Himu's Window

Published On: 2010-01-09   THE death of a student leader belonging to the Chattra Moitree of Rajshai Polytechnic Institute (RPI) due to violence is most unfortunate and regrettable. The fact that the perpetrators belonged to the Chattra League must be a cause of severe embarrassment to the ruling Awami League. The matter assumes even more poignancy when it turns out that the deceased belonged to the student wing of one of the AL's coalition partners. It seemed for a while that the spate of campus violence, perpetrated by the BCL immediately after the assumption of office by the AL, had subsided. But we were wrong. We feel that the AL high command is yet to get full control of its student wing; evidently not enough has been done to make it entirely malleable to party fiats despite the PM's clear directives. And it seems, too, that there is no one to take effective charge of the CL. It is quite natural that there would be a period, at the initial stage when a party ...

  Government must deal with it firmly Everybody must have the right to practice his or her religion. But nobody can impose it on others. It is the tone of force or the tenor that concerns us and the sheer audacious manner in which some of those involved with it have been going about speaking of the objectives of the outfit. The teachers arrested in Rajshahi the other day were carted off to prison because they happened to be distributing leaflets propagating the overthrow of the government. As if that were not enough, some other leading members of the outfit in the capital have now threatened to wage a movement and not allow anyone in Bangladesh to live in peace if the arrested teachers are not released in forty-eight hours. The attitude smacks of intolerance and contradicts the outfit's claim that it does not believe in violence or force. Obviously, it is a situation that calls for tough handling, given the fact that threats are undermining the fundamental constitut...

Are rules of construction being followed? A five-storied building in Rajshahi has moved sideways and leaned on to another building. There was, of course, a mild earth tremor that caused such a condition. And as earthquakes go, the possibility of disasters is always there. But what is of greater significance in the present circumstances is the question of why a mild tremor should leave a building in precarious conditions. Over the last many years, the media have consistently drawn the attention of the authorities to the poor and sloppy manner in which buildings, especially high rise ones, are being constructed in the nation's urban areas. In the capital itself, there have been instances of buildings developing cracks not long after they have been constructed, with residents moving out in panic. There are quite a few crucial points that must be addressed insofar as the construction of buildings is concerned. And these questions are there because in a very large number of cases it is ...

Editorial Dealing with swindler NGOs   Firm action against them is a necessity News coming in from Natore about the vanishing acts resorted to by some NGOs does little to cheer us, naturally. But what surely leaves everyone perplexed is the extent to which the district administration there has failed to take action against such NGOs even after reports about their negative activities were circulated widely. It is a lax administration we are speaking of here, for the very simple reason that despite the detection of as many as 30 fraudulent NGOs in the district, no punitive measures appear to have been taken against the people behind them. Just how serious the problem is turning out to be is to be seen from the way in which a million people have been swindled out of an altogether Taka 500 crore in eight north-western districts by these fake NGOs. Not long ago, reports of the swindle committed by a so-called non-government organisation, Freedom Unnayan Sangstha, poi...

Editorial Bogus NGOs' vanishing act How could they operate at all? ANOTHER form of organised extortion is increasingly in evidence going by two front-page stories run in a row by our newspaper in the last couple of days. In villages of Natore and Rajshahi, gullible people were registering with so-called NGOs on payment of money as investment promising weekly dividends. For some time impressive returns were given to members winning their confidence and thereafter the NGOs suddenly disappeared from the scene. Such vanishing acts have been performed by a number of NGOs with catchy high sounding names in Rajshahi and Natore areas cheating unsuspecting rural people of Taka 260crore in total. Deeper down, the tales are pathetic and one tends to grit one's teeth in rage when confronted with the full detail. Many sold everything they had or mortgaged their only piece of land or borrowed money from Karitas, Grameen Bank and Padakkhep and deposited it with the NGOs to ...

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=14977   Editorial   Welcome moves to free teachers and students Restoring proper campus atmosphere is necessary In response to family demand backed by the public, the government has released convicted teachers of Rajshahi University following presidential decision. That they are finally free is commandable.We are also happy to learn that moves have got underway to free the detained teachers and students of Dhaka University. The fact that such steps are now being taken following discussions between the Dhaka University Teachers' Association and the authorities is a matter of relief for the country. It is so because the nation can now look forward to a proper and necessary resolution of an issue that has been agitating minds over the past many months. We believe that it is a positive development and everyone aware of the priorities before us at this point can move on to everything else that needs to be done in the gr...

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=14334     Editorial   Sentencing of RU teachers Harsh and disproportionate WE are shocked and surprised at the sentencing of four teachers of Rajshahi University (RU) to two-year rigorous imprisonment. It is beyond our comprehension how university teachers can be treated with such triviality, and marched off to serve their term like some petty criminals, particularly when the so-called 'proof of the crimes' does not meet rigorous standards of our own laws It is unprecedented, unfortunate and uncalled for. With full respect to the judicial system, we are compelled to ask the question -- what was the gravity of their crime? Was awarding rigorous imprisonment truly compatible with charges brought against them? Regrettably, this is for the first time in Bangladesh that university teachers have been given such harsh sentence for ventilating their grievance in a peaceful manner. The facts on hand suggest that thre...

http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/07/06/d70706020127.htm     Editorial Flaws in fertiliser distribution glaring Nachole incident rings with lessons to heed   The violent outbursts of farmers on the heels of an incident centring around collection of fertiliser quota slips from Nachole upazila office has brought to the fore the issue of chronic mismanagement in the distribution of the important input to the agriculturists. In the face of persistent demand for the input, the local administration had arranged to supply authorisation slips to them to collect the stuff from the dealers. As the slips were being distributed by the sub-assistant agriculture officer to the farmers standing in a queue of 3000 persons, the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) allegedly intervened objecting to the handing over of the slips under signature from the agricultural officer. The UNO went furious and slapped the officer concerned when he pleaded for the farmers to get a quota of ...

http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/05/21/d70521020224.htm Editorial Death in Rab operation Such incident must never happen again The most recent incident of a young man in Rajshahi allegedly done to death by plain clothes Rab personnel who had gone to rescue a kidnapped person in the middle of the night has been very disquieting news. The official explanation of the incident given out by Rab raises more questions than it answers, even more so when reportedly the body had severe torture marks all over, which contradicts police remarks in the inquest report. And when the local police commissioner says that the incident was inhumane it must have been really so. We would like to think that it was with good intentions that the elite force was set up. It was primarily to go after the hardened criminals and habitual offenders who had money, might and, sometimes political link, to avoid the course of justice. It was these people that the public wanted to see brought to book and incarcerated. And...

Editorial Deaths at RMCH Somebody must be held responsible The circumstances that led to the death of nine patients at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, four on Thursday and five on Friday, following the work abstention of the intern doctors are horrifying and utterly unacceptable. These unfortunate patients, including some children and old persons, came to the hospital seeking treatment for their ailments but they were denied the needed medical assistance, which the intern doctors were oath-bound to give. And when children die under such adverse circumstances people are bound to ask the obvious question: Who will be held responsible for these deaths? By all means, the incident at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital was blown out of proportion when an unpleasant altercation took place between the intern doctors and some attendants of patients on Thursday, which snowballed into a major disorder. From exchange of verbal abuses it went as far as resorting to physical violence...

Complaints have been lodged with the police against some high-level political figures as well as a district super of police, for patronising the JMB. The latest accusations come in the wake of cases lodged in the recent past against a few other political leaders belonging to the same fold, for aiding and abetting the militants. The nexus of politicians and terrorists is a dangerous combination, something the media had been writing about but no attention was paid to it by the then alliance government. We feel that there is a need to focus on the issue of militancy, particularly of the type that we have been victims of over the last several years, in a holistic manner. We understand that there are dedicated anti-terror wings of the intelligence agencies, with training and expertise obtained from abroad. What is needed is a coordinated and collaborative effort that will allow concentration and optimum use of resources. And this can be ensured by a central coordinating agency. We are not a...

Barrister Aminul Haque The action against patrons and godfathers of the banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahidin, Bangladesh is to start soon. The executions of Six top Jama'atul Mujahidin, Bangladesh (JMB) militants on late Thursday marked the end of the country's firt overtly run militancy campaign that rattled the nation through a series of blasts and suicide bombings in 2005. The axe now turns to its patrons. Ex-BNP post and tele-communication minister Barrister Aminul Haque and Rajshahi district BNP general secretary Shis Mohammad were sued at Bagmara police station in Rajshahi on Friday night for patronising Siddikul Ialam Bangla Bhai’s Jagrata Muslim Janata, Bangladesh (JMJB) in 2004. They who were earlier named by Bangla Bhai as patrons of Jama’atul Mujahidin, Bangladesh were alleged in the case for masterminding JMJB operations in Rajshahi, Naogaon and Natore in 2004 and patronising militants. Other 26 militants were also accused in the case that was filed by JMJ...

Anwar Ali, Rajshahi A decision of Rajshahi University (RU) to send 24 rare Bengal treasures from Barendra Research Museum (BRM) to Paris for a 'great global exposure' drew criticism from different quarters. Advocate Ankur Sen served a legal notice on RU authorities yesterday demanding cancellation of the decision within seven days. Sen pleaded that sending the rare treasures of BRM, one of the oldest research museums in the sub-continent, would hamper research work. It will be an irreparable loss to the nation's heritage if those are lost or not returned, it said. A group of 326 RU teachers on Sunday submitted a memorandum to RU Vice-chancellor to press the same demand. The precious archeological assets might not be returned they apprehended in the memorandum. The BRM is run by Rajshahi University. Signatories to the memorandum included senior professors like Muhammad Shafi, Shafikunnabi Samadi, Abdus Sobhan, Mizan Uddin, Dr AHM Zehadul Karim, Moloy Kumer Bhoumik and Faku...

Anwar Ali, Rajshahi Thousands of Santal aborigines of Rajshahi and surrounding areas became enthusiastic in festivals drawing attention to their old and rich culture. Three-day Baha (flower) festival began at remote Sundorpur village of Kakonhat in Godagari upazila on Tuesday. A day before two-day Karam festival ended in Godagari upazila. They took ‘My Culture My Identity’ as main slogan to give new dimensions to the festivals and demanded ensuring fundamental rights of living, education and land. Eminent literature Prof Hasan Azizul Haque formally inaugurated Baha festival of welcoming Santal New Year in evening as chief guest. In his speech, he called upon aborigines to struggle for safeguarding their own culture and heritage. “There are close relations between Bangali and Adibashi cultures. But economic freedom is essential for enjoying same status” Prof Mesbah Kamal of Dhaka University and Prof Moloy Kumar Bhoumik of Rajshahi University attended as special guests. Santal Pargana le...