Himu's Window

Rajshahi University syndicate in a meeting on Sunday decided to relieve Prof Md Enamul Haque, a teacher of the Department of Psychology of all his professional duties for two years. The punitive action against the professor was for sexually harassing two of his colleagues in the department in May, more than one syndicate member told The Daily Star on Monday. Once the decision takes effect, the professor would not be able to perform any academic, administrative, and examination duties during the punishment period, they said. “The decision was taken following the high court division’s guidelines of 2010 on prevention of sexual harassment on campuses,” said Assistant Prof Sadiqul Islam Sagor, one of the syndicate members. The committee that investigated the incident recommended several punitive actions including putting the involved teacher on forced retirement, but the syndicate considered the ‘gravity of the offense,’ said Prof Sadiqul. When contacted, the RU VC who chaired th

The picking up of a madrasa principal and taking him to the Rajshahi-5 lawmaker's home is linked to the Awami League MP's rivalry with a former lawmaker, said local AL leaders. Lawmaker Mansur Rahman and ex-MP Kazi Abdul Wadud Dara, also the general secretary of Rajshahi district AL, have disagreements over the selection of the madrasa governing body president and recruitment of staffers, they added. The two are aspiring for the AL ticket in the constituency for the upcoming general elections and are also trying to establish supremacy in the area, they said. Mansur wanted Nawshad Ali, principal of Rajshahi Medical College, to be the president of the governing body of Biraldaha Syed Karam Ali Darus Sunnah Fazil Madrasa in Puthia upazila. But madrasa Principal Habibur Rahman in February played a role in the selection of Md Dewan Abdus Salek, who is loyal to Wadud, as the governing body president, Mansur alleged. The lawmaker said the principal ignored his demi-official (DO) lett

On April 9, Mukul Soren, a Santal farmer in Rajshahi, drank pesticide in a suicide attempt over not getting irrigation water from the same deep tubewell that allegedly led to the suicide of two farmers, also Santals, last year. All three were fed up with the exploitative system of irrigation water distribution in parts of the Barind region. The Barind region, known as the rice bowl of Bangladesh, faces a great catastrophe with its groundwater levels depleting fast. In this water-stressed region, irrigation tubewells have now become a tool for the people with political clout to exploit farmers. A significant number of these farmers belong to ethnic minority communities and are therefore more vulnerable to exploitation. Last year, Abhinath Mardi, 36, and his cousin Robi Mardi, 27, died by suicide in Godagari of Rajshahi allegedly after the local tubewell operator refused them the irrigation water they were entitled to, according to family members and case documents. Family members of Abh

সকলকে ঈদে মিলাদুন্নবীর শুভেচ্ছা। আজকের দিনে কাজী নজরুল ইসলামের ’তোরা দেখে যা আমিনা মায়ের কোলে’ গানটা অনেকবার শুনলাম। ইউটিউবে আমার সবচেয়ে ভাল লেগেছে নিচের লিংকের উপস্থাপনাগুলো। এটি আব্বাসউদ্দিনে আহমেদের কন্ঠে মোহাম্মদ রাফির কন্ঠে এ গান যে কারো ভাল লাগবে।   ফুয়াদ তাশফির জাজ ফিউশনটাও দারুণ।   তবে আমার সবচেয়ে ভাল লেগেছে শফি মন্ডলের পরিবেশনা।  ধন্যবাদ। 

Awami League is undeterred by the US visa policy and sanctions, said AL presidium member AHM Khairuzzaman Liton in Rajshahi yesterday. He was speaking at the triennial conference of Rajshahi Jubo League. The day-long conference, chaired by city unit Jubo League president Ramjan Ali, was held on Pathanpara Road. It featured discussions on the US visa policy, where party leaders criticised BNP's reliance on foreign powers and called for strong unity among party members ahead of the polls. Information Minister Hasan Mahmud expressed concern over the US ambassador's comments on media personalities and their inclusion in the visa policy. He viewed this as an interference with the nation's independent media. Meanwhile, JL Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash highlighted the challenges faced by the organisation due to intra-party feud. He stressed the importance of overcoming these challenges to ensure success in the upcoming elections. No new committee was announced during the

  A team of 50 Indian bicyclists visited the Mughal-era Bagha Mosque in Rajshahi’s Bagha upazila on Sunday. The team’s Rajshahi visit was a part of their two-week journey from Kolkata, India to Noakhali of Bangladesh under the banner of the India-Bangladesh Goodwill Cycle Rally. Snehalaya, an Indian NGO, organized the rally jointly with the Rotary Club of Belur and Gandhi Ashram Trust, to spread the teachings of Bapu Mahatma Gandhi and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The cyclists' team started their journey from Gandhi Bhaban in Kolkata on September 15. They ran some 420km inside India to reach to Malda on September 21. Entering Bangladesh on September 22, they visited Chapainawabganj before reaching Rajshahi. They would travel 475km through Lalpur of Natore, Kustia, Shariatpur, and Chandpur before reaching Gandhi Ashram of Noakhali district on September 28. On their way, the cyclists visit the spots that bear memories of Bapu and Bangabandhu and visit educational institutes t

Anwarul Haque allows me to see one of the mangoes inside the bag. The rising quantity of mango exports has been changing the farming practices of the fruit in the Rajshahi region as farmers are now opting for more chemical-free mango production, agriculturists say. Farmers are now gradually adopting organic farming methods as they intend to meet the high standards, required by the international markets. This year, a total of 92,913 hectares of land has been brought under mango cultivation in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, and Natore, said Md Shamsul Wadud, regional additional director at Rajshahi Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE). A farm labourer covers a mango with a fruit bag that protects the fruit from pests, insects, rains, storms, and hailstorms.   But, safe or chemical-free mangoes were grown on only 630 hectares of land this year, which was around 500 hectares last year, said the DAE official. They have a plan to extend the area to 728 hectares next year, he said.