Law-&-Order
Barguna Rifat killing: Wife Minni seeks High Court bail
Aysha Siddika Minni, who was sentenced to death for her role in her husband Rifat Sharif’s murder, filed a petition to the High Court, seeking bail in the murder case.
Advocate Jamiul Haque Foysal filed the petition on behalf of Minni with the HC bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Biswajit Debnath.
Advocate Foysal said “An appeal petition seeking exemption from the death penalty is under trial and that’s why another petition has been filed with the High Court seeking her bail.”
On October 6, 2020 Minni moved the High Court challenging the subordinate court verdict.
Minni’s counsel Advocate Makkia Fatema Islam filed the petition with the HC bench concerned.
On September 30, 2020 Minni and five others were sentenced to death by District and Sessions Judge Md Asaduzzaman over Rifat's killing in Barguna in broad daylight in 2019.
The full verdict of the case was published on October 3, 2020 and the death reference reached the High Court Division the next day.
Rifat Sharif, 22, was hacked to death in the district town on June 26, 2019.
He was attacked near the main gate of Barguna Government College. Surveillance camera footage showed his wife Minni apparently trying to save him from the attackers.
Rifat’s father filed a murder case accusing 24 people. Although Minni was initially named as a witness, she was later arrested on July 16, 2019 and made an accused.
Sabbir Ahmed alias Nayon Bond, the main accused, was killed in an alleged gunfight with police on July 2, that year.
Minni and nine others were indicted for Rifat’s murder on January 1, 2020.
Meanwhile, 14 other underage accused are being tried separately at a juvenile court for the killing.
6 arrested over mugging police vehicle in Sirajganj
Six men were arrested in connection with mugging a police vehicle from Bangabandhu Bridge east connecting highway in Sirajganj sadar upazila.
The arrestees are Yusuf Khan, 22, Wazed Ali, 34, Abdul Latif Khan, 21, Inamul Haque Ashik, 19, Abdul Motaleb, 26, Sohel Rana, 28.
Arifur Rahman Mandal, Superintendent of Sirajganj police, confirmed the arrests in a press briefing Sunday.
On October 12, a team of police members from Sonatala police station were heading towards Bogura from Dhaka on a microbus after rescuing a victim.
As the vehicle reached the Koddar Mor area around 2:30 am a group of muggers started throwing stones at it forcing the driver to stop by the road.
They then attacked the police members and snatched their walkie-talkies, handcuffs, money, gold jewelry, and mobile phones.
After two days, Abdul Khaleque Sub Inspector of Sonatala police station filed a case in this regard at Bangabandhu Bridge east police station.
The arrestees will be produced before court, said police.
Militants’ involvement with CHT’s KNF group being investigated: Home Minister
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan today said the involvement of militants with Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), an armed group in the Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT), is being investigated.
“Different groups in the CHT including KNF, Shantu Larmar's JSS, and UPDF are trying to destabilize the situation along the borders,” he told reporters after the inauguration of modern fire equipment turntable ladders at the Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters in Dhaka.
“We have engaged army and police forces in the three CHT districts. When necessary, police, BGB, Rab and army are taking action there as per need,” said the home minister.
Read: ‘We won’t interfere if BNP events are peaceful’: Home Minister
Regarding the turntable ladder, he said it will be able to extinguish fire up to 24 floors of a building.
He also termed the members of the fire service, who sacrificed their lives in Sitakunda depot fire, as ‘Agnibir’.
Gatco graft case: Charge framing hearing against Khaleda deferred to Jan 29
A Dhaka court on Sunday fixed January 29 next for hearing on charge framing in the Gatco corruption case against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and 14 others.
Acting Judge of Dhaka Special Court-3 Sheikh Nazmul Alam fixed the fresh date following separate time petitions.
Two separate time petitions were filed as Khaleda Zia and BNP leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain couldn’t appear before the court due to illness.
On September 2, 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case against two Gatco directors, Khaleda and others.
The ACC pressed charges on May 13 the following year against 24 people, including nine former ministers and state ministers of Khaleda's cabinet. Nine of the accused have so far died.
5 arrested with five maunds of Hilsa in Shariatpur
A mobile court arrested five suspected members of a Hilsa smuggling gang with five maunds of mother Hilsa from the Padma River in Zajira upazila of Shariatpur Saturday.
The arrestees are Rubel Hossain, 28, Rahman Khan, 32, Khabir, 25, Dabir Hossain, 48 and Rabin, 20.
Zajira Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Executive Magistrate Kamrul Hasan Sohail said on suspicion they conducted a search at a passenger-carrying trawler heading towards Bilaspur from Kunderchar.
Later, five maunds of Hilsa were seized from the trawler during the drive, he said adding that five people including trawler driver Rahman Khan were arrested in this connection.
The court led by UNO sentenced the trawler driver to one month of jail and four others to 13-day each respectively.
The seized fishes were distributed among orphanages and Madrasahs, he added.
Hilsa ban: 18 detained in Bhola after fishermen clash with police again
Four people, including two cops, were injured in a clash that ensued after fishermen allegedly attacked the police in the Padma River in Bhola Saturday.
Police have detained 18 fishermen in connection with the attack so far.
Md Akhtar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Ilisha River Police Station, said being informed they conducted a drive in Char area under the Sadar upazila by a trawler around 5am.
Sensing the presence of the law enforcers, the fishermen, who were netting fish in the river, hurled brickbats targeting the cops when they were chased, he said adding that police retaliated with shotgun rounds, leaving four people including two sub-inspectors injured in the attack.
Read: Cops among 20 injured in attack by fishermen in Barishal
Later, a total of 18 fishermen were detained, 10,000 metres of current net and a fishing trawler were also seized, he said.
A case was filed in this connection, the OC added.
Sand lifting from Boro Feni River: 20 sued over shooting Baraiyahat municipality mayor, 2 others
A case has been filed against 20 people over firing at three people including Mirsarai’s Baraiyahat municipality mayor Rezaul Karim Khokon following a dispute over sand lifting from the Feni River.
A case was filed at Sonagazi model police station accusing 12 people including main accused Fazilpur UP chairman Mozibul Haque Ripon and eight anonymous people on Friday night, said Khaled Hossain Daiyan, officer-in-charge of Sonagazi model police station.
The case was registered following a complaint lodged by Mizanur Rahman of Osmanpur union in Mirsarai, he said.
The other accused are Belal Prakash alias Killer Belal, suspected shooter Mostaq, Saiful, Nur Hossain, Dish Palash, suspected shooter Rizel, Shakil, Rahul, Masud Uddin, Mohsin Opu, and Monjurul karim Ridon, said the OC.
Of them, Saiful and Shakil were arrested in a drive on Friday night and efforts are on to arrest the other accused, he said.
According to the case statement, the accused were demanding a large amount of extortion money from the plaintiff as he was excavating sand from the Boro Feni River to fill the land of under-construction Power Distribution Centre at Korer hat under Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB).
When Baraiyarhat municipality mayor Khokon went to the spot to talk on the matter Friday noon, terrorists hired by accused Mozibul Haque Ripon started firing at him without any provocation, said the plaintiff.
Mayor Khokon and two others suffered bullet wounds during the firing and the accused also snatched four cell phones from them.
According to Khokon’s son Imtiaz Karim, he went underwent a surgery to remove the bullet at Chattogram Medical College Hospital while the condition of other injured- Ashok Sen and Dukhu Mia-remained stable, he said.
Jakir Hasan, Superintendent of police (Feni circle) said surveillance has been increased near the Boro Feni River area after the incident.
Traffic box attackers aimed to damage image, morale of police
The multiple attacks on traffic police boxes and police in the capital's Mirpur and Pallabi areas on Friday were pre-planned, with the aim of breaking the morale of the police.
Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) was able to disclose this much after they arrested nine people raiding Mirpur on Saturday in connection with the incidents.
Earlier on Friday night, police filed a case with Pallabi police station in connection with the incident.
Local thana police arrested eight people on Friday itself. With the arrest of nine Saturday, the number of arrested in the case rose to 17.
Around 25-30 auto-rickshaw drivers resorted to attacking on-duty Traffic police Mizanur when he detained a battery-powered rickshaw in front of Adarsha School of Mirpur No. 10 on Friday morning. At one stage, they attacked Mirpur traffic police box number 10. Later, the battery operated rickshaw pullers unitedly attacked a few traffic police boxes including Mirpur number 12, Kalshi, Purvi and Shagufta.
The arrestees were identified as Johnny Islam, Russell Mia, Suruj, Md. Akter, Shamser Uddin, Md. Rony, Md. Kalim, Masud Rana and Md. Sam.
Briefing reporters at DMP media centre on Saturday afternoon, Additional Commissioner (DB) Harun or Rashid said during preliminary interrogation, the arrestees revealed that they were involved in the attack on the instigation of some 'elder brothers'. The motive, they said, was to damage the image of the police, and breaking their morale.
The DB chief said that traffic policemen were working to implement a High Court order banning battery-operated rickshaws. It wasn't a decision taken by the traffic police - they were merely following orders. Yet they (traffic police) were attacked after spreading falsehoods that some traffic police had beat up an elderly and disabled battery-operated rickshaw driver.
The illegal rickshaw owners, drivers and those involved in the pea trade fueled the attack by spreading tension. Many involved in the attacks and provocations immediately went into hiding outside Dhaka, Harun said.
Man held with 80,000 Saudi Riyals at Dhaka airport
Customs officials detained a passenger of a Singapore-bound flight with 80,000 Saudi Arabia Riyals at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport early Saturday.
The detainee is Md Asaduzzaman Nur, who was scheduled to fly for Singapore at 8.30am.
Tipped off, the customs officials detained him with the Saudi Riyals amounting to Tk 23 lakh while he was going for boarding pass around 5.40am.
A case was filed in this connection.
Land-related disputes: Act being planned to handle offences
The government is contemplating on ‘Prevention and Remedies of Land Related Offences Act’ to reduce the number of land-related lawsuits as it thinks the major share of the country’s criminal and civil cases originate from land disputes.
Once enacted, according to an official document, the government thinks that it will enable immediate trial of the land-related offences and reduce the number of criminal and civil cases involving land.
As per available data, nearly 3.7 million cases remain pending at courts, including the Supreme Court.
To reduce the number of land-related lawsuits, the government has taken steps to reform existing laws and regulations and introduce new ones, the document says.
The government has taken steps to complete quickly and timely the e-mutation in land management, collection of land development tax online, and distribution of ledger and mouza map through the postal department, it says.
The e-mutation activities have been introduced in a total of 487 Upazila and Circle Land Offices and 3,617 Union Land Offices across the country, except in three hill districts.
“This has reduced time, cost, travel, suffering and harassment of the people,” according to the document.
Service Portal (land.gov.bd) or Call Center (16122) or Union Digital Center (UDC) has been launched. It is because of these interventions, landowners at any time from any part of the world can get QR code enriched receipts instantly for paying land development tax online.
It says that Bangladesh has recently been awarded prestigious “World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)” for successfully implementing the online Land Development Tax System.
Steps have been taken to deliver e-Record of Right (ROR) called Khatian to the citizens through the Bangladesh Postal Department.
Moreover, arrangements have been made to get printed Records of Rights immediately by setting up kiosks in various populated places.
A call center has been set up through which people can lodge any complaints and receive any services related to land.
The document also said that steps have been taken to establish a link between e-registration and e-mutation system to simplify land service and improve its quality.
It says sub-registrars will be able to verify the land records from the Digital Record Room System online before land registration because of this.
Read: ‘Hearing of e-mutations, miscellaneous cases to start soon through video conferences’
Similarly, the Assistant Commissioner (Land) will get the documents of registration and information of the land sold through the e-mutation system along with the registration, based on which the mutation process can be started automatically.
Once the e- mutation is connected with the e-registration across the country, the suffering of the people will be reduced and the relevant land records will be updated automatically. As a result, the chances of lawsuits and forgery will be reduced, it says.
As part of digital land management, arrangements have been made to upload all information related to acquired land and Sairat Mahal.
There are initiatives to preserve all the information in Land Information Bank related to waterbody, balumahal, khas land, vested property, hat-bazar, tea garden, chingrimahal and all information related to the acquired land.
“As a result, it is possible to get all the information related to the leased and settled land, Sairat Mahal, the public landed property immediately,” the document says. “The Land Information Bank is also playing an important role in making decisions regarding land acquisition and land allotment,” it says.