Himu's Window

Sunday, November 1, 2009 Students of Rajshahi Government College enforced a wildcat strike on the campus yesterday demanding cancellation of the transfer order of Principal Dr Ali Reja Muhammad Abdul Mazid. The students under the banner of Students' Movement Council (Chhatra-Chhatri Sangram Parishad) observed a token hunger strike from 8:00am to 1:00pm after putting the administrative building under lock and key. They also locked the main gate of the college and barred the teachers, staff and students from entering different departments and holding classes and examinations. Several students said Principal Abdul Mazid has created a congenial academic atmosphere on the campus and undertook different development activities during the 15 months of his tenure. "We will go for indefinite strike if the transfer order is not cancelled immediately," said Md Badsha Alam, the first joint convenor of the Students Movement Council. Alam, also joint convenor of the col

Sunday, November 1, 2009   Eleven executives of Rajshahi Bar Association yesterday resigned protesting alleged corruption by association's president and general secretary. They are vice-president AKM Mizanur Rahman, third joint secretary Habibur Rahman, audit secretary Shamsul Haque, Library secretary Mahmudur Rahman, press and information secretary Masud Sarder, accounts secretary Nazmul Haque Mintu, magazine and cultural secretary Rajab Ali and members Abdul Matin Chowdhury, Parvez Towfik Zahedi, Aftabur Rahman and SM Mofazzal Haque. The announcement of en masse resignation came from a press conference at Rajshahi Metropolitan Press Club at noon. Some 50 other senior lawyers under the banner of 'Rajshahi Ainjibi Oikya Parishad' were present at the press conference. The lawyers alleged that Bar Association President Muhammad Yahiya and General Secretary Lokman Ali were engaged in distributing forged vokalatnama (power of attorney) among the lawyers and

Sunday, November 1, 2009   Eleven executives of Rajshahi Bar Association yesterday resigned protesting alleged corruption by association's president and general secretary. They are vice-president AKM Mizanur Rahman, third joint secretary Habibur Rahman, audit secretary Shamsul Haque, Library secretary Mahmudur Rahman, press and information secretary Masud Sarder, accounts secretary Nazmul Haque Mintu, magazine and cultural secretary Rajab Ali and members Abdul Matin Chowdhury, Parvez Towfik Zahedi, Aftabur Rahman and SM Mofazzal Haque. The announcement of en masse resignation came from a press conference at Rajshahi Metropolitan Press Club at noon. Some 50 other senior lawyers under the banner of 'Rajshahi Ainjibi Oikya Parishad' were present at the press conference. The lawyers alleged that Bar Association President Muhammad Yahiya and General Secretary Lokman Ali were engaged in distributing forged vokalatnama (power of attorney) among the lawyers and

Friday, October 23, 2009   Uncle of a victim in Rajshahi sued 56 JMB men on charge of killing his nephew while a Khagrachhari court sent a suspected militant of the outfit to jail rejecting his bail prayer yesterday. A case was lodged with a Rajshahi court yesterday accusing 56 JMB militants of murdering Abu Taleb and dumping his body to an unknown place in 2004. Taleb's uncle Amjad Hossain filed the case and the court directed the officer in-charge (OC) of Bagmara to take legal steps in this regard. The accused include two alleged JMB advisers in Bagmara -- Abdus Sattar BSc of Sakoa and Lutfar Rahman of Majhgram -- and the outfit's area commanders Mostafizur Rahman alias 'Killer' Mostak and Mamun Muhuri of Polash. Goalkandi Union Parishad (UP) Jamaat ameer Abdul Majid Khan and his son Anwar Hossain, a Shibir adherent at Rajshahi University are also among the accused. Amjad Hossain alleged that the accused kidnapped Abu Taleb from his home at Sajuria

Monday, October 19, 2009 Twelve councillors of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC), including seven from the BNP, have joined the ruling Awami League with a pledge to 'accelerate development of the city'. With their joining the AL on Saturday night, now 22 of the total 30 councillors of the RCC belong to the ruling party. The councillors include panel mayor Shariful Islam Babu, once a member of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), and four women councillors -- Farzana Haque, Sufia Islam, Kohinur Chowdhury and Anwara Begum. Seven others Meraj Uddin, Siraj Uddin Ahmed Manik, Abul Hasnat, Nizam-ul Azim, Zahangir Alam Alamgir, Akbar Hossain and Zaher Hossain Suja had been adherents of BNP. Earlier on October 12, RCC councillor Rabiul Islam Toju joined the AL along with over a hundred of his followers. Rajshahi mayor and AL leader AHM Khairuzzaman Liton greeted them at a function held at Bhubon Mohon Park in the city where the councillors presented floral wreathes t

Sunday, October 18, 2009 The government should allow the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to act independently, speakers at the BBC-Bangladesh Sanglap programme yesterday. The ACC should also act without fear or favour to protect the country's economy and prevent social discrimination, they said. Rajshahi Mayor and Awami League leader AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, Organising Secretary of BNP Mizanur Rahman Minu, Rajshahi University teacher Moloy Bhoumik and Roksana Ferdousi, senior project officer of Barendra Unnayan Forum, were the panellists in the Sanglap held at Rajshahi Medical College auditorium in the city. Replying to a question why the ACC became inactive during the rule of a political government, Moloy Bhoumik said, "Making ACC inactive is part of our political culture where only a few are free from corruption. Solving the problem is not possible without raising a massive awareness about corruption." Mizanur Rahman Minu said ACC has lost its credibilit

Sunday, October 18, 2009 A ruling Awami League lawmaker, whose annual income was around Tk 1 lakh before the election less than 10 months ago, has bought a luxury minivan for Tk 22 lakh. M Meraj Uddin Mollah, MP from Rajshahi-3 (Paba-Mohonpur) constituency, splashed out on a Toyota Noah at a showroom in Chittagong on September 29. The next day, he spent around Tk 60,000 more to register the multi-purpose vehicle with Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, Rajshahi, say registration documents obtained by The Daily Star. In an affidavit attached to his nomination papers for the December 29 general election, Meraj claimed he is a farmer by profession and that his income from farming is around Tk 75,000 a year. An additional Tk 36,000 earned from house rents adds up to Tk 1.11 lakh a year. According to the affidavit, Meraj owns movable and immovable property worth Tk 6.21 lakh. Those include 28 bighas of land valued at Tk 4.06 lakh. Talking to The Daily Star, Meraj Mollah c