Himu's Window

Dr S Taher Ahmed   Prof Taher Murder RU teacher, 3 others sentenced to death Shibir leader Salehi acquitted Anwar Ali and Abu Kalam, Rajshahi     A Rajshahi court yesterday sentenced to death four persons including Rajshahi University (RU) teacher Dr Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin for the gruesome killing of RU geology and mining department teacher Dr S Taher Ahmed. The three others are caretaker at Taher's residence Jahangir Alam, his brother Abdus Salam and brother-in-law Nazmul. They had made judicial confessions. In the judgement, Rajshahi Speedy Trial Tribunal Judge ATM Mesbauddoula acquitted two of the accused -- former RU Islami Chhatra Shibir president Mahbubul Alam Salehi, a suspected mastermind of the killing, and Jahangir's father Azimuddin Munshi. Mohiuddin, a brother-in-law of former post and telecommunications minister Barrister Aminul Haque (absconding for long) belonged to pro BNP-Jamaat teachers' alliance

Published On: 2008-05-22 National Verdict in RU Prof Taher murder case today   The verdict in sensational Rajshahi University (RU) Professor Dr Sheikh Taher Ahmed murder case will be delivered today Rajshahi speedy trial tribunal fixed the date of judgment after three days' argument on May 6. Tight security measures have been taken to maintain peace on the court premises and its surroundings. Earlier, police intelligence feared that RU Shibir men in collaboration with Jamaat cadres from outside might stage showdown on the court premises. Taher's colleague Dr Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin and former Rajshahi University Islami Chhatra Shibir president Mahbubul Alam Salehi are accused in the case as masterminds among six accused. Three killer suspects Jahangir, Salam and Nazmul provided judicial confessions. Another accused Azimuddin Munshi and Mohiuddin are now on bail while the rest others are in jail. According to charges, Mohiuddin and Salehi were directly invol

Repaired on Monday night, the road near Boalia Police Station intersection gets damaged by plying of light vehicles yesterday. Photo: STAR   Road sinks the day after its repair in Rajshahi   Concerned contractor firm allegedly in connivance with Road and Highways Department (RHD) officials is using low quality materials for repairing 36 km road on Rajshahi-Natore highway. The authorities are flouting conditions mentioned in the schedule of works, said locals and witnesses. Instead of cleaning the road before repair works, they are just spraying bitumen, carpeting with mix of stones and bitumen, rolling and completing seal-coating by spraying sand on the roads within a short time, witnesses said.said locals and witnesses. For covering the potholes and craters, low quality bricks are being used instead of class one quality that was mentioned in the schedule. The repair work on 0.5 km road in front of Boalia Police Station intersection was completed in only five hours f

Poor services outcome of corruption in bureaucracy Rajshahi Education Board staffs tell meet   Rajshahi Education Board (REB) officials at a view exchange meeting yesterday attributed their failures and poor services to the outcome of moral degradation and widespread corruption at bureaucratic level in the country. As educationists, the officials said, they want to deliver the best services, but they are helpless due to some 'legalised corruption' by which inefficient officials were chosen to run the board. Concerned Citizens' Committee (CCC), an organisation run by Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB), organised the meeting on 'Developing quality of services at the board'. CCC member and Rajshahi University prof Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan moderated the meeting with REB Chairman Dr Enamul Haque in the chair. REB Secretary Prof Shafik Uddin, REB Inspectors Abul Kalam Azad, Dr Mustafijur Rahman, Employees' Union President Manjurur Rahman Khan

Election Olympiad 2008 Begins In Rajshahi Ensure participation of honest candidates   The Election Olympiad 2008, a countrywide knowledge-based competition on election and politics, began at Rajshahi yesterday with a call for ensuring participation of honest candidates in the upcoming elections. Shushashoner Jonney Nagorik (Shujan) organised the event with an aim to creating awareness among citizens on election and politics. Shujan Secretary Dr Badiul Alam Majumder was present on the occasion. About 500 students from different colleges and universities in Rajshahi took part in the daylong competition while 20 winners were awarded crests and medals. The winners were selected after an hour-long question-answer session on elections, its rules, constitution, political parties and system of governance in the country. The participants also exchanged their views in an open discussion and said they need a corruption-free nation where their rights would be protected. Speakers

Front Page Star Investigation 1 Grafts reign supreme in import trade Nexus of traders, politicians, taxmen abusing PSI system to gobble up at least Tk 1,000cr revenue a year Syed Ashfaqul Haque and Julfikar Ali Manik The system for pre-shipment inspection (PSI) of imports has become riddled with corruption, and plagued by tax dodging and money laundering, depriving the country of huge amounts of revenue, reveals an investigation by The Daily Star. Behind the large scale corruption is a nexus of some businessmen, politicians, taxmen and PSI staff who have plundered government revenues since the system was made mandatory in 2000. The exact amount the scams have cost the country is difficult to know, but businessmen and revenue experts believe the sum is well in excess of 1,000 crore taka a year. Now the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has been forced to act, cancelling the license of one PSI company and launching probes into the activities of others. "NBR will go for instant actio

Published On: 2008-05-17 Metropolitan Rajshahi University Govt looks for competent vice chancellor Anwar Ali, Rajshahi Unlike previous governments which appointed the vice-chancellors of Rajshahi University (RU) mainly on political consideration, the caretaker government is likely to appoint a new one considering his academic background and efficiency. Prior to removing Prof Dr Altaf Hossain, the government talked to a number of teachers and officials in last three months to select a competent person as VC, said sources. The process is now at the final stage, added the sources. According to Rajshahi University Act 1973, the RU Senate is to elect a vice-chancellor. But the governments over the past one decade have made it a tradition to select the VCs on political consideration using its executive power. The present government is too selecting the VC ignoring the Senate. It initiated the process for removing Prof Dr Altaf Hossain following a number of allegations i