for seven. Batsmen from the Himalayan kingdom had no answer to the spin attack of the hosts backed by some spirited fielding, as they were restricted to the paltry total after deciding to bat. Sanjamul Islam was the most successful bowler with figures of three for 22. Binod Bhandari top-scored with 18 off 23 balls for Nepal. Mithun then put the Nepali bowlers to the sword and ensured 38 runs in 3.5 overs in the opening stand before Rony Talukdar was bowled by Bhuvan Karki who later took the wicket of Mithun. O...

Monday, February 1, 2010 Two renowned classical musicians were accorded reception at a two-day long Uchchanga Sangeet (classical music) Festival that ended in Rajshahi recently. Pandit Madan Gopal Das, a noted tabla player of Dhaka and Ustad AKM Shamsuzzaman of Rajshahi received the Ustad Mozammel Hossain Memorial Award, at the reception on the inaugural day. Dance guru Bazlur Rahman Badal inaugurated the function with Ustad Rabiul Hossain in the chair. Hindol Shangskritik Gosthi organised the festival in memory of Ustad Mozammel Hossain (1907-1976) who made an immense contribution to music in his lifetime. The festival began with a choral rendition by artistes of Hindol, Mukto Gharana, Shurotirtho, Dhruboshokha, Shoilee, Oikyatan and Padma Residential Sangeet School. This was followed by a performance of Lahora on pakhawaj by Shushen Kumar Roy of Shatkhira. Solok Hossain, Nagma, Pandit Amoresh Roy Chowdhury of Rajshahi performed Khayal. Renowned singer AKM Shamsu...