Himu's Window

Friday, December 18, 2009 The nation as a whole had the final victory on December 16 in 1971 but the people of Rajshahi and Pabna had to wait for two more days to have the taste of freedom as the Pakistani occupation troops were desperately holding on a few camps there. On the night of December 17 and early December 18, Pakistani forces fled to Natore from Shahid Shamsuzzoha Hall of Rajshahi University, their last camp in Rajshahi, reports our staff correspondent from Rajshahi. Local people rescued a number of injured people including many tortured and abused women from the hall. The Pakistani forces surrendered to the allied forces in Natore on December 20. Sporadic clashes between the local people and Pakistani forces started in early March of 1971. On March 28, Pak forces killed a number of policemen at Rajshahi Police Lines for their refusal to surrender arms. As the freedom fighters under leadership of the then Captain Giasuddin Chowdhury and Captain Rashid sta

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 Farmers in Chapainawa-bganj earned an additional Tk 15 lakh last fiscal year simply by changing their product packing system. Farmers now use plastic crates instead of traditional straw-cushioned bamboo baskets covered with jute sacks. The plastic crates help farmers cut losses. In fiscal 2007-08, the growers packed around 205 tonnes of fruits for sale. But they had to throw away around 10 tonnes, as those were rotten due to the poor traditional packing system, said an official of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The crates were provided by USAID under its project Poverty Reduction by Increasing the Competitiveness of Enterprises. But the farmers were able to sell all of their 250 tonnes of fruits in fiscal 2008-09 thanks to plastic crates, the official added. In each plastic crate, 25 kilogram of mangoes can be packed. The traditional baskets are costlier than the new ones but not suitable for sending the fr

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 In a sequel to heists in five public offices in Rajshahi and Natore over last two nights, criminals ransacked another government office at Sutrapur in Bogra town on Sunday night and stabbed its night guard to death. Meanwhile, the government sent alerts to all district and upazila administration offices and law enforcement agencies to remain vigilant. Police and officials concerned in Bogra told our staff correspondent that a gang forced their way into the public works department (PWD) office, sometime on Sunday night, and stabbed night guard Jamaluddin, 35, to death and tied up another guard Abu Taleb. They also ransacked 33 almirahs in 14 rooms of the office. Earlier on Friday and Saturday nights, criminals also ransacked five government offices in Rajshahi and Natore, including Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner's office after tying up their night guards. Police of the three districts could not ascertain the motives behind the robbers

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 Family members of several Liberation War martyrs have demanded steps for protection and proper maintenance of Babla Bon mass grave site in Rajshahi city so that people can pay homage to the great sons of the soil, who were buried there. The Pakistani army with the help of their local collaborators picked up 17 people including intellectuals and politicians from their houses on the night of November 25 in 1971. Their bodies were found after local people discovered the mass grave near Boalia Club in the city on December 30. Bodies of the 17 martyrs including Prof Mir Abdul Quayyum of Rajshahi University, Nawrose-ud-Doula Khan, Taslim Uddin, Abul Hossain, Alauddin, Taiyab Ali, Mirja Sultan, Azizul Haque Chowdhury and Aminul Haque Chowdhury were dumped at the site. "I can still remember the day well when I went to the grave site riding a bicycle in the morning of December 30, 1971. I could identify my father's body by seeing the ring on