Himu's Window

Sunday, February 1, 2009 Indigenous people in Rajshahi seek constitutional provision Indigenous children and leaders at a discussion here yesterday demanded constitutional provisions for their primary education in mother tongue. At the discussion styled 'We Want to Study in Mother Tongue' organised by Jatiya Adibashi Parishad (JAP) at Rajshahi Shilpakala Academy auditorium, they demanded nationalisation of existing two indigenous schools in Rajshahi and establishing at least one school at every village in the region. Learning without mother tongue is a major obstacle to primary education for ethnic students, said Rajshahi Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, who attended the discussion as chief guest. He said he would place the demands before the prime minister. Inaugurating the discussion, eminent littérateur Hasan Azizul Haque said government institutions as well as NGOs must come forward to ensuring education for the ethnic minorities. The goal of education for all cannot be achiev

Published On: 2009-01-31 Family accuses AL A local BNP leader was murdered reportedly for not paying toll to extortionists at Biraldaha village in Puthia upazila early yesterday.Family members of the deceased blamed local Awami League (AL) cadres for the killing of Abu Daud Hossain Mollah, 43, BNP vice-president of ward No 5 under Baneswar union.Police said Daud was hacked by terrorists in front of Biraldaha Primary School just 150 yards from his house while he was returning home from Biraldaha bazaar at about 10pm Thursday. The critically injured BNP leader was rushed to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to his injury around 2:30am."Daud lived in fear of attack since Wednesday noon when some local AL cadres threatened to kill him or one of his sons if he didn't pay them Tk 1 lakh toll," said Daud's wife Sahera Begum while talking to The Daily Star.After the attack, a police patrol team rescued Daud with a pool of blood and took him to RMCH. Sahera

Authorities say they were appointed on political consideration   The Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) authorities yesterday decided to dismiss some 470 "unnecessary and politically-appointed" employees to cut expenditure. RCC councillors said the decision was made at a meeting in the afternoon and it will be executed a month later following negotiations with the employees' union. Meantime, the employees formed a committee to protest the move and staged demonstration on the Rajshahi Nagar Bhaban premises in the afternoon. The RCC has to spend around Tk 1.5 crore annually on the 470 staffs appointed on daily wage-basis, said RCC Secretary Emdadul Haque. The listed staffs include 243 from conservancy, 37 from mosquito control, 28 from development, 20 from administration, 26 from transport and 19 from water supply sections. Five among them, appointed as immunisation workers and also to mosquito control section, were however, discharged from the mosquito control

At least ten persons including two women from six indigenous communities are contesting for vice chairman posts in the upazila election in Rajshahi division. Five of them are from Santal tribe and one each from Razoar, Urao, Munda, Ganju and Rajbansi tribes. Two of them are housewives, one village doctor while the other candidates mentioned agriculture as their profession in the affidavits. In the affidavit, one indigenous candidate mentioned that he graduated in Social Science, two candidates passed HSC, one passed SSC, five read at high school while one mentioned that he is literate. Indigenous leaders are participating in local government election for the first time this year, said Rabindranath Saren, general secretary of Jatiya Adibasi Parishad (JAP). "Such participation will help empowering indigenous people in local government as well as upholding our history of depravity and losses of lives and properties". JAP sources said 38 different indigenous