bangladesh
Nayapaltan clash: Fakhrul, Abbas get 6-month HC bail
The High Court on Tuesday (January 03, 2023) granted six months bail to BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas, in a case over the clash between police and the party activists in the capital’s Nayapaltan on December 7 last year.
The HC bench of Justice Md Selim and Justice Md Riaz Uddin granted the bail.
The court also issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the two BNP leaders should not be granted permanent bail.
Advocate Joynul Abedin stood for the BNP leaders while Additional Attorney General SM Munir represented the state.
Also read: Nayapaltan clash: HC to hear Fakhrul, Abbas’s bail pleas on Tuesday
Earlier, on Monday, the High Court fixed Tuesday for hearing the bail petitions of the BNP leaders.
Lawyer Sagir Hossain Leone filed separate petitions seeking bail for them.
On December 21, Dhaka Metropolitan Session Judge Asaduzzaman rejected the BNP leaders’ bail petitions for the fourth time.
On December 9, a team of Detective Branch (DB) of police picked up Fakhrul and Abbas from their homes in separate raids in the capital city.
Read More: BNP paying for "imprudent" decisions: Hasan Mahmud
Later, they were shown arrested in a case over the clash between police and the party activists in the capital’s Nayapaltan. A Dhaka court sent them to jail rejecting their bail pleas.
On December 12, a Dhaka court rejected the bail petitions of 224 leaders and activists of BNP, including Fakhrul and Abbas.
On December 15, the bail petitions of the two BNP leaders were rejected again.
A Dhaka court ordered to give division facility to them on December 9 and then they were given the division facility from December 13.
Read More: Now Ashuganj BNP declares Abdus Sattar persona non grata
They were accused of instigating, planning and directing an attack on police.
On December 7, a Swechchasebak Dal leader was killed and around 50 others were injured in a clash between police and the BNP activists in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office, ahead of its December 10 rally.
Police filed four cases at Ramna, Shahjahanpur, Motijheel and Paltan police stations against 720 BNP activists and over 2400 unnamed people in connection with the clash with BNP.
Of the BNP men, 450 were accused in the case filed at Nayapaltan police station, 20 in Motijheel police station case and seven in Shahjahanpur police station case.
Read More: Implementing 10 points a key New Year’s challenge for BNP: Mosharraf
Gaibandha-5 by-election on Wednesday
The by-election to Gaibandha-5 constituency, which was suspended due to irregularities, will be held on Wednesday.
On October 12 last year, the Election Commission (EC) suspended the by-election due to ‘rampant irregularities’ on the election day and later the commission fixed January 4 for holding the polls.
Following the death of Gaibandha-5 lawmaker and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Fazle Rabbi Miah on July 22, 2022, it became a constitutional obligation to hold election for the parliamentary seat by October 20, 2022. Accordingly it was scheduled for October 12.
Elections will be monitored through CCTV cameras as before while voting will be held through electronic voting machines(EVMs) from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
A three-member committee was formed to look into the election irregularities on October 12.
Following the recommendations of the committee, the Election Commission took punitive actions against 133 officials including an additional deputy commissioner, five sub-inspectors and returning officer of the election.
The candidates of the Gaibandha-5 by-election are-Awami League candidate Mahmud Hasan Ripon, Jatiya Party candidate AHM Golam Shaheed Ranju, Bikalpa Dhara candidate Advocate Jahangir Alam, independent candidate Syed Mahbubur Rahman.
The constituency consists of Saghata and Phulchhari upazila and 339,743 people will exercise their franchise.
UNB Gaibandha correspondent reports: Election materials including EVMs were distributed for 145 polling centers on Tuesday.
Returning officer Abdul Motaleb and assistant returning officer Kamrul Islam were present.
Rab, police, BGB and Ansar members will remain deployed to hold the election peacefully, said Abdul Motaleb.
Foreign Minister’s sister Ayesha Muzakkir no more
Ayesha Muzakkir, elder sister of Foreign Minister Abdul Momen and late finance minister AMA Muhit, passed away on Tuesday. She was 93.
She breathed her last at around 5:30 am at her residence in Sylhet.
Ayesha Muzakkir is survived by her eight daughters, many grandchildren, nine siblings, and many well-wishers.
She will be buried at their family graveyard next to the grave of her late husband Mohammad Muzakkir after the Janaza at Haji Muzaffar Dakhil Madrasa Mosque premises in Agunshi area of Moulvibazar today.
Mahbub Hossain made new Cabinet Secretary
Senior secretary to the Energy and Mineral Resources Division Md Mahbub Hossain has been appointed as the new Cabinet Secretary.
The Public Administration Ministry issued a notification in this regard on Tuesday (January 03, 2023).
Read More: Visiting foreign personalities to become Bangladesh’s goodwill envoys, ministry hopes
Meanwhile, Dr. Md. Khairuzzaman Mozumder, additional secretary to the Finance Division, has been made secretary to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said another notification of the ministry.
Vermicompost production makes Faridpur woman self-reliant
Once Tania Parvin had to struggle to make ends meet. One day she saw a video on Youtube titled how to make vermicompost, a kind of organic fertilizer, at home, and it changed her life.
After receiving training from the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), she began vermicompost production with three ring slabs in 2017. Gradually her production expanded.
Talking to the UNB correspondent, she said, “12 to 15 tons of fertilizer is produced from my 36 houses every month. I had only 12 houses in the beginning. The retail price per kg is TK15 and the wholesale price is TK12,"
Now she earns TK100,000 per month by producing the organic fertilizer.
Read: Faridpur woman earning Tk 1 lakh per month from vermicompost
Tania, a resident of Shovarampur area of Faridpur municipality and mother of two children, is now selling this fertilizer in various parts of the country. She said the demand for this fertilizer is increasing day by day.
“My fertilizer has become popular locally. I'm also selling it in various parts of the country. My husband is very supportive,” she added.
Inspired by her, many women in the district started producing the fertilizer at home.
Keep serving the people to sustain public trust: PM Hasina urges police
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday asked the police personnel to continue their service towards the people to sustain the public trust they have earned.
“…serve the people keeping the humanitarian aspects in mind so that the trust and confidence among the mass people regarding the police force remain intact,” she said.
The prime minister said this while inaugurating the Police Week-2023 at the capital's Rajarbagh Police Lines.
She said that police are now serving the people as the force of the people while in the past they used to live in fear of police.
“Now they know that police serve them and stand beside them and gaining trust of people is very much important for any force. You (police force) are doing that,” she said.
Hasina said her government wanted to develop the country’s police force to the standard of the developed countries.
“In keeping compatibility with the developed countries we want to build our police force a skilled and smart police force and drive the country towards development,” she told the programme..
She urged all to ensure that no one can put any obstacle in the country’s march towards development and prosperity.
She recalled that the opposition BNP-Jamaat alliance unleashed arson attacks on the people in 2013, 2014 and 2015. She hoped that these kinds of heinous acts will not be repeated in the country.
“I thank all law enforcing agencies including the police force for their courageous role to stop those attacks,” she said.
Read more: Govt committed to expanding techno-based police services: PM
“That Bangladesh will be a Smart Bangladesh in knowledge, science and technology. The digital devices will be used in everything such as our business, trade, education, health and the government,’’ she said.
She also mentioned that Bangladesh Police would be built in a smarter way by giving them education on science and technology and proper training.
PM Hasina alerted the police about conspiracies being hatched against Bangladesh.
“Conspiracies are being hatched when Bangladesh is advancing towards prosperity,” she said.
She said that police had successfully broken the base of the militant organisations following the Holey Artisan which has brightened the country’s image globally.
“Police are also successfully checking the smuggling and human trafficking,” she said.
She also highly praised the police, particularly the women members of the force, as they have achieved global fame for their professional and sincere work in the UN peace missions.
She said Bangladesh must keep the pace of development despite the world is going through an economic recession.
Hasina reiterated her call to grow more food, bringing every inch of land under cultivation to keep Bangladesh safe from global recession and food crisis.
“You all have to grow something at your working places as Bangladesh never has to face global economic recession and food crisis,” she said.
Read more: Pay production cost to get smooth supply of gas, electricity: PM Hasina tells industries
Briefly describing her government's measures taken for ensuring the overall development of the Bangladesh Police, she said that they increased the allocation for police in the budget to Tk 800 crore from Tk 400 crore, after assuming office for the first time in 1996.
She said the government has ensured ration for all the police personnel including the retired ones and introduced risk allowances alongside promoting a female police personnel as the superintendent of police (SP) in 1998.
The Prime Minister said they have built a Police Welfare Trust by giving Tk 5 crore as seed money and established the Police Staff College in 2000.
She said they have built 25 police stations, 86 investigation centres, 58 highway police outposts, 150 police camps alongside appointing 803 sub inspectors, 507 sergeants, 14,680 constables during her first tenure 1996-2001 period.
Read More: Proposal sent for formation of specialised police unit for metro rail: DMP Commissioner
After assuming power for three consecutive terms since 2009, she said her government has taken various measures to turn Bangladesh into a self-dependent state and Bangladesh Police as modern, people friendly.
She said they have increased the posts for grade-1 and 2 to solve the problem over promotion.
Hasina said that the government has created Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), Tourist Police, River Police, Special Security and Protection Battalion, Industrial Police, Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) while two battalions of the armed police and one battalion of the RAB in Rohingya camps to ensure their security.
She said that DNA Lab, Automated Finger Print Identification System (AFIS) and modern forensic lab have been established in police, adding that such labs would be built in every division in future.
Mentioning that cyber crimes have appeared as a big problem across the globe, she said a complete cyber police unite will be formed soon.
The Prime Minister said they have taken measures to develop the Central Police Hospital and build divisional hospitals for police in each division, adding that a step has already taken to build a divisional hospital in Dhaka division.
Man’s wrist slit over land dispute in Sylhet
One of the wrists of a 35-year-old man was slit allegedly by his cousins in Sylhet's Companiganj upazila over land dispute on Monday.
The victim was identified as Helal Ahmed, of East Kathalbari village of the upazila.
According to the locals, there was a long dispute over a piece of land between the sons of Jashim Uddin and his brother Abdul Hashem Mia.
On Monday afternoon, a clash broke out between the supporters of the two brothers that left 13 people injured.
Read: JUST student among 3 killed as truck rams rickshaw van
Of them, Islam Uddin,25, Sagor Mia,24, Ahammad ali,35 and Ariful Islam,26 suffered serious injuries.
On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control, Sukanta Chakraborty, officer-in-charge (OC) of Companiganj police station said.
Police detained Khurshed Mia,55 and Tara Mia,40, two sons of Abdul Hashem for quizzing, said the OC adding that no written complaint has yet to be received over the attack.
BGB seizes drugs worth Tk5.6cr in Cox's Bazar
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) said they seized banned drugs worth nearly Tk5.62 crore from Cox's Bazar's Teknaf upazila Sunday night.
Lieutenant Colonel Sheikh Khalid Mohammad Iftekhar, commanding officer of BGB-2 Battalion, today said they seized 1.65kg crystal methamphetamine and 10,000 yaba pills from the Kharangkhali area near the embankment along the River Naf.
Read more: Goods worth Tk107 crore seized in December: BGB
Tipped off, two patrol teams of BGB conducted a raid at Kharangkhali at midnight. At that time, a man who was trying to cross into Bangladesh from Myanmar took to his heels after seeing them.
Later the BGB teams found the crystal meth and yaba pills wrapped in a cloth at the spot.
Although the BGB men were hot on the trail of potential drug smugglers, they could not detain anyone in connection with the seizure of the illegal drugs, Iftekhar said.
Read More: Ensure security to lives and property of people living in bordering areas: PM to BGB
3 DSCC officials suspended over irregularities
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has terminated three of its officials on charges of corruption and irregularities.
The sacked officials are Md Rabiul Karim Khan, Customs, Excise and VAT officer of Zone-1 , Ruhul Alam, store keeper of Dhaka Metropolitan Shishu Hospital and Mohammad Ramzan Ali, rent assistant of Zone-4.
The city corporation, in an official order signed by its secretary Akramuzzaman, suspended three officials on Monday.
The action was taken against the officials following investigations that found evidence of their involvement with the corruption.
Recently the DSCC mayor has declared a "zero-tolerance policy" against all forms of corruption to ensure proper public services.
Read more: Gymnasium to be built in every ward: DSCC Mayor Taposh
New cabinet secretary meets president
New Cabinet Secretary Kabir Bin Anwar met with President Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban in the capital Monday.
The president congratulated him on his appointment as cabinet secretary. He also wished Kabir success in his new workplace, President's Press Secretary Joynal Abedin said.
Read: New Japanese Ambassador presents credentials to President
During the meeting, the new cabinet secretary sought the president's guidance and cooperation in fulfilling his duties, he added.