Himu's Window

Anwar Ali, Rajshahi Although a large number of last-minute Eid shoppers are cramming into markets, the festivity could not touch the poverty-striken people of the northern region of the country. The poverty due to crises of job and food have overshadowed Eid celebration of the underprivileged hundreds, many of whom are flocking to shopping centres at district and upazila headquarters for begging alms. During this period, the poor people usually suffer from monga, a near- famine situation, following lack of agricultural work and food shortage. The situation is likely to persist till the harvest in December, said the government officials, adding that the situation has however improved a bit following various government measurers. "The main buyers at Eid markets in northern region are the villagers. So the traders are also facing dull markets in their absence. Most farmers and day labourers are still in severe hardships," said Mustafijur Rahman, a businessman. &qu

A Rajshahi court yesterday rejected bail prayers of the 10 Hizb ut-Tahrir leaders and activists who were arrested September 18 on suspicion of their involvement in militancy and anti-state activities. The Court of Rajshahi Metropolitan Magistrate BM Tarikul Kabir denied the bail prayers after police claimed that investigation was still going on against the accused. The arrestees were not produced before the court and only their prayers were sent to the court. They are detained under section 54 of the CrPC. "We also said verification of their previous criminal records, if any, is yet to be completed in police stations concerned," said Court Inspector Mahbubul Kuddus Siddiki. Hizb ut-Tahrir Coordinator and Dhaka University teacher Syed Golam Mowla and Ahmed Jamal Iqbal, teacher of South East University and a senior member of the Islamist group, were arrested along with eight others on September 18 in Rajshahi. However, police did not lodge any case against them, a

  Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) yesterday threatened to bomb police stations and check-points in the city. In a fax to the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) headquarters at around 6:00pm, the banned Islamist outfit said it would launch attacks in retaliation for arrest and harassment of its cadres. Confirming the threat from the militants, Mahfujur Rahman, assistant commissioner of RMP Detective Branch (DB), told reporters that they have beefed up security at police stations and other installations in the city. The fax said JMB has enough explosives to bomb the police stations. Addressed to Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), superintendent of police, DB and National Security Intelligence, the fax did not carry any signature. It said the outfit has targeted police stations since the law enforcers are "creating obstacles to its operation". Earlier on September 7, another fax purportedly sent by JMB threatened to bomb the residences and offices of caretak

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=55812   Julfikar Ali Manik and Shariful Islam Investigators are now probing Hizb ut-Tahrir Bangladesh's suspected involvement or link with militancy at home and abroad following Thursday's arrest of 10 of its leaders and activists in Rajshahi. Sources in the law enforcement agencies yesterday said the arrests were not unexpected and that the agencies were looking for Tahrir men after a few of them distributed leaflets at Baro Masjid in Rajshahi around 10 days before the arrests. Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) Commissioner Mahbub Mohsin yesterday said the arrest of Tahrir leaders on Thursday was not surprising. "We had been looking for the organisation's leaders and activists for distributing leaflets at Baro Masjid," he told The Daily Star. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies suspected Hizb ut-Tahrir Bangladesh as a militant organisation and kept it under watch for quite a long time although it is