Himu's Window

  Anwar Ali, Rajshahi A fresh controversy is racking Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) as the corporation authorities are getting ready to give permanent appointments to 72 temporary staff just ahead of the new mayor-elect's induction to the office. The temporary staff had allegedly been hired on political consideration during the tenure of former mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu, a BNP leader currently in jail on charges of corruption. RCC Mayor-elect AHM Khairuzzaman Liton is scheduled for taking the oath of office on August 29, and the recruitment move just before his induction has given rise to some questions in the city. RCC officials said current Acting Mayor Rezaunnabi Dudu, who also claims to be a member of BNP, has been pressuring them to complete the recruitment process 'in a hurry'. Liton, who won the recent mayoral election with an Awami League ticket, condemned the move and termed it a part of RCC authorities' 'recruitment business'. He alread

  Rajshahi City Awami League last night expelled two of its front ranking leaders including its president Masudul Haque Dulu for contesting in the August 4 city corporation election against party leader AHM Khairuzzaman Liton. Liton was elected mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation. The city AL unit in its executive committee meeting also expelled vice-president of the city unit Mostaque Ahmed Labu, Dulu's close associate. The expulsion orders would be sent to AL central committee for its approval, said meeting sources. Twelve other Dulu's men including three city AL vice- presidents were also asked to explain why they would not be expelled from the party for 'breaking party rules'. The vice presidents are Bazlar Rahman, Mir Iqbal Hossain and Tabibur Rahman Sheikh. The other leaders are Shamsur Rahman, Mir Abul Kalam Azad, Khairul Bashar, Salauddin Raju, Menajjul Hossain, Mansur Zaman, Khairul Kabir, Wares Ali and Saiful Islam. They were asked to show cause w

WHEN the backlash to a trivial matter has such upshots as injuring 60 people, damaging private and public property, shutting down traffic and closing of a university sine die then there must be something seriously wrong with our collective psyche. We have the discomfiture for the umpteenth time to comment on a series of errant outbursts, this time originating in a coach conductor's ham-handed treatment to a student of Rajshahi University. The student was allegedly forced out of a Dhaka-bound bus for demanding a seat he has paid for. The behaviour of the bus conductor was reprehensible calling for disciplinary action, no doubt. What should have been the normal option for the student to exercise was to approach the coach authority to lodge a formal complaint with, ask for refund of the fare and furthermore demand compensation for the journey missed. Instead, he reported the incident to his fellow students which had the effect of agitating them to attack Rajshahi-Dhaka b

The masterminds behind assassination attempt on Awami League (AL) chief Sheikh Hasina on August 21, 2004 remain undetected even after charges have been pressed in two cases filed in this connection. The government investigators believe although 22 people are charge-sheeted, the key planners of the grisly grenade attack are still untraced. "The gravity of the attack indicates it was not possible to be carried out without backing of any influential group or some most powerful people. But we don't see any such findings," says an investigator who was assigned soon after the attack and discharged the duty for quite a long time. Referring to charge-sheeted accused BNP leader and former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu and Harkatul Jihad al Islami (Huji) top leader Mufti Abdul Hannan, another former investigator says though it's convincing that Huji was involved, they could not trace those who were behind Pintu and Hannan to carry out such a well-planned attack