Law-&-Order
Stepson arrested over man’s death in Natore
A 50-year-old man was beaten to death, allegedly by his stepson, in Lalpur upazila of Natore district early Saturday.
The deceased was identified as Abul Kalam alias ‘Boma Kalam’ of the upazila. He was a listed criminal in the area.
Ali Akbar, sub-inspector of Lalpur Police Station, said Kalam had a quarrel with his second wife Arjina on Friday night.
Read: Man to die for killing 2 ethnic girls after rape
At 3 am Saturday, Arjina along with her son from her first marriage, Al Amin, beat up Kalam with a stick mercilessly, leaving him dead, police said.
Later, they dumped the body near a pond.
On information, police recovered the body and arrested Al Amin in this connection in the morning.
Arjina has been on the run since the incident.
A case was filed in this connection.
Drug peddling: Fugitive convict arrested from Gazipur after seven years, says Rab
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) said they arrested a "convicted drug peddler," who had been on the run for seven years, from Gazipur's Kashimpur early Friday.
The arrestee was identified as Abdul Ahad alias Limon alias VP Limon, 34. He was sentenced to life in prison in a case under the Narcotics Control Act.
Read more: Photojournalist Aftab murder case: Fugitive convict held in Dinajpur
Tipped off, a team of Rab-2 conducted a drive in Kashimpur around 3:55am and arrested Limon, Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Md Fazlul Haque, senior additional director (media) of Rab-2, said.
On September 24 in 2014, Limon was arrested with "a large haul of drugs" and a case was filed against him at Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station.
Read more: Fugitive death row convict held in N’ganj
"He was later released on bail after spending two years behind the bars. After that, he continued selling illegal drugs, faking his identity," Fazlul said.
"Efforts are on to catch Limon's associates. He was handed over to Palashbari Police Station in Gaibandha," he added.
Stay ready to offer a fair, acceptable election, Home Minister tells DCs
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Thursday asked the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to get ready to ensure a fair and acceptable national election expected to be held by early next year.
He came up with the remark while talking to journalists after the meeting with the DCs in the last session of the three-day ‘DC Conference-2023’ at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital.
“We said our security agencies are now capable of facing any challenges, they will be able to tackle any situation with their patriotism, experiences and abilities during the elections”, he said.
“Indeed, we will not have anything to do at that time (election time). The ministry will only do its routine work. The main responsibilities will remain on the Election Commission (EC) and security agencies will also be under them (EC),” the home minister said.
“You (DCs) stay ready to offer a fair election as your roles in holding the elections are crucial,” he said adding that the country's people have been seeking a fair and acceptable election as well as the entire world.
Addressing the roles of the DCs in curbing the drugs, he asked them to play an important role in handling the challenge.
Read more: BNP's 'game of movements' to continue till election: Razzaque
“The dreams of our 2030 and 2041 will remain incomplete unless we work on the issue (drugs),” he said.
Replying to a question about the militancy, the home minister said the law enforcers could deal with the militants, but they cannot uproot it.
“The militants have gone to the Chittagong Hill Tract region from here while we uprooted their dens there too,” the minister said.
Replying to another question, Asaduzzaman suspected that the militants may lure the Rohingyas if they stay in the country for a long time.
He also said that law enforcers including members of the APBN, army and intelligence agencies have remained vigilant about the smuggling of Yaba as a section of Rohingyas are involved with the illicit business.
Read more: BNP ridicules AL's fair election desire
Data protection law to be enacted to protect data, reiterates Law Minister
Law Minister Anisul Huq reiterated on Thursday that data protection law will be enacted to protect data, not to control it.
He was talking to reporters after the Deputy Commissioners’ Conference 2023 at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital.
"We will place the draft of the Data Protection Act in parliament. That does not mean that suggestions from the stakeholders will not be heard,” he said.
Read more: US did not impose new sanctions as human rights situation has improved: Law Minister
This act is for protecting data and will be enacted as per this policy, he added.
Regarding the Digital Security Act (DSA), he said, "We have taken measures to ensure that cases are registered after proper verification and avoid immediate arrest.”
The law minister said they have also formed a committee after consulting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for best practices in this regard. “If necessary, we can certainly amend the Digital Security Act.”
Read more: New law in the offing to appoint HC judges: Law Minister
He also said the government has taken an initiative to raise the salary of government law officers (PPs and GPs) by dividing the districts into three categories-- large, medium and small.
Highlighting the reasons for raising the salary of GPs-PPs, the minister said, 'We have planned to launch the Independent Prosecution Service. However, the entire PP Service will not be an Independent Prosecution Service.”
In the session with the DCs, Anisul highlighted the government's initiatives to ease the long-running backlog of cases. “I have talked about alternative dispute resolution and legal aid services.”
Govt bans suckermouth catfish in Bangladesh
Authorities on Wednesday said no one would be allowed to import, culture, transport, sell, supply or conserve suckermouth catfish anymore in Bangladesh.
In a gazette notification, the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry announced the decision signed by its Deputy Secretary Mrinal Kanti Dey, according to a press release.
The release said the decision to ban the two varieties of the fish was taken following the ‘Protection and Conservation of Fish Act-1950’.
Read more: Govt bans fishing in Bay of Bengal for 65 days
“No person shall import, breed, culture, carry, sell, receive or take, market, stock, expose and possess any species of fish of Sucker mouth catfish and Clarias gariepinus, locally known as African Magur,” it added.
HC grants anticipatory bail to 102 BNP men over clashes in Ctg
The High Court (HC) on Wednesday granted a six-week anticipatory bail to 102 BNP activists and leaders including national executive committee’s Organising Secretary Mahbube Rahman Shamim in four cases over clash with police in the port city’s Kazir Dewri area on January 16.
An HC bench of Justice Mostafa Zaman Islam and Justice Mohammad Aminul Islam granted the bail after hearing a petition, lawyer Mujibur Rahman, a counsel of the BNP, said.
Read more: SC upholds bail of Fakhrul and Abbas, no bar to release
Md Idris Ali, office secretary of Chattogram Metropolitan unit BNP, confirmed the news.
City unit BNP Convener Dr Shahadat Hossain and Member Secretary Abul Hashem Bakkar, among others, secured the bail.
On January 16, a clash broke out between the BNP supporters and police when a BNP rally was going on in front of the party office in the Kazir Dewri area.
At least 30 people from both the BNP and police were injured in the clashes while law enforcers detained 20 people.
Police sued some 200 BNP men in four cases on that night.
Man to die for killing 2 ethnic girls after rape
A Chattogram court on Wednesday sentenced a man to death for killing two teenage ethnic girls after rape in Sitakunda upazila in 2018.
The condemned convict is Abul Hossain, of the upazila.
Chattogram Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal Judge Alimullah delivered the judgment.
Read more: Kushtia rape and murder: Condemned convict hanged at Kashimpur Jail
Another accused Md Manik was acquitted as the charges against him were not proved, said Special Public Prosecutor of the court Advocate Ashok Kumar Roy.
According to the case, police recovered the bodies of two ethnic girls from Jangal Mahadevpur Pahari Adibasi Palli in Sitakundu Upazila on May 18 in 2018.
The deceased were- Sukhlati Tripura, 15, and Chitra Rani Tripura, 12, of Tripura Adibasi Palli of the upazila.
Victim Rani’s Father Sumon Tripura filed a case at Sitakundu police station on the following day against the three including the duo alleging that they used to harass the girls.
Read more: Arrest warrant issued against Ex-Basail UNO Manjur in rape case
Another accused Md Rijib died during the trial.
Later, the investigating officer of the case submitted a chargesheet against Abul Hossain and Manik.
76 arrested in DMP’s anti-narcotics drive in city
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested 76 people in separate drives in the capital on charges of selling and consuming drugs in 24 hours till 6 am on Wednesday.
During the drives, 11,303 yaba pills, 195 grams of heroin, 29 bottles of Phensidyle and 19.130 kg of cannabis were recovered from the possessions of the arrestees.
Read more: 60 arrested in DMP’s anti-narcotics drive
As part of the DMP’s regular anti-drug drive, Detective Branch (DB) and local police raided on various areas in the capital from Tuesday 6 am to 6 am on Wednesday and recovered the drugs.
total of 59 cases were registered with local police stations against the arrested people under the Narcotics Control Act.
2 including bus driver held with crystal meth in Dhaka
A bus driver and his associate have been detained with 1.700 Kg crystal methamphetamine (ice) from the capital’s Jatrabari area.
The detainees were identified as Jahangir Alam Hossain, the ringleader of the drug peddling gang and the main trader of crystal meth in Teknaf, and his associate Mehedi Hasan, Additional director of Department of Narcotics Control Al Amin told reporters at a press briefing at its office in the city on Wednesday noon.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of Department of Narcotics Control led by Assistant Director (Detective) Muhammad Rifat Hossain detained the duo after conducting a drive in front of Alkarim Hospital in Jatrabari on Tuesday afternoon with 1.700 Kg crystal worth Tk 50-60 lakh, he said.
Jahangir Alam Hossain used to trade crystal meth from Cox's Bazar’s Teknaf to Dhaka in the guise of a bus driver of St Martin Paribahan.
Read more: Over 2 kg Crystal Meth seized in Cox’s Bazar
Jahangir has been involved in Yaba peddling since 2015 and crystal meth smuggling since 2020. Earlier he used to deliver the drugs to Dhaka from Teknaf border. Later, he himself formed a ring to do such smuggling, said the officer, said Al Amin.
He also formed a separate syndicate for smuggling and selling crystal meth only due to its high price. He used to smuggle the drugs directly to his customers through his associates Mehdi.
Jahangir was arrested four times by the law enforcers for his involvement in drug peddling, said the officer.
Legal processes are underway to file a case against them, he added.
Digital pass to be needed to enter Appellate Division from February 1
A digital pass will to be required to enter the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court from February 1.
The Supreme Court administration issued a notification in this regard on Wednesday.
Litigants can enter the Appellate Division by collecting this pass from the Supreme Court website.
One can get the digital pass by scanning the QR code or typing in the entry date, case number, plaintiff's name and mobile phone number and National ID number in the website menu.
Also Read: Mothers can now be listed as legal guardians of students in official documents, HC rules
Later the pass can be printed by clicking on the registration button. The litigants can enter the Appellate Division by showing the printed copy or screenshot or download copy of this pass, reads the notification.
No plaintiff can enter or remain at the Appellate Division Bench and the area adjacent to the bench without showing an entry pass due to security, it added.