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659 arrested by RAB on charges of sabotage since Oct 28
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested a total of 44 BNP leaders and activists from different parts of the country for their alleged involvement in car vandalism, arson and sabotage on Wednesday.
6th blockade: 232 BGB platoons, 432 RAB patrol teams deployed across the country
So far, the elite force arrested a total of 659 people involved in violence and sabotage in different parts of the country since October 28, according to a press release sent from the RAB headquarters.
BNP leader Ataur Rahman Dhali arrested for arson, vandalism: RAB
On Wednesday, RAB force raided a house in Fakirerpool area of the capital and arrested two people, including Mughda Ward Juba Dal leader Md Babul Mia, with a huge amount of explosive materials and drugs, while in Chattogram, three people, including Rauzan Municipality Jubo Dal General Secretary Md Shahjahan Shakil, were arrested for exploding crude bombs, setting fire to cars.
Bus set on fire in Dhaka’s Jatrabari ahead of 48-hr countrywide blockade
A total of 148 patrols in the capital and 432 across the country were deployed to prevent violence and sabotage and to maintain law and order situation in the country following the Oct. 28 violence.
Dengue: 8 more die; 1,162 hospitalised in 24hrs
Eight more deaths were reported from dengue in 24 hours till Wednesday morning, raising the fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 1,570 this year.
During the period, 1,162 more patients were hospitalised with the viral fever, according to the DGHS.
A total of 4,178 dengue patients, including 1109 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
So far, the DGHS has recorded 3, 04,698 dengue cases and 2, 98,950 recoveries this year.
September has so far been the deadliest month for the dengue outbreak this year with 396 fatalities and 79,598 cases, according to DGHS data.
Nasrul urges Indonesia to share experiences, work with Bangladesh in energy sector
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has urged Indonesia to share experiences and work with Bangladesh in energy sector.
He made the call when Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Hiru Hartantu Subolo met him at his ministry office.
During their meeting they discussed various issues of mutual interest of their respective countries.
Welcoming the Indonesian envoy to his ministry the state minister said that the brotherly country is a tested friend of Bangladesh.
Read: Govt acting against clean energy transition, increasing dependency on coal and LNG: CPD
“Our relationship is long standing. There are many areas of cooperation in the power and energy sector. Both countries can benefit more by exchanging experience or resources,” he said.
He said both Bangladesh and Indonesia can work together to develop the gas sector.“With the massive development in Bangladesh, there has been a huge investment opportunity in the power and energy sector.”
Nasrul Hamid also discussed the current situation and potential in the power and energy sector.
The Indonesia Ambassador expressed his country’s interest to invest in solar power sector in Bangladesh.
Initially Indonesia can set up 100 MW solar power plant and but gradually it can be increased to 500 MW, he said.
Read: Uninterrupted energy supply a major challenge in building high income nation by 2041: Nasrul Hamid
At this time, investment in transmission, sub-station, off-shore wind, and power storage systems were discussed.
Juhan K., Head of Project Development of Indonesia's state-owned institution Pertamina Johan K. Novrian was present on the occasion.
Tarique’s reported reaching out to top Jamaat leaders raises concerns among political analysts, civil society
According to media report, Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) acting chairperson Tarique Rahman – living in exile in London – has contacted top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami in the run-up to the blockades to oust the government.
As per a report published by The Daily Star on November 18, 2023, titled “Thaw coming to BNP-Jamaat ties,” prior to the October 28 rally, senior BNP leaders contacted their Jamaat counterparts to mount pressure on the government for general election under a non-party government.
The report cites Jamaat sources as saying that Tarique Rahman contacted top Jamaat leaders to discuss the matter.
The October 28 rally saw one police officer beaten to death, a police hospital torched and several vehicles vandalized.
Considering local and international criticism for its alliance with Jamaat, which actively opposed the independence of Bangladesh and collaborated with the Pakistan army during the 1971 Liberation War, BNP had been distancing itself from the Islamist party for the last several years.
and Jamaat also faced widespread condemnation over arson attacks on public transport and government establishments that caused scores of deaths in 2013-2014. Since then, BNP maintained a distance from Jamaat.During the latest blockades called by BNP and Jamaat, many vehicles were set on fire while one bus helper was burnt alive. According to the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), the blockades are causing a loss of Tk 65 billion a day.
In a show of growing alliance, since October 31, Jamaat has enforced the nationwide blockades simultaneously with BNP, a demonstration of both moving ahead with a similar strategy aiming to derail the election process.
Read: Tarique Rahman ordered terrorist attacks: Education Minister
Appalled at the close coordination between Tarique and Jamaat leaders, minority community leaders and human rights activists have urged law enforcers to ensure safety of minorities and blasted the US over what they called “systematic advocacy” for Jamaat’s assemblies, turning a blind eye to war crimes and decades of ruthless attacks on secular and liberal forces.
Over 200 noted citizens denounced a US diplomat’s meeting with a key Jamaat-e-Islami leader ahead of BNP’s grand rally. Earlier, noted rights activist Sultana Kamal had questioned a US report advocating for Jamaat’s right to assembly, saying: “With due respect, I would like to submit that scanning through the media, Pakistani government communications, international reports on Bangladesh genocide of 1971, one cannot miss seeing what was the role of Jamaat during the nine months of massacre of Bangladesh… It was through a process of law that Jamaat was deregistered.”
She also wondered if one could imagine the Nazi party being allowed to operate in Germany.
Chris Blackburn, a UK-based commentator on Bangladesh, wrote on social media, “Tarique Rahman is currently a fugitive in London, but still remains in charge of one of South Asia’s main political parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Tarique is believed to be linked to D Company, a major factor in organized crime in South Asia, and has enjoyed the backing of Pakistan’s ISI. He was instrumental in bringing Osama bin Laden’s HUJI into Bangladesh politics from his office, Hawa Bhaban.”
Read: Tarique Rahman is a disease: Purnima Shil, gang-raped during 2001 post-election violence, says
Indian outlet The Print (on September 26, 2023) quoted veteran journalist Sukharanjan Dasgupta as saying, “I have exclusive information that a high-powered delegation from India met top BNP leaders Mirza Abbas, Mirza Fakhrul and Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain in Singapore on 26 August.”
“The Indian side said that a primary condition to even begin talks with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party would be for Tarique Rahman to be removed as chief of the party and also for the party to sever all ties with the Jamaat,” he added.
In the run up to the 10th parliamentary polls, BNP and Jamaat orchestrated a grisly spell of violence that saw indiscriminate fire-bombing on buses, attacks on minorities in 32 districts, and killing of police officials.
According to several rights organisations, minorities faced at least 28,000 incidents of communal attacks during the BNP-Jamaat alliance’s last tenure in office. Jamaat leaders were publicly threatening to forcefully displace the minorities including the Ahmadiyya community.
Read more: Extradition of convicted Tarique Rahman depends on UK govt: PM Hasina
Months back, following an attack at a religious event of the Ahmadiyya community, Jamaat and BNP echoed a similar tune while pro-Jamaat social media accounts called for boycotting Ahmadiyyas, described by the community members as “a hate campaign”.
Cabinet purchase body okays import of edible oil, fertiliser
Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) in a virtual meeting on Wednesday approved some seven proposals including import of edible oil, fertiliser and purchase of electricity from solar and waste-to-energy power plants to be set in private sector.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the meeting.
As per the meeting's approval, the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) under the Commerce Ministry will import 1.10 crore litres of soybean oil through international tender from Green Nation Builders & Developers, India, at a cost of Tk 143.18 crore.
Read: PM to inaugurate largest urea fertiliser plant in Narsingdi tomorrow
BEIHCL-BZHE-ENAM-MNS Consortium will set up a 100 MW solar (AC) power plant in Sonagazi upazila in Feni district from which Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) will import electricity over a period of 20 years at a tariff rate of Tk 11.0058 per kilowatt hour (each unit).
The BPDB will have to spend Tk 3566.40 crore to purchase the electricity from the plant in next 20 years.
Siddiqui Fabrics Ltd-Intec Energies GmbH-Saudia German Power Plant Ltd (SF-IE-SGPPL JV) will set up an 11 MW waste- to-energy power plant at Brahmanbaria municipality on Build, Own, Operate (BOO) basis from which state-owned BPDB will purchase electricity over the period of 25 years.
The BPDB will have to spend Tk 4068 crore to purchase power from the project with tariff rate at Tk 21.105 per unit.
Read: Purchase body approves import of fertiliser, lentil, edible oil
Roads and Highways Department will award a Tk 112.81 crore contract to National Development Engineers Ltd for the civil works of package No-WP-02 of the “Upgradation of Aricha (Barangail)-Ghior-Daulatpur-Nagarpur-Tangail Regional Highway to proper standard and width” project.
The Cabinet body approved three separate proposals of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) under the Ministry of Industries for importing a total of 90,000 metric tons of (MTs) fertiliser.
Read: Cabinet purchase body approves import of LNG, rice bran oil and fertiliser
As per approval, the BCIC will import 30,000 MTs of bagged granular urea fertilizer from Muntajat, Qatar at a cost of Tk 127.81 crore while it will import 30,000 MTs of bagged granular urea fertilizer from Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company Limited (Kafco) at a cost of Tk 121.08 crore.
The BCIC will import 30000 MTs of bulk granular urea fertilizer from SABIC Agri-nutrients Company, Saudi Arabia at Tk 123.48 crore.
Chhatra Dal leader arrested over involvement in Oct 28 violence at Naya Paltan, Rajarbagh
Police in a drive arrested Shamim Mahmud, joint convener of Dhaka South City unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) from Naya Paltan area in Dhaka on Tuesday, according to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).He was arrested for his involvement in violence during BNP’s October 28 grand rally, said Mahid Uddin, additional commissioner (crime and office) of DMP while briefing reporters at DMP media centre on Wednesday.He was also the mastermind behind the violence on that day and the BNP workers led by Shamim carried out subversive activities near the BNP office and Rajarbagh Police Hospital, he said.When briefing, Mahid said Shamim made the plan on October 26 and implemented it on October 28.The DMP additional commissioner said Shamim's direct involvement was found in the violence on that day from video footage.
RAB arrests 4 ‘opposition party activists’ over burning bus in MirpurFollowing the directive of a central leader of BNP, Shamim collected a bag from one Maruf, from Dania foot-over bridge the day before the grand rally to hand it over to one Riyad at Naya Paltan, he said. They made their plan a success on October 28 by hurling bombs, he added.
RAB arrests 615 mostly opposition activists since Oct 28Police arrested Maruf while setting fire to a bus of Basumoti Paribahan in Pallabi-11 area of Dhaka early Wednesday. Maruf torched the vehicle under directive from BNP Councilor Sazzad and Jashim for Tk 3,000, said Mahid.
80 tola of gold looted from 3 Savar jewellery shops
Robbers looted 80 tola of gold from three jewellery shops at Hemayetpur in Savar early today (November 22, 2023).
Dipak Chandra Saha, officer-in-charge of Savar Model Police Station, said a group of masked robbers, with the help of three security guards, stormed three jewellery shops at Lalon Tower and Shopping Complex near Hemayetpur bus stand and looted 42 tola of gold from Sonakkhi Jewellers, 35 tola from Mamata Jewellers, and 3 tola from Gitanjali Jewellers.
The incident came to light this morning after the market was opened.
Gold, diamonds worth Tk 46 lakh looted from gold shop in Chandpur
Police have visited the spot.
In another incident, robbers also looted mobile phone sets worth Tk 20 lakh from seven mobile phone shops in Savar Bazar bus stand.
1 killed, 3 including gold trader injured as robbers loot shop in Laksmipur
6th blockade: 232 BGB platoons, 432 RAB patrol teams deployed across the country
To maintain law and order across the country during the ongoing 48-hour road, rail and waterways blockade, a huge number of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel have been deployed.
According to a media release issued by BGB headquarters, a total of 232 platoons of BGB have been deployed across the county.
231 BGB platoons deployed across country on day 2 of hartal
Meanwhile, a total of 432 patrol teams of Rab have been deployed across the country to resist untoward incidents during the blockade.
Besides, the elite force is also overseeing the security of buses and goods-carrying vehicles on the long routes during the blockade.
The intelligence teams are also keeping vigil on bus stands, train stations and other important places to prevent violence and sabotage.
235 BGB platoons deployed across the country as hartal starts
6th blockade called by BNP, likeminded opposition parites underway
Another nationwide 48-hour blockade, called by BNP and likeminded opposition parties to press home their one-point demand, began this morning with regular vehicular movement on the streets.
The blockade started at 6 am today and will end at 6 am on Friday.
Presence of public transport on Dhaka streets and commuters seemed to be higher compared to the previous blockades, despite heightened tension and fear of violence. Law enforcers were seen patrolling the streets.
BNP-Jamaat's blockade: 189 BGB platoons deployed across the country
This is the sixth nationwide blockade since October 31.
Giving a pause for a day after its 48-hour hartal, BNP and likeminded opposition parties called for yet another 48-hour road-rail-waterway blockade across the country to protest the schedule for the next national election announced by the Election Commission.
Party Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi came up with the announcement at a virtual press briefing on Monday afternoon.
The ones bearing the brunt of blockades
Rizvi said the blockade is also meant to mount pressure on the government to quit, hold the next election under a non-party neutral government, and release BNP leaders and activists, including its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Swechasebak League leader killed in Ctg
A Swechasebak League leader was killed allegedly by his rivals over previous enmity at Mithadighi in Satkania upazila of Chattogram district on Tuesday night.
The deceased was identified as Shahadat Hossain, 34, general secretary of Sadaha union unit of Swechasebak League and son of Yunus of the area.
Anwar Hossain, elder brother of Shahadat was injured in the attack.
Man to die for killing wife in Natore
Quoting local people, Ataul Haque Chowdhury, officer-in-charge of Satkania Police Station, said Shahadat had previous enmity with his neighbours Tarek and Elahi over protesting drug abuse.
An altercation occurred among them over the issue at 10:30 pm on Tuesday and at one stage, they stabbed Shahadat and Anwar indiscriminately, leaving them injured.
36-year-old surrenders after killing wife in Thakurgaon
Later they were taken to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital where the doctors declared Shahadat dead.