Law-&-Order
Actress Eka gets bail in a case of torturing house help
A Dhaka court on Sunday granted bail to film actress Eka in a case of torturing a woman who worked as her house help.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mamunur Rashid passed the order on a bond of Tk 10,000.
Also read: Film actress Eka held for torturing house help
Earlier on August 10, Eka also got bail in another case filed under the Narcotics Control Act but she couldn’t walk out of jail as the case over torturing the maid was pending.
On Aug 1, the court sent Eka to jail after rejecting bail in two cases filed against her for reportedly torturing her housemaid and having narcotics at her home.
Also read: Film actress Eka sent to jail in two cases
On July 31, Eka’s house help filed one of two cases against her for torturing and police filed another for keeping narcotic substances at her home. Both the cases were filed with Hatirjheel Police Station.
Police immediately arrested Eka from her Ulon apartment at Hatirjheel.
Pori Moni: Hearing on new bail plea on Sept. 13
A Dhaka court on Sunday set September 13 for hearing a plea seeking bail for jailed film actress Pori Moni being held in a narcotics case.
Dhaka Metropolitan session judge KM Imrul Kayesh set the date after her lawyer advocate Mojibur Rahman submitted the latest bail petition on Sunday.
Advocate Mojibur said his earlier bail petition filed with Dhaka Chief Magistrate’s court was rejected.
Read: Narcotics Case against Pori Moni: Hearing on bail, remand petitions Thursday
“For a long time Pori Moni has been behind bars and she is physically unwell. It’s hampering her professional commitments. Hopefully the court will consider all this and grant her the bail,” said the lawyer.
On Saturday Pori Moni was sent to jail after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) inspector Kazi Golam Mostafa produced her before the court on completion of a one-day remand. No bail petition was submitted on her behalf on this day.
The latest bail plea was filed a day after she expressed her anguish at her lawyers for not filing bail petition on Saturday.
Read: Shakib Khan at odds with acting association's stance on Pori Moni
Pori Moni has been remanded three times for interrogation by police since Rab arrested her on August 4 from her Banani residence.
Later a case was filed against the popular Dhallywood actress for illegal possession of alcohol and drugs in her house.
Pori Moni made headlines in June after she went on Facebook live accusing businessman Nasir U Mahmood and others of trying to rape and kill her at Boat Club on the city’s outskirts.
Take actions against Cumilla councilor for pushing Covid jabs: Probe
A probe committee formed over the controversial incident of administering the Covid vaccine jabs in a councilor's office found the ward councilor and supervisor of the vaccination center guilty and recommended taking action against them.
District Civil Surgeon Dr Mir Mobarak Hossain said the committee has recommended taking action against the involved Cumilla City Corporation (CCC) Councilor Nadia Nasrin and supervisor of the center Md Muzibur Rahman Saturday.
The investigation report was sent to Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Department Thursday through CCC and the Director General of the Health Directorate was informed about it, Dr Mobarak said.
Nadia Nasrin, the councillor representing wards 4, 5 & 6, has been accused of giving Moderna vaccine doses to 125 people without any authorisation from the health authorities.
Also read: Bangladesh to get 781,440 AstraZeneca doses from Japan Saturday
According to the Civil Surgeon office, on August 9, the vaccination drive was suspended at Harun Government Primary School in ward number 6 owing to some chaos and clashes.
Meanwhile councilor Nasrin took some vials of Covid shots and syringes from the center to her office, determined to carry on the vaccination drive, where people were being administered with the first dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.
On August 12, immediately after some photos of the councilor pushing jabs went viral on social media, a three member probe committee was formed convened by the coordinator of Civil Surgeon office Hasan Mahmud Iqbal.
Also read: Over 1.6 million AstraZeneca doses received from Japan
The committee was asked to submit the report by August 14, but it was submitted on August 18 after increasing the time.
Nadia claims that she is a certified vaccine pusher, and no one who received the jab from her has made any complaints and it caused no harm to any of the jab receivers.
17th anniversary of Grenade Attack on AL rally beckons
The nation is set to observe the 17th anniversary of the savage August 21, 2004 grenade attack on an Awami League rally - held up as a pivotal moment in Bangladesh's political history - with a heavy heart amid various programmes on Saturday .
Awami League and its associate bodies will observe the day as the 'Grenade Attack Day' with elaborate programmes, including discussions.
Read: Nation to observe Aug 21 grenade attack anniversary
Besides, partners of the Awami League-led 14-party alliances socio-cultural and professional organisations have taken different programmes to observe the day across the country.
On this day in 2004, the grisly grenade attack was carried out on an anti-terrorism rally arranged by Awami League at Bangabandhu Avenue here during the BNP-Jamaat alliance rule. The aim reportedly was to eliminate then leader of the opposition Sheikh Hasina. And they came mighty close.
At least 24 leaders and activists, including Awami League women affairs secretary and late President Zillur Rahman’s wife Ivy Rahman, were killed and 300 others injured in the grenade attack. However, Sheikh Hasina fortunately escaped the attack unhurt but her hearing was affected badly.
Nearly 14 years after the gruesome grenade attack, a Dhaka court in October 2018 sentenced 19 people, including the then BNP-led government’s state minister for home affairs, Lutfozzaman Babar, to death.
Tarique Rahman, exiled eldest son of jailed BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and the party's current acting chairman, and 18 others were also sentenced to life in prison in the case.
Read:Nation observing Aug 21 grenade attack anniversary
On this occasion, Awami League and its associated bodies will place wreaths at a makeshift altar in front of the party’s central office at Bangabandhu Avenue in the morning.
Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and President of the nation Abdul Hamid will issue separate messages commemorating the martyrs of the day.
Besides, an art summit titled ‘AUGUST REPEATED ATTEMPTS’ will take place on the premises of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy from Aug 21-23.
The summit would be inaugurated on Saturday at 5 pm.
Barishal mayor among 94 ruling party activists sued over violence
Barishal city corporation mayor Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah has been made the primary accused in two cases filed over violence in the city on Wednesday night.
Upazila Nirbahi officer Munibur Rahman of Barisal Sadar Upazila and Assistant sub-inspector of police Shahjalal Mallick were the plaintiffs in these cases accusing the mayor and his men of obstruction of government work and attempt to murder.
The officer-in charge of Kotwali Model Police Station Nurul Islam, where the two cases were filed confirmed the information to UNB.
Read: Bus services suspended as clash leaves 30 injured
However the specific charges brought against the mayor were not clarified by the OC.
“As many as 94 activists of the ruling party and its affiliate organisations were accused in the cases,” he said.
Meanwhile, police arrested as many as 13 activists of the ruling Awami League and Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) from different parts of the city in connection with the attack on the residence of the Sadar Upazila UNO.
Joint general secretary of Barishal Metropolitan unit of the Awami League, Hasan Mahmud Babu, and vice-president of the city unit of BCL Oliullah Oli were among the arrestees, said officer-in-charge of Kotwali Model Police Station, Nurul Islam.
The clash broke out between the supporters of the Awami League, BCL and members of Ansar when the former tried to attack the residence of the UNO at Sadar Upazila Complex in Barishal on Wednesday night.
Five people suffered bullet wounds during the clash.
The transport workers, including the supporters of Barishal City Corporation mayor, activists of Chhatra League and Jubo League, blocked the Dhaka-Barishal highway by placing buses in Rupatoli and Nathullabad Bus Terminal areas in the small hours of Wednesday.
Besides, launch services in Barishal also remained suspended as the supporters of the mayor did not allow any passenger vessel to leave the terminal, causing immense sufferings to the commuters.
According to eye-witnesses, the Nagar Bhaban staffers went to the residence of Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Munibur Rahman to lower a banner hanging over the area.
At one stage, the UNO came out and asked the reason, leading to an altercation between him and Swapan Kumar Das, a staffer of the city corporation.
During the altercation, some 25-30 people entered the complex and a scuffle broke out between the Ansar members and the so-called mob over the issue, triggering a clash. At one stage, the Ansar members opened fire on them, leaving five injured.
On information, police rushed to the spot and charged batons to disperse them.
Some 25 people were injured in the clash with the cops.
Shahabuddin Khan, police commissioner of Barishal, said, "A police team rushed to the spot and the attackers threw brick chips targeting the cops, forcing them to retaliate. Three policemen and two Ansar members were injured during the incident.”
They also vandalised a bus in the area in the night.
Three people who sustained bullet injuries—Shahrier Babu, Harun-or-Rashid and Tanvir-- were taken to Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital. Of them, Tanvir was shifted to Dhaka for better treatment.
UNO Munibur Rahman said, “Some 15-20 people identifying themselves as Chattra League members entered the house. Later, some 60-70 people also entered the complex and went up to the first floor of the upazila complex building. They also tried to attack me but the Ansar members saved me."
Mayor Serniabat told the media, "The city corporation staffers went there to perform their duties but the Ansar members attacked them.” He has demanded a probe into the clash.
Read: Public transport services resume in Barishal
After nearly six hours, bus and launch services in Barishal resumed on Thursday noon following the intervention of the local administration.
The bus services in Barishal and other parts of the country had remained suspended since morning as transport workers blocked the Dhaka-Barishal highway in protest against Wednesday's clash that left over 30 injured.
Deputy Commissioner Jasim Uddin Haider of Barishal hinted that ten platoons of the Border Guards Bangladesh would be deployed in the city to prevent further deterioration of law and order.
He also added that ten executive magistrates may also arrive in Barishal from surrounding districts to help the local authorities to maintain law and order.
Pori Moni placed on CID remand again
A Dhaka court on Thursday placed actress Pori Moni on a one-day fresh police remand in connection with a case filed under the Narcotics Control Act.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Atikul Islam passed the order, rejecting the actor's bail plea after Criminal Investigation Department (CID) inspector Kazi Golam Mostafa produced her in the court this morning.
Read: Narcotics Case against Pori Moni: Hearing on bail, remand petitions Thursday
Earlier on Tuesday, inspector Kazi, also the investigating officer in the case, sought Pori Moni's remand for five days for the third phase of investigation in the case.
On the other hand, Pori Moni’s counsel Majibur Rahman filed a petition seeking bail for his client in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rezaul Karim Chowdhury on Monday.
On Friday, a Dhaka court sent actress Pori Moni and her associate Ashraful Islam Dipu to jail, turning down their bail pleas. A Dhaka court on August 10 placed actress Pori Moni on a two-day fresh remand in the case.
Read: Shakib Khan at odds with acting association's stance on Pori Moni
Pori Moni, whose allegation of rape attempt on her by businessman Nasir U Mahmood and others prompted firestorm in social media barely two months back, was detained from her home on August 4.
A case was filed against the actress under the Narcotics Control Act the following day.
On August 5, a Dhaka Court placed her on a four-day remand in the case.
Read: Hundreds gather in Kashimpur as Pori enters lock-up
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been tasked with investigating the charges brought against her. The department took over the case from the Detective Branch (DB).
Pori Moni and her associate Nazrul Islam Raj were ringleaders of an organised gang, said Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of legal and media wing of RAB, in a media briefing on August 6.
Munia's death: Court accepts IO's final report clearing Bashundhara Group MD
A Dhaka court on Wednesday relieved Bashundhara Group Managing Director (MD) Sayem Sobhan Anvir from the charge of incitement to suicide of college student Mosarat Jahan Munia.Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury released him after receiving a final report from the police.
Sub-Inspector Alamgir Hossain, General Registration Officer of Gulshan Police Station, confirmed the release order to UNB correspondent.
Read: Munia’s sister files no-confidence petition against final investigation report
Although the plaintiff submitted a no-confidence motion against the police report the day before, it failed to sway the court's decision.Earlier on July 19, the investigating officer of the case, Gulshan Police Station officer-in-charge Abul Hasan, submitted a final report to the court seeking Anvir's release.Bashundhara MD Sayem Sobhan Anvir was not found culpable in the suicide incitement case of Munia in the final report submitted by the investigating officer, and asked for his name to be dropped.
This has been established without even taking the accused for questioning.
Munia was the married Anvir's lover, who was covering the cost of accommodating her in her posh Gulshan apartment, where he regularly visited her.
Police recovered the hanging body of Munia from the flat in Gulshan on the night of April 26. Munia's elder sister Nusrat Jahan Tania filed a case against Bashundhara Group MD Sayem Sobhan Anvir that night alleging incitement to suicide.
Read:Munia’s Death: Sister files GD after receiving death threat
There are apprehensions that that is the point at which the entire case outcome was effectively hatched. Incitement to suicide is almost impossible to prove beyond a shadow of doubt, and also easily bailable.
Police have hardly explored any other possibility - most glaringly, whether she was murdered. The entire conclusion would seem to hinge on having found Munia's body hanging by a scarf from her room's ceiling fan. Photos of the scene were leaked, and showed the dead girl's legs almost slumped and touching her bed.
There was no suicide note or even any suggestion that she wanted to kill herself, in conversations with her sister or anybody else. Rather, she was looking forward to her sister's arrival.
There had been a falling out with Anvir over the previous few days, and she would be heading back to Cumilla. This was not the first time - it had happened last year as well, when she left an apartment rented by her and Anvir in Banani, going back to Cumilla. No suicide attempt, just in case there was any history there. None.
It was only in March that Anvir had showed up in Cumilla and brought her back. But now things had gone awry again. In fact that is why her sister and cousins were coming to Dhaka anyway that day, April 26, to take her back home.
Read:Munia’s death: HC refuses to hear Bashundhara MD’s anticipatory bail plea
That morning though, Munia began to call her sister Nusrat early in the morning in a distressed state. The first call Nusrat received was around 9-9.30am. Munia was insisting that she (the sister) come earlier than planned, and that she faced some grave danger. Not that she felt like killing herself.
The two sisters spoke a few more times. It was mostly Munia enquiring if they had set off yet for Dhaka from Cumilla, trying to hurry them. The last time they spoke was around 11.30am. Nusrat arrived at the house around 3.30pm.
In those 4 hours, Munia for some reason had decided to kill herself, and gone through with it as well.
Bangladesh introduces death penalty for rape
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence of one convict and commuted that of three others to life term imprisonment in a case filed for killing a child after rape in 2004.
A five-member virtual bench of the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order after hearing separate petitions.
Read: Bangladesh introduces death penalty for rape
The court upheld the death sentence of Shukur Ali, son of Khayer Ali of Daulatpur upazila in Kushtia.
The three other convicts whose death sentence has been commuted are-Azanur Rahman, son of Abu Taleb, Nuruddin Sentu, son of Pijab Uddin and Mamun Hossain, son of Sirajul Pramanik of the same upazila.
Advocate SM Shahjahan and Barrister Ragib Rauf Chowdhury stood for the petitioners while deputy attorney general Biswajit Debnath represented the state.
According to the prosecution, the convicts abducted a 13-year-old girl on March 25, 2004 while she was returning home after watching TV from a neighbour’s house at Lalnagar village in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia district.
Read: Man gets death penalty for carrying heroin in Gaibandha
Later, they took the girl to a tobacco field and raped her in turns. They also killed the girl.
Victim’s father filed a case on the following day against five people with Doulatpur Police Station.
On February 4, 2009, Kushtia Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge Akbar Hossain sentenced five people to death in the case.
During the trial proceedings, another convict Kamu alias Quamrul, son of Abdul Goni died.
In 2014, the High Court upheld the death sentence of four convicts.
Munia’s sister files no-confidence petition against final investigation report
In the abetment of suicide case of college student Mosarat Jahan Munia, her sister filed a no-confidence petition in response to the police's final investigation report that exempted Bashundhara Group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir from charges.
Nusrat Jahan Tania filed the petition Tuesday with the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury.
General Registry official, Deputy Inspector Alamghir Hossain said the court may hold a hearing on the petition on Wednesday after assessing the documents but it’s not confirmed.
On July 19, Gulshan police submitted a final investigation report on the case exempting Anvir from the charges.
Also read: Munia’s Death: Sister files GD after receiving death threat
On April 26, Munia’s sister filed a case with the Gulshan police station after her body was recovered from a flat in Gulshan.
According to the case complaint, in 2019 after being introduced through a friend Anvir started living with Munia in a Banani flat as husband-wife.
In 2020, when Anvir’s family got to know about their relationship, his mother started threatening Munia.
After that Anvir sent Munia back to her hometown Cumilla saying he will marry her later.
On March 1, 2021, Anvir rented a flat in Gulshan area and Munia was living in that flat since.
Also read: Munia’s death: HC refuses to hear Bashundhara MD’s anticipatory bail plea
On April 23, Anvir had a fall out with Munia and threatened her over posting a photo in a neighbor’s house where she went for an iftar party
On April 25, Munia had called her sister in Cumilla and confided to being "in trouble". On that basis, Nusrat Jahan came to Dhaka next day and reached her sister's flat in the evening.
As her sister didn't answer the door, she then informed the landlord, who called in the police. In the flat they found Munia's hanging body.
HC issues rule on depiction of smoking in movies, theatre
The High Court on Tuesday issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the ineffectiveness of the authorities concerned in preventing scenes depicting smoking in movies and plays, should not be declared illegal.
The HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil issued the rule following a writ petition.
It also asked the authorities concerned to explain as to why directives should not be given to them for implementing the Narcotics Control Act.
Also read: Polluting canal: HC issues contempt of court rule against 5 govt officials
Secretaries to the Public Health and Family Planning, Law, Home, Information and Bangladesh Film Censor Board Chairman have been made respondents to the rule which is returnable in four weeks.
Advocate Maniruzzaman Linkon stood for the petitioner while deputy attorney general Tushar Kanti Roy represented the state.
On February 3, Bangladesh Cancer Society, Anti drug organisation ‘Prattyasha’ and Population Development Organisation (PDO) filed a petition seeking ban on use of smoking and showing smoking scenes in movies and plays.
“There is a law on using drugs and tobacco but it is ineffective,” said Advocate Maniruzzaman.
On March 11, 2020, a legal notice was sent to the Secretaries to the Public Health and Family Planning, Law, Home, Information and Bangladesh Film Censor Board Chairman seeking implementation of the law. But no response came from the respondent, he said.
Also read: HC issues rule on ethics code for news media
According to the writ, Bangladesh has signed the ‘Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’ (FCTC) in an effort to discourage people from smoking and tobacco during the 56th conference of World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2003.
To make the issue a success, the government enacted a law on Smoking and Using of Tobacco Products (Control) Act, 2005.
According to the law, smoking in public places is an offence and there is a provision to fine Tk 300 to those who are found smoking in public places or public transport.
As per the section 5 (1) of the law, Prohibition of advertisement of tobacco products. -(1) No person shall-display advertisement on tobacco products in cinema hall or government and non-government radio and television channel, and shall not make any exhibition of photographs audible or made audible :print or publish or make published any advertisement in any books, magazines, handbills, bill-board, newspaper or printed papers published in Bangladesh; and distribute or supply to public any leaflet, handbill or documents containing the name of brand of tobacco product, colour, logo, trade mark, sign, symbol or advertisement.