Law-&-Order
Why inaction to remove Wasa MD form his post should not be declared illegal: HC
The High Court (HC) on Wednesday issued a rule questioning why the inaction of the authorities concerned to remove Dhaka Wasa Managing Director Taqsem A Khan from his post should not be declared illegal.
The HC bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo passed order after a hearing a writ petition filed by the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB).
The HC also ordered the Wasa Board to submit a report within 60 days informing how much money the MD took as salary, bonus and enjoyed other facilities in the last 13 years.
The court wanted to know why the Wasa MD should not be ordered to return the extra money taken as salary and allowances.
Read: Dhaka BRT girder collapse: HC issues rule on providing TK 5 cr compensation
The court has issued a rule seeking explanation as to why Wasa MD’s salary and allowances should not be fixed as per the circular issued by the National Pay Scale of 2015 and the Finance Ministry in 2016.
Barrister Jotirmoy Barua appeared for the writ petition in the court while Deputy Attorney General Arobinda Kumar Roy represented the state.
On July 31, architect Mobasher Hossain filed the writ petition on behalf of CAB challenging the inaction of the Wasa Board of Directors to remove Taqsem A Khan from the post of MD.
According to the writ petition, Taqsem A Khan was appointed as Wasa MD on a three-year contract in 2009. His contract was extended three times even after his poor performance.
The writ also mentioned that Wasa MD was drawing extra salary and allowances going beyond the rules. According to the latest board decision, the monthly salary of Wasa MD is Tk 6.25 lakh.
Dhaka BRT girder collapse: HC issues rule on providing TK 5 cr compensation
The High Court (HC) on Wednesday issued a rule questioning the authorities concerned why directive should not be given to pay compensation of Tk 5 to the five deceased who were crushed to death after a girder of the BRT project in Uttara fell on their private car.
The HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Ahmed Sohail passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Zakaria Khan.
Home Secretary, Roads and Highways Secretary, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Bangladesh Bridge Authority, Roads and Highways Chief Engineer and Dhaka Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Company were made respondents to the rule.
The HC also wanted to know what steps have been taken by the BRT authorities in the last five years for the safety of people while carrying out development work.
The court asked it to submit report in this regard within the next 60 days.
Read: Dhaka BRT girder tragedy: Preliminary probe report submitted
On Tuesday, Supreme Court lawyer Shagufta Tabassum Ahmed filed a writ petition with the High Court seeking its directive to the authorities concerned to inform about their steps taken after the girder accident.
The writ petition sought instructions to ensure necessary safety measures in the movement of people preventing the recurrence of such incidents.
The HC bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo dropped from its cause list the writ petition today (Wednesday).
Advocate Syeda Nasrin filed another writ petition on behalf of Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) and legal services organisation Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) seeking HC directive on compensation which will be heard on Thursday.
On Monday, the five, including two children, died after one girder of the BRT project fell on their private car while it was being moved in front of Gazipur Paradise Tower. A newlywed couple also travelling in the same car, fortunately escaped death.
The deceased were identified as Rubel, 50, Fahima, 40, her sister Jhorna, 28, and Jhorna's two children Jannat, 6, and Jakaria, 2, said Yeasin Gazi, inspector of Uttara west police station.
Rubel's son Hridoy, 26, and his wife Ria Moni, 21, escaped with serious injuries and were rushed to a local hospital.
Ex-councillor held for raping woman in Thakurgaon
A former councillor of Pirganj municipality has been arrested for raping a woman, police said on Wednesday.
The accused has been identified as Md Jafrul, a former councillor of ward No 9, and son of Shah Alam of the Bhelatouido area.
According to the case statement, Jafrul, in collusion with two locals -- Rumon and Rony -- raped the woman in June this year on the pretext of marriage.
Read: Hubby 'confesses' to killing female doctor at Dhaka hotel
Rumon had captured the rape on video and later used it to blackmail the woman, a local housewife. Both Rumon and Rony too raped the woman subsequently, threatening to make the video viral, police said.
Despite acceding to their threats, the trio made the video viral, forcing the woman to approach the Thakurgaon court on August 3 to get a case registered under the Women and Children Repression and Prevention Act.
Jahangir Alam, officer-in-charge of Pirganj Police Station, said they arrested Jafrul on Tuesday. "He was produced in a court that sent him to judicial custody. Efforts are on to nab the other accused."
5 to hang in Ctg naval base blasts case
An anti-terror tribunal in the port city on Wednesday sentenced five members of banned militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to death in the Chattogram naval base bomb blasts case.
Chattogram Anti-terrorism Tribunal judge Abdul Halim handed down the punishment to the five -- Abdul Mannan, Ramjan Ali, Bablu Rahman, Abdul Gaffar and M Shakhawat Hossain, a former member of the Bangladesh Navy. Of them, Shakhawat was tried in absentia.
According to the prosecution, 24 Muslim devotees were injured when a number of bombs exploded at the two mosques inside the Isha Khan Base of the Bangladesh Navy on December 18, 2015.
Local people managed to catch Mannan and Ramjan red-handed from the spot.
On September 3, 2016, M Abu Syed, Marshal Commander of the Naval Provost of the Bangladesh Navy, lodged a complaint with EPZ Police.
Read: Bangladesh marks 17th anniversary of serial blasts
Police subsequently registered a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Explosive Act.
In 2017, cops submitted a chargesheet against the five JMB men.
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) detained Bablu from Jhenaidah district on October 30, 2017, while Gaffar was arrested by police in another case. He was shown arrested in this case later.
END/UNB/Corr/MAS/JM
HC bars performance bonuses for DWASA employees
The High Court (HC) on Tuesday banned distributing performance bonuses to employees of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) for six months.
It also ruled why re-fixing the prices of water without forming a law should not be declared illegal.
The bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Chairman architect Mubasshar Hussain challenging the legality of some of the Dhaka WASA decisions.
Read: Why fuel price hike through gazette notification should not be declared illegal: HC
LGRD Secretary, Dhaka WASA board, Dhaka WASA Chairman, MD, CEO and Comptroller and Auditor General have been made respondents to the rule.
Lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua stood for the writ petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Arabindo Kumar Roy represented the state.
Dhaka WASA Board announced to give Performance Award (Performance Bonus) to its employees, which will be equal to three basic salaries each in the 2020-2021 fiscal year which is against the provisions of the Dhaka WASA Act.
Muggers strike with sharp weapons, make off with Tk 5 lakhs from Rocket agent
Muggers took away Tk 5 lakhs from an agent of mobile banking platform Rocket after stabbing him in Kashimpur Baganbari area of the district on Tuesday.
The injured, identified as Rocket agent of Dutch Bangla Bank’s digital mobile banking Sahed Hossain, is undergoing treatment at a clinic in Konabari area of the district.
Mohammad Jahid Hossain, Officer-in-charge (OC) of Kashimpur Police Station, said Sahed went to the Baganbari area to collect money from agents around noon on the day.
Read: 2 killed by muggers in Nawabganj
A group of five muggers riding two motorbikes interrupted him and snatched away his collected money after stabbing him, said he, adding that the victim suffered serious injury in the incident.
Hearing screams, locals rushed to the spot and took him to the clinic, the OC said adding that the victim lodged a complaint in this connection.
“We visited the scene and collected CCTV footage to identify the criminals and drives are on to nab them,” added the police officer.
Five more held over Shahjahanpur double murder case
Detectives have arrested five more suspects over the murder of an Awami League leader and a female college student in Shahjahanpur area of the capital on March 24.
The arrestees are Md Shamim Hossain alias Mollah Shamim,35, Md Taufiq Hasan Babu,34, Md Sumon Hossain Sumon,35, Ehtesham Uddin alias Chowdhuri Apu,37 and Shariful Islam alias Hridoy,27.
Police arrested them conducting separate drives in the capital and Jashore's Benapole area on Monday, said Faruk Hossain, deputy commissioner (media and public relations) of DMP.
Besides, the law enforcers seized 2 foreign pistols, 8 rounds of bullets, 3 magazines and a motorcycle from their possession.
Earlier on July 31, DB police arrested two more suspects from the city’s Motijheel area.
Police have so far arrested 27 people in this connection, the DMP officer added.
Read:Shahjahanpur double murder: 2 more held in city
On the night of March 24, AL politician Zahidul Islam Tipu, who was on a microbus, and Samia Afrin Priti, a 22-year-old college student, who was returning home on a rickshaw, were killed in firing in front of Islami Bank Hospital at Shahjahanpur in the city.
Tipu was a former general secretary of the AL Motijheel committee and Priti was a student of Begum Badrunnesa Government College. Tipu’s driver was also injured in the firing.
They were all stuck in a traffic jam in the area when a biker wearing a helmet and a mask appeared from nowhere and fired at them.
The following day, a case was filed against unidentified people over the double murder.
On March 27, police arrested Akash, 34, the prime accused in the double murder case, from Bogura district.
On March 31, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) detectives arrested Arfanullah conducting a drive in the city’s Kamalapur area.
On June 9, Sumon Shikdar Musa, the mastermind of Tipu murder, was brought back home from Oman.
According to the DB police, Musa went to Dubai on March 12 after hiring one Shamim Molla to kill AL politician Zahidul Islam Tipu. Later, he fled to Oman.
Following interrogation, police came to know that Musa was the mastermind of the murder and Arfan, Shamim and Manik were involved in the killing.
Shamim, who directly took part in the murder, fled to Bhutan after the murder.
Dhaka BRT girder tragedy: Preliminary probe report submitted
A six-member panel probing the Dhaka Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) girder tragedy has submitted a preliminary report to the government, UNB has learnt.
On Monday, five members of a family, including two children, were crushed to death after a girder of the BRT project in Uttara fell on their private car. A newlywed couple also travelling with them, fortunately escaped death.
On Monday itself, the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges formed the six-member probe committee to investigate the tragedy.
Read: FIR lodged over Dhaka BRT girder tragedy
Nilima Akhter, additional secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division, has been made the head of the committee. The panel has been asked to submit a full report within the next two days.
Meanwhile, a police case has been filed in connection with the tragedy that occurred around 4.15pm when the girder of the Gazipur Expressway fell on the car from a crane while it was being moved in front of Gazipur Paradise Tower.
The FIR for causing death due to negligence does not name anyone but lists the crane operator and the company responsible for the project, China Gezhouba Group Co Ltd, police said.
Read Fire breaks out at Old Dhaka plastic factory
"The case was filed at Uttara west police station on Monday night on a complaint from Afran Mondol, the brother of two of the deceased -- Fahima and Jhorna," said Md Mohsin, the station's officer-in-charge.
“The crane operator and China Gezhouba Group Co Ltd have been listed in the FIR,” said the OC. "Police will investigate if the negligence of the crane operator and others concerned led to the accident."
The deceased were identified as Rubel, 50, Fahima, 40, her sister Jhorna, 28, and Jhorna's two children Jannat, 6, and Jakaria, 2, said Yeasin Gazi, inspector of Uttara west police station.
Read Fire at Old Dhaka's plastic factory brought under control
Rubel's son Hridoy, 26, and his wife Ria Moni, 21, escaped with serious injuries and were rushed to a local hospital. "They are currently out of danger," said the officer.
FIR lodged over Dhaka BRT girder tragedy
A police case has been filed in connection with the Dhaka Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) girder tragedy that claimed the lives of five people, all of a family, on Monday.
The FIR for causing death due to negligence does not name anyone but lists the crane operator and the company responsible for the project, China Gezhouba Group Co Ltd, police said.
"The case was filed at Uttara west police station on Monday night on a complaint from Afran Mondol, the brother of two of the deceased -- Fahima and Jhorna," said Md Mohsin, the station's officer-in-charge.
“The crane operator and China Gezhouba Group Co Ltd have been listed in the FIR,” said the OC. "Police will investigate if the negligence of the crane operator and others concerned led to the accident."
Also read: BRT kills again: 5 crushed inside car as girder falls off crane
On Monday, the five, including two children, died after one girder of the BRT project fell on their private car. A newlywed couple also travelling in the same car, fortunately escaped death.
The deceased were identified as Rubel, 50, Fahima, 40, her sister Jhorna, 28, and Jhorna's two children Jannat, 6, and Jakaria, 2, said Yeasin Gazi, inspector of Uttara west police station.
Rubel's son Hridoy, 26, and his wife Ria Moni, 21, escaped with serious injuries and were rushed to a local hospital. "They are currently out of danger," said the officer.
Fahima was Ria Moni's mopther said her brother, Afran Mondol.
The accident occurred around 4.15pm when the girder of the Gazipur Expressway fell on the car from a crane while it was being moved in front of Gazipur Paradise Tower, he added.
Also read: Falling crane kills BRT project worker in Gazipur
Firefighters recovered the five bodies from the ill-fated car and handed those over to the police.
A family member said Hridoy and Ria Moni got married on Saturday and were going to the latter's house in Gazipur, along with five other relatives, in the car that afternoon.
Hridoy's father Rubel was driving the car when the girder fell on the vehicle.
The tragedy occurred exactly a month after a worker was killed by a falling crane in the Gazipur part of the project.
Also, last year, six workers escaped with injuries after a part of a launching girder collapsed near them, close to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
Tiktoker held under DSA for making ‘derogatory remarks’ on PM, police
Police arrested a young man from Beanibazar upazila of Sylhet allegedly for derogatory comments on the Prime Minister and police on short-form video hosting platform TikTok on Sunday night.The arrestee is Mohi Uddin Manna,25, son of Manik Mia of Muchegul village of Baralekha Upazila of Moulvibazar. He used to live in a rented house in Mallapur village.On Sunday night, police conducted a drive in Dakshin Bazar of Sylhet's Beanibazar and arrested him from his tea shop, Police Inspector (Investigation) of Biyanibazar Police Station, Mehdi Hasan, said.
Read: Convict husband held after 21 years over killing wife for dowry
Manna made derogatory remarks and spread propaganda against the Prime Minister and police on his Tiktok ID over the recent price hike of fuel oil, added the officer.Chhatra League leader Zahidul Haque Tahmid lodged a complaint under the Digital Security Act at Beanibazar Police Station as the plaintiff.He will be produced before the court on Monday.