Himu's Window

Thursday, April 16, 2009 Jamaat-e-Islami has launched a countrywide campaign against the government move to try war criminals. Terming the government move 'anti-Islamic', Jamaat has started distributing booklets and leaflets across the country claiming its party men to be innocent of any war crimes. Meanwhile, Jamaat leader Mobarak Ali of Eklaspur village in Comilla, arrested in the capital's Pallabi while distributing leaflets and booklets on Tuesday night, was taken on a two-day remand yesterday. Mobarak, an employee of Public Works Department (PWD) and a resident of the PWD Staff Quarters at Rupnagar in Pallabi, was caught by locals and handed over to police. Abdul Malek, officer-in-charge (OC) of Pallabi Police Station, told The Daily Star that Mobarak admitted that he is a local Jamaat leader and distributed leaflets and booklets. "Mobarak, arrested under section 54 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPc), was produced before the court," Malek said. Our court

Tuesday, April 14, 2009 Silk City Express, a broad-gauge intercity train, starts plying on Rajshahi-Dhaka route today. The train will depart from Rajshahi at 7:30am with an aim to reach Kamalapur within 1:30pm while the same train will leave Kamalapur at 2:40pm with an aim to reach Rajshahi at 8:50pm. "It is an historical event that a broad-gauge train is going to enter Kamalapur station directly," said AKM Mushfiqur Rahman, general manager of Bangladesh Railway (west zone). Rahman said four more broad-gauge trains that are currently plying up to Dhaka Cantonment Station will start plying up to Kamalapur within three months once proper signaling system is installed. The four other trains are the Sundarban Express and the Chitra Express from Khulna, the Nilsagar from Sayedpur and the Padma from Rajshahi. Apart from the Silk City and the Padma, the railway authorities are planning to start a new train soon, said senior officials. The railway network in most par

Tuesday, April 14, 2009 Former mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) Mizanur Rahman Minu and his wife Salma Shahadat have applied to the government for withdrawing "false political" cases filed against them. Minu, also the organising secretary of BNP, applied for withdrawing eight cases, while his wife for one case. In the applications, they claimed that the cases were filed by the immediate past caretaker government to harass them and tarnish their image. Minu along with his lawyers submitted the applications to Shefaul Karim, deputy commissioner of Rajshahi, on Sunday for forwarding those to the authorities concerned. "The former mayor and his wife submitted the applications taking opportunity of a government circular for reviewing false political cases filed during the tenure of the caretaker government", said Minu's lawyear Ankur Sen. Minu was arrested on June 6, 2007 in connection with an extortion case and sentenced to 13 years' impr

A court here sent 24 cadres of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) to jail custody yesterday when they were produced before the court. Police implicated three PBCP leaders in murder cases and sent eight persons as JMB suspects and 13 others as underground PBCP suspects to jail under section 54 of CrPC. "Even if we caught them on suspicion, we are still investigating their roles", said Abdul Kuddus Chowdhury, additional superintendent of police in Rajshahi. PBCP commanders Amjad Hossain Baxi and Abul Hossain and another leader Sajjat Hossain were shown arrested in different murder cases. The eight militant suspects of JMB are Fazal Haque, Abdul Jalil, Raziqul Islam Rocket, Hafizur Rahman, Afsar Ali, Moazzem Hossain, Habibor Rahman and Yaad Ali. Thirteen other PBCP suspects are Rafiqul Islam, Shafiqul Islam, Abdur Razzak, Abdul Jabbar, Meser Ali, Ahad Ali, Uzzal, Shahjahan Ali, Shamsul Haque, Taiyabur Rahman, Abdur Ro

Friday, April 10, 2009 The government on Wednesday deported Sudan national Abbas Bao, director of Bangladesh chapter of Kuwait-based NGO Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS), and asked him not return as he is an "unexpected" person in the country, sources say. The sources from the Special Branch (SB) of police say they called him in at their Uttara office on Tuesday and asked him to leave the country immediately. A senior SB official confirmed that Bao left the country soon after that meeting. "He is one of the listed people who are prohibited to stay in or enter the country," the official added. There are allegations that RIHS used to provide funds to the militants of Ahab, JMB and other organisations, investigators had said earlier. Contacted, ABM Zakir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Uttara police, said he saw Bao to go to the SB office, which is located in the same building of the police station. The NGO Affairs Bureau cancelled RIHS's

Friday, April 10, 2009 Police captured eight outlawed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militants and 16 underground operatives of Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) during a ten-hour special drive in Bagmara upazila yesterday. Led by Additional Police Superintendent Abdul Kuddus Chowdhury of Rajshahi, police in eight groups conducted the drive in Taherpur municipality, five unions of Bagmara and surrounding villages of Puthia and Durgapur upazilas. "Our drive was aimed at improving law and order in the area", Chowdhury told The Daily Star. He said the operatives of JMB and PBCP had been regrouping in Bagmara since the general elections and holding several secret meetings. "Most of the arrestees are suspected to have taken part in the meetings," he added. The police and locals of Bagmara said PBCP had been preparing for retaliation against JMB killings and tortures in 2004 while JMB to arrests and executions of JMB men in later years. The a

Thursday, April 9, 2009 The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has pressed charges against 'fugitive' district BNP general secretary Shish Mohammad for amassing wealth worth over 89 lakh allegedly from sources beyond his legal income. Abdul Karim, deputy director of Rajshahi ACC yesterday submitted the charge sheet with the chief judicial magistrate court. In the charges pressed under Section 27 (1) of the ACC Act of 2004, Abdul Karim alleged that Shish owns wealth worth Tk 95 lakh. But his actual income from known sources since 1997 should not exceed Tk six lakh including his remuneration of Tk 1.16 lakh as mayor of Mundumala municipality from January 2003 to June 2007. Following allegations against Shish Mohammad, the ACC sent him notice to submit his statement of wealth in February 2008. A Rajshahi court later jailed him for three years as he was sued for not submitting the statement. The ACC then investigated the case and found that he amassed Tk 89,47,607 f