Himu's Window

  Over 100 members of Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) staged a demonstration in Rajshahi yesterday protesting alleged irregularities in recruiting security men for Puja Mandaps in the city. They alleged that the authorities cancelled their appointments at Puja Mandaps only a day before the Puja without any reasonable grounds and recruited people in exchange for bribes of Tk 50 to Tk 100. The Ansar and VDP members came from Paba and Boalia upazila to join their duty but laid a siege to the district office when they learnt that their appointments were cancelled. They said some 265 Ansar and VDP members were appointed on September 25 for 319 Puja Mandaps in the city. The demonstrators, however, withdrew their agitation programme after senior officials assured them of assigning duty to them in future. When contacted, Ansar VDP District Adjutant Hira Miah said he will look into the matter. "Action will be taken if anyone was found involved in such irregularities,&

Anwar Ali, Rajshahi "I couldn't even try to realise how and when the Eid days had passed", said rickshaw puller Ariful Islam as he was sitting idle on his rickshaw near a tea stall at Kumarpara in the city with a shadow of gloom on his face yesterday afternoon. He usually rushes to the city from Malanchi in Natore by train at dawn for earning his livelihood by pulling a rickshaw on rent and he could hardly manage a square meal for his family on the day by Tk 175 he earned on the day before. "I couldn't go for work in the city as all transports were off the road on the Eid day. I went to my home with Tk 150 on the second day. But today, I counted so far only Tk 40, Tk 5 more than the rent of the rickshaw." The 28-year-old unmarried Arif, who has to look after his parents, broke down in tears when asked about his Eid. He said he could not manage new dresses for none of his family members, as he could not work for some 15 days before the holy

The 10 Hizb ut-Tahrir leaders and activists arrested on September 18 were released from Rajshahi Central Jail Tuesday night. They were arrested in Rajshahi on suspicion of their involvement in militancy and inciting anti-state activities. The release came after police submitted before a court a discharge report. Based on the report, the Rajshahi District and Sessions Judge's Court earlier that day granted them bail. Hizb ut-Tahrir had threatened of waging a movement to oust the government. In the discharge report, police said nothing was found to sue the Tahrir men. Police only two weeks ago told the media that they would launch an investigation and would seek green signal from the government high-ups to bringing sedition charges against them. A number of Hizb ut-Tahrir activists, many of whom went to Rajshahi from the capital, greeted the freed people at the jail gate around 8:00pm. "They were freed as we received the court order to release them," said Ha

  The ten Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) leaders, including four university teachers, who were arrested in Rajshahi two weeks back on suspicion of inciting anti-government activities and involvement in militancy were released from Rajshahi Central Jail on Tuesday night. Hundreds of HT activists, who drove to Rajshahi from the capital as news on their getting bail came through, greeted them as they came out of the Jail gate at 8pm. The release came as they posted bail from the Rajshahi District and Sessions Judge's Court earlier in the day. The Hizb ut-Tahrir high-ups were detained at Rajshahi City Press Club on September 18, before a scheduled press conference there. Invoking Section 54 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), police showed them arrested on suspicion of using religious sentiments to foment anti-government activities and having involvement in militancy. A metropolitan magistrate court later in the day rejected their bail petitions as police said investigatio