United News of Bangladesh

A Manikganj court on Thursday placed former Manikganj-1 Awami League MP Naimur Rahman Durjoy on four-day remand in a case filed under the Explosive Substances-Act. Judge of Manikganj Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court Sadbir Yeasir Ahsan Chowdhury passed the order after a hearing on a petition seeking 10-day remand, said advocate Humayun Kabir, special public prosecutor of the Women and Children Tribunal of the district. He said the court ordered a report to be submitted within seven working days in this regard. Although he was brought to court under tight security, an angry crowd threw eggs at him as he was about to step off the prison van on the court premises. According to the case statement, Durjoy, who captained Bangladesh in their first-ever Test match against India at the Mirpur National Stadium in 2000, supplied arms to terrorists of Awami League and sheltered them during last year’s July uprising. Ex-CEC Habibul Awal put on 3-day remand The terrorists opened fire at protesters during the movement leading to the casualties. One Sadikul Islam Rabbi filed the case accusing 216 people, believed mostly to be leaders and activists of the Awami League, with Sadar Police Station on December 3 last. Of them, Durjoy was named as the 13 accused. Besides, there are many allegations of irregularities against him in the fields of casino operations, sand mining scams, and employment trade in the education sector. He was elected MP from Manikganj-1 constituency (Ghior, Daulatpur and Shibaly upazilas) in the 2014 and 2018 national polls. Ex-CEC Nurul Huda placed on 4-day remand On Wednesday night, a team of Manikganj detectives arrested him from his residence in Dhaka’s Lalmatia. Later, he was taken to Manikganj Sadar Police Station and produced before the court with the remand prayer subsequently.

A Dhaka court on Thursday sentenced three people to life term imprisonment and acquitted four others in a case filed over the 2015 killing of Italian citizen Cesare Tavella in the capital’s Gulshan area. Dhaka’s 3rd Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Sheikh Samidul Islam delivered the verdict. The three lifers are Tamjid Ahmed alias Rubel, Russell Chowdhury, and Minhajul Arefin alias Vagne Russell. Those acquitted are BNP leader MA Quayum, his brother Abdul Matin, Shakhawat Hossain, and Sohel. According to the case documents, among the accused, Tamjid Ahmed, Russell Chowdhury, Minhajul Arefin, Abdul Matin, and Shakhawat Hossain gave confessional statements before the court admitting their involvement in the killing at different times during the trial. Two of the accused, Quayum and Sohel, remained absconding during the trial while Matin was out on bail. The remaining four accused were produced before the court during the verdict. 2 convicts snatched in Lalmonirhat; police station vandalised According to the case, on the evening of September 28, 2015, unidentified assailants shot dead Tavella, a staff member of Netherlands-based international organization ICCO Cooperation-BD, near the western end of Road 90 in Gulshan, adjacent to Gulshan Avenue and the southern wall of Governor House. Locals rushed him to United Hospital where doctors declared him dead. Later, a US-based website claimed that the militant group Islamic State (IS) took responsibility for the killing. Following the incident, Helen Dar Bique, the country representative of ICCO Cooperation in Bangladesh, filed a murder case with Gulshan Police Station, naming three unidentified persons as accused. On June 28, 2016, Detective Branch (DB) Inspector Golam Rabbani, the investigating officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet against seven people including BNP joint convenor and former ward commissioner MA Quayum. The charge sheet was accepted by the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court on August 24 of the same year.

A Cumilla court on Thursday placed four accused on a three-day remand each in a case over circulating a video of a rape incident in Muradnagar upazila of Cumilla. Senior Judicial Magistrate Mominul Haque of Cumilla Cognizance Court-11 passed the order this noon after police sought remand for the accused,  said Muradnagar Police Sub-Inspector Ruhul Amin and Court Police Inspector Sadekur Rahman. The accused were Sumon, Ramzan, Md Arif, and Md Onik — all residents of Panchkitta village in Muradnagar upazila. A woman was raped at Ramchandrapur Panchkitta village in Muradnagar upazila of Cumilla on the night of June 26. Two held over gang-rape in Bhola, BNP expels three leaders After the incident alleged rapist Fazar Ali was caught and beaten by local people but he managed to flee. Shortly after the incident, some people who were present at the scene filmed the victim and circulated the video on social media platforms, prompting outrage among people. Following the circulation of the video, the victim filed a case under the Pornography Control Act. Police subsequently arrested the four accused in connection with the video leak. Meanwhile, Fazar Ali, who was assaulted during the incident, was arrested in connection with a rape case. He is currently undergoing treatment under police custody at Cumilla Medical College Hospital.

Two members of the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), including a commander, were killed in an army operation in remote hills of Ruma upazila in Bandarban early Thursday. During the operation, army personnel recovered three sub-machine guns (SMGs), one rifle and ammunition. The drive is still underway in the area, said an ISPR media release.

Former MP and director of Bangladesh Cricket Board Naimur Rahman Durjoy was arrested from his residence in the capital's Lalmatia on Wednesday night. He was arrested during a special operation, said Additional Superintendent of Manikganj District Police Imtiaj Mahbub. Three NBR members sent into forced retirement Following his arrest, he was taken to Manikganj Sadar Police Station and is expected to be presented in court on Thursday after completing legal procedures, he added. The police official also said that Durjoy is an accused in cases filed with Sadar and Daulatpur police stations in Manikganj. AC Tabassum Urmi dismissed over ‘anti-interim govt’ Facebook posts On January 21, the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge Court ordered the seizure of a 2,523 square feet flat, land and three cars owned by him in Lalmatia, Dhaka on charges of corruption.  An order was also issued to seize 12 bank accounts in his name.

The government on Wednesday sent three National Board of Revenue (NBR) members into retirement. According to the Internal Resources Division (IRD) website, all of them were sent to the forced retirement for the sake public interest. They are-- Hossain Ahmed (customs policy and ICT), Md Alamgir Hossain and Md Abdur Rouf (VAT policy). Passengers to be allowed to bring one new mobile phone without duty The IRD also sent Md. Sobbir Ahmed, (Commissoner (C.C) of Taxes Zone- Borisal) and M Moinul Erfan (joint director general of Tax inspection directorate) into early retirement.

Former Assistant Commissioner at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Lalmonirhat Tabassum Urmi, who was made an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) and temporarily suspended then, has been dismissed from government service for making controversial remarks on Facebook about the interim government and its Chief Adviser. The Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification in this regard on Wednesday, stating that she was dismissed following a departmental case filed against her on charges of ‘misconduct’ under Rule 3(b) of the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 2018. According to the notification, on October 6 last year, Urmi posted a Facebook status making controversial remarks about the interim government and the chief adviser, prompting disciplinary action. A show-cause notice was served to her following the incident. Citing security concerns, she did not attend the personal hearing and instead submitted a written explanation, which was not accepted by authorities and an investigation officer was appointed. The allegations of ‘misconduct’ were found to be true during the inquiry, said the notification. In light of the investigation, authorities decided to impose the highest administrative penalty under the relevant disciplinary rules initially. Urmi was asked to serve a second show-cause notice before the final decision. Suspended assistant commissioner Urmi gets bail upon surrender After reviewing the investigation report, her replies, overall circumstances and relevant documents, the charges of misconduct were found proven, leading to the decision to dismiss her from service, it added. According to the notification, the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) agreed with the authorities’ proposal to impose the highest penalty and the president also approved the dismissal. Earlier, her Facebook post regarding the interim government sparked controversy. In her post, she wrote, “The chief adviser of the unconstitutional interim government says the reset button has been pressed. The past has been erased. With just one click of the reset button, the entire history of the country has been wiped out. So simple! But now, your countdown has begun, sir.” She had also made several other social media posts expressing support for the ousted government and criticising the July Uprising and its first martyr, Abu Sayed. Urmi was made OSD on October 6 last year, and the following day, the Ministry of Public Administration issued an order suspending her temporarily. A case against her is also under trial in court.

Police have arrested a woman and detained another man in connection with the gang-rape of a housewife in Bhola’s Tajumuddin upazila, where her husband was allegedly assaulted and confined during the incident. Meanwhile, three local leaders of the BNP and its affiliated bodies have been expelled over their alleged involvement. Tajumuddin Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Mohabbat Khan said the victim's husband filed a case on Monday accusing seven people, including Tajumuddin Upazila unit Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal Joint General Secretary Farid Uddin and Jubo Dal activist Alauddin. As part of the investigation, police arrested the victim's husband’s third wife, Jharnna Begum. She was produced before the court on Tuesday and sent to jail, the OC added. In a separate development, members of RAB-8 detained one of the accused, Manik, from the Ilisha launch terminal area in Bhola Sadar upazila on Wednesday afternoon. According to locals, Farid Uddin and Alauddin went into hiding after their photographs circulated on social media. Following the incident, leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliated bodies staged a human chain protest in Tajumuddin town on Tuesday, demanding justice for the victim and punishment for those responsible. Later, Tajumuddin Upazila unit Sramik Dal President Iqbal Hossain Likhan announced the expulsion of Farid Uddin from all party positions, including primary membership, for life. AL leader arrested in Ctg over attack on Mirza Fakhrul’s motorcade Separately, the BNP’s student wing expelled two leaders for violating organisational discipline. According to a press release signed by Bangladesh Chhatra Dal Central Committee Office Secretary Jahangir Alam, Tajumuddin Degree College Chhatra Dal Convener Md Rasel and Joint Convener Md Zainal Abedin Sojib have been removed from their positions following central directives. Local sources said that the victim’s husband, a resident of a union under Tajumuddin upazila, works at a hotel in Dhaka and has three wives. Two live with him in Dhaka, while the third resides in Tajumuddin. Two weeks ago, the man returned to his village home with his first wife. Last Saturday, his third wife called him to her residence, where a group of six to seven people, allegedly including Farid Uddin, Alauddin, and several Chhatra Dal members, forcibly entered the house, physically assaulted him, and demanded Tk 5 lakh, saying his another wife no longer wanted to live with him. When he refused to pay, the group confined him to a room and tortured him throughout the night. The man’s first wife arrived at the scene the next morning and pleaded with the attackers to release her husband. Eventually, they reduced their demand to Tk 1 lakh. She called her father-in-law to arrange the money, but the attackers then took her husband outside. After removing him from the house, the perpetrators allegedly locked the doors and windows and gang-raped the man's third wife inside, according to the complaint. Hearing her screams, neighbouring women tried to intervene but could not open the locked doors. The victim couple alleged that the attackers threatened them not to disclose the incident and warned of dire consequences if they approached the police. However, the man later called emergency services via 999, prompting police to register their complaint. The victim woman underwent medical tests and has been admitted to Bhola 250-bed General Hospital for treatment. The OC said efforts are underway to arrest the remaining accused.

Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Wednesday said LGRD adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan received his firearms licence maintaining proper legal procedures. The Home Adviser, also the Agriculture Adviser, made the remarks while addressing a project evaluation meeting organised by the Ministry of Agriculture at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) auditorium in the capital. He said Shojib Bhuiyan mistakenly carried a magazine of the licensed firearm and that it was unintentional. I clarified this yesterday (Tuesday) as well,” he added. Agriculture Secretary Dr Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian presided over the event. ‘It was magazine, not AK-47’:  Home Adviser clarifies about Adviser Asif’s airport incident Responding to a question over Muradnagar rape case, Jahangir Alam said those involved in the incident have already been brought under law. Highlighting the government's stance against corruption, the adviser said although it has not been entirely eradicated no one involved in corruption will be spared.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Wednesday sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to six months in jail in a contempt of court case filed last year. This marks the first time since the ousting of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5 last year that a Bangladeshi court has sentenced her. The three-member tribunal, headed by ICT Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumdar, passed the order. In the same case, then Chhatra League leader of Gaibandha district, Shakil Akanda Bulbul, was sentenced to two months in jail. Although there is no precedent for appointing legal counsel for absconding accused in such cases, a state-appointed lawyer was engaged for Sheikh Hasina at government expense to ensure justice. ICT schedules July 1 for hearing to frame charges against Hasina, 2 others According to the case statement, Sheikh Hasina had a telephone conversation with Chhatra League leader Shakil on October 25 last year. In the audio clip, Sheikh Hasina was heard saying, “Got license of killing 227 people,” which the court deemed a direct threat to the judicial system. Later, the prosecution filed a case with the ICT.