United News of Bangladesh

The High Court on Sunday deferred till October 26 the hearing on the bail petition filed by former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque in a case filed over the death of a Jubo Dal activist  at Jatrabari during the July uprising. The HC bench of Justice Md Zakir Hossain and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja passed the order after hearing a petition filed seeking time. On August 11, the lawyers of Khairul Haque filed a petition seeking cancellation of the case and bail for their client. HC Rule: Delta Medical College and Hospital faces Tk 5 crore compensation for breaking newborn's hand The state counsel filed a petition seeking time for one week in the case that led to chaos at the court. Later, the court fixed Sunday for hearing the petition. On July 24 this year, detectives arrested Khairul from his Dhanmondi residence.

As law enforcers tighten their vigilance against narcotics, smugglers continue to devise new tactics to evade detection, though not always successfully. Two Dhaka-bound passengers were detained on Sunday morning at Cox’s Bazar Airport with more than 5,000 pieces of Yaba tablets concealed inside cricket bats. The arrestees were identified as Zakir Hossain, 26, of Madaripur, and Tanvir Ahmed, 30, of Barishal. Police said Tanvir is a dismissed employee of Cox’s Bazar Airport. Man held with 2,820 Yaba pills at Dhaka Airport

In yet another incident of lynch-mob attack, a youth was killed at Lalbagh in the capital early Sunday. The deceased was identified as Md Toufiqul Islam alias “Killer Babu,” 26, son of Yunus Khan and Hasina Begum. Police said two crude bombs went off in Shaheednagar Lohar Bridge area on August 14. Suspecting Toufiqul’s involvement in the blasts some residents of the area chased him around 3:30 am on Sunday and gave him a severe beating. Suspected ‘cattle thief’ lynched in Gazipur Being informed, a team of army from Azimpur Army Camp rushed to the spot and rescued him. He was taken to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 7:50am where doctors declared him dead, said Lalbagh police station sub-inspector Belayet Hossain. The body has been kept at the DMCH morgue for autopsy. Police said legal steps will be taken.

A local leader of Sramik Kalyan Federation, the labour wing of Bangladesh Jamaat Islami, was stabbed to death by unidentified miscreants in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha district on Saturday night. The victim was identified as Nazrul Islam Nazir, 40, son of late Tofazzal Hossain of Shital village under Nakai union of the upazila, and president of a ward unit of the party. Police and locals said Nazir was returning home after closing his shop from a local market on Saturday night when the miscreants called him aside, slit his throat and fled the scene. As he did not return home, relatives searched for him but failed to trace him. Jubo Dal activist stabbed dead in Sylhet Later, on Sunday morning, locals spotted the mutilated body lying a short distance from his house and informed his family. On information, Gobindaganj police recovered the body. Officer-in-charge of Gobindaganj Police Station Bulbul Islam said an investigation is underway to identify those involved in the murder.  

Three individuals were detained during a raid conducted by joint forces at a coaching centre in Rajshahi city's Kadirganj area early Saturday. The detainees are Montasebul Alam (Anindya), the owner of the Doctor English coaching centre and nephew of former Rajshahi mayor and Awami League leader Khairuzzaman Liton. The two others detained are Md Robin and Md Faisal, said a statement issued in the afternoon and signed by the commander of the Rajshahi Army Camp. According to a statement, the raid was the result of a month-long intelligence surveillance. A team from the 40th East Bengal Regiment (Mechanized) of the army began the operation around 1:30am early Friday night. During the operation, various weapons, ammunition, and bomb-making materials were recovered. The recoveries include: three firearms and ammunition, a military-grade binocular and sniper scope, six locally made weapons, seven foreign-made sharp daggers, five high-quality walkie-talkie sets, a military-grade GPS device, a taser gun, various local and foreign cartridges, a large number of unused SIM cards, bomb-making materials, six computer sets, Tk 7,445 in cash, various local and foreign liquors and 11 nitrogen cartridges. All of these items were found to be in active condition. The bomb disposal unit later defused the explosive materials. Intelligence agencies have launched a deeper investigation into the matter, and the operation is currently ongoing. The army will continue to take firm action against illegal weapons, explosives, and any terrorist activities in the future, said the statement.

Authorities have heightened security across Gopalganj district on Friday, the day Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members were assassinated 50 years ago. Additional police personnel have been deployed at key points, including entry routes and sensitive locations of the district to ward off any unexpected incident. Currently, some 900 police members are on duty in the district, supported by forces from neighbouring areas. Alongside the police, members of the Army, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Armed Police Battalion (APBn), and other law enforcement agencies, both in uniform and plainclothes, remain deployed in security duties. Although the Awami League has not announced any central programmes in Gopalganj or upazila headquarters to observe the day, law enforcing officials assumed that small-scale commemorations may take place in villages. On Thursday, Additional DIG (Administration & Finance) of Dhaka Range Mohammad Abdul Mabud and Additional DIG (Operations) Md Siddiqur Rahman met with senior officers at the Gopalganj police superintendent’s office. Dhanmondi 32 under tight security as Aug 15 approached They issued instructions to monitor law and order closely and prevent any untoward incidents. Gopalganj Superintendent of Police Md Mizanur Rahman and other senior district police officials attended the meeting. Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration) Md Sarowar Hossain said adequate police are in place to address any possible threats. “Security has been intensified across Gopalganj. We have sufficient forces to deal with any situation,” he said. Officials said that the administration has taken all necessary steps to avert any untoward incident during the day’s observance. Last year, leaders and activists of Awami League and its associate bodies observed the 49th death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh in the district. On the occasion of the day, party and black flags along with the national flag were hoisted at Gopalganj district Awami office. Party leaders paid tribute to the portrait of Bangabandhu by placing wreaths in the morning on that day.

A court in Rangpur on Thursday placed four men on a three-day remand each in connection with the mob beating that led to the deaths of two individuals in Taraganj Upazila on 9 August. Rangpur Judicial Magistrate Court Judge Krishna Kamol Roy passed the order following a five-day remand petition submitted by the investigation officer, OC (Investigation) Rafiqul Islam, said court in-charge Aminul Islam. Chankharpul killings: Tribunal orders protection for witness facing security threat The accused are Aktarul Islam, 45, of Burirhat village; Ebadat Hossain, 27, of Balapur village; and Rafiqul Islam, 33, and Mizanur Rahman, 22, of Rahimapur in Soyar Union under the upazila. According to police, the victims—Ruplal Das and his nephew-in-law Pradip Das—were beaten to death around 9pm on 9 August at Burirhat Bottola in Soyar Union on suspicion of theft. Youth stabbed dead at Banani The following day, Ruplal's wife Varoti Rani filed a murder case with Taraganj Police Station, accusing approximately 700 unidentified people.

The International Crimes Tribunal has ordered protective measures for a key eyewitness who testified in a case of crimes against humanity linked to the killing of six people in Dhaka’s Chankharpul area on 5 August last year. The International Crimes Tribunal-1 led by its Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder issued the order following an application from the prosecution. The tribunal also formed a three-member investigation committee to probe the incident. The committee has been instructed to submit its report promptly. Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim said that the witness, who gave a statement to the tribunal two days prior, faced intimidation and security threats shortly after testifying. The threats allegedly came from individuals affiliated with the same institution where the witness is employed. Activities included verbal harassment, a protest march, and the public display of banners targeting the witness. The witness submitted photographs and video footage of the incidents to the prosecution. These were presented during today’s hearing, where the tribunal also spoke directly with the witness. After reviewing the evidence, the tribunal ordered immediate protective action. The tribunal directed the Officer-in-Charge of the relevant police station and the head of the witness’s institution to ensure his security. It also instructed that any derogatory posters or banners related to the witness be removed without delay. Prosecutor Tamim mentioned that under the International Crimes Tribunal Act the state is legally obligated to ensure the safety of any witness who has given or is about to give testimony.

The family of executed BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury will send a legal notice to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday, seeking evidence to support their claim that he was subjected to a ‘judicial killing’ by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). “My father was subjected to a grave injustice… They (ICT) never allowed him to get fair justice and he was killed… It was a judicial murder. The Awami League regime was directly involved in it,” said Salauddin Quader Chowdhury’s younger son Hummam Quader Chowdhury. Speaking at a press conference at their Dhanmondi residence in Dhaka on Thursday, he said four defence witnesses --Munim Arzuman Khan, Ambar Harun Saigal, Ishaq Khan Khagwani and Niyaz Ahmed Noor -- had wanted to come to Bangladesh to testify for his father. He alleged that they were denied visas, which forced them to publish their evidence on YouTube instead. Hummam, a member of the BNP’s executive committee, claimed these witnesses could have proved that his father was studying at Punjab University in 1971. He said the reason for mentioning their names was that when the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry sends messages to its missions abroad, they are called ciphers, and most of these cipher messages are coded and marked as secret. “We have received one such cipher message. It names these four individuals and says they must not be granted visas under any circumstances. This proves that my father was subjected to judicial killing,” the BNP leader said. He said it was clear what a serious violation it was to stop these four people from coming to Bangladesh as witnesses, which prevented a proper defence. “We’re sending a legal notice to the Foreign Ministry. We are demanding that these cipher messages be declassified. All cipher messages related to my father’s trial should be declassified and given to us. We will send the notice on Sunday. I hope you (the ministry) will help us get justice for this killing,” Hummam said. He also demanded that the names of all Foreign Ministry officials involved in these cipher messages be made public. Hummam said their aim is not a media trial and that they already have enough evidence to go directly to the High Court while following all legal formalities – but they want to do so with the cooperation of the interim government. “We hope we will be able to prove that Salauddin Quader Chowdhury was innocent and that he was a victim of judicial murder.” He said they had already spoken to lawyers to prepare the case. “Inshallah, we will go to court through a writ petition. We hope that if we at least get the government’s cooperation and these documents are declassified, we will go to court with that evidence. We can go to court now, but we will do so while keeping to all formalities. We hope to file the petition in court on Sunday.” The BNP leader claimed the family could not bring important defence witnesses because they were blocked. “This obstruction stopped us from proving my father’s innocence in court.” Hummam also alleged that his father was targeted politically, not personally. “If the aim was to kill him, it could have been done easily. The real goal was to destroy his political influence. My father was known as a nationalist.” Salauddin Quader was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal in 2013 for crimes against humanity during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War. The High Court upheld the sentence, and he was executed on 22 November 2015 in Dhaka Central Jail, on the same day as Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and others. Hummam said the tribunal itself was controversial and biased. “Even witnesses were coached, tortured, and pressured to give statements.” He said his father had refused to seek mercy before his execution. “He said he was going to Allah for justice and would not bow to anyone.” The press conference was attended by Salauddin Quader Chowdhury’s wife, Farhat Quader Chowdhury, her two sons and legal representatives.

A young man was stabbed to death by some miscreants at Mohakhali in Dhaka early Thursday. The deceased was identified as Rahat Hossain Rabbi, 31, a contractor and son of Rabiul Awal of the area. Quoting Ibrahim Khalil, paternal uncle of the victim, sub-inspector of Banani Police Station, Amzad Sheikh, said Munna, a friend of Rabbi along with five others entered the building he lived around 4:30 am and hit Rabbi with a sharp weapon at the staircase, leaving him injured. Youth stabbed to death in Gazipur Later, Rabbi was taken to Kurmitola Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The motive behind the killing could not be known immediately.