United News of Bangladesh

Two separate complaints of sexual harassment were filed against two teachers of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur. Two students separately submitted written complaints to the university’s Proctor Office and Student Counseling Office, said Dr Iliyas Pramanik, Student Adviser and Member Secretary of the Sexual Harassment Prevention Cell. The accused are Md Shamim Hossain, an Assistant Proctor and Assistant Professor of the Department of Geography and Environmental Science, and Dr Shakibul Islam, Associate Professor of the Department of Disaster Management. One of the complainants submitted a 31-page written statement against Shamim Hossain while another student lodged a sexual harassment complaint against Dr Shakibul Islam. Earlier on Thursday (Oct 30), students of the 2020–21 academic year from the Department of Geography and Environmental Science submitted a written complaint citing sexual harassment, to the department head seeking directives to restrain Prof. Shamim Hossain, from conducting classes, exams, and other academic activities. According to the complaint, the student alleged that Shamim Hossain made indecent gestures, inappropriate proposals and unwanted physical contact. Besides, when contacted, Prof. Dr Shakibul Islam, said, “I’m not aware of any such matter. I’m not that kind of person. I’ll look into it through the department.” Md Mostafizur Rahman, Head of the Department of Geography and Environmental Science, said a written complaint was received last Thursday signed by 31 students of the 2020–21 session. They demanded that the teacher’s classes and exams be suspended, adding: “We held an emergency meeting where several female students made serious allegations. Another meeting will be held soon to decide the next course of action.” Dr Emdadul Haque, Head of the Department of Disaster Management, said, “A sexual harassment complaint has also been filed in our department by one of our female students. We held a meeting on the matter at noon today (Monday).” University Proctor Dr Md Ferdous Rahman said the allegations will be reviewed in a meeting within seven days to decide on necessary action. Dr Iliyas Pramanik, member secretary of the Sexual Harassment Prevention Cell, said, “We have received a complaint and steps will be taken in line with the university’s policy on sexual harassment prevention.”

The High Court on Monday issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the recruitment process for Managing Director of Dhaka Water Supply & Sewerage Authority (WASA) should not be declared scrapped.. The HC bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Fatema Anwar passed the order after hearing a writ petition. It also suspended the recruitment process for the appointment of the Managing Director (MD) of Dhaka Water Supply & Sewerage Authority (WASA) on a three-year contract basis. The Local Government Division Secretary and authorities concerned have been made respondent to the rule which is returnable in four weeks. On 14 August, a circular was issued for the appointment to the position of Managing Director of Dhaka WASA. Md Liakat Ali filed a writ petition seeking the suspension of the circular. Barrister Mamunur Rashid, a counsel of the petitioner, said the circular stated that applications were being invited from qualified Bangladeshi nationals in good health who hold at least a postgraduate degree, BSc in Engineering, or an equivalent qualification for the post of Managing Director of Dhaka WASA on a three-year contractual basis. However, candidates currently employed in, or having previously served in, any government, semi-government, autonomous, or self-governing organization must hold a position equivalent to at least the third-grade scale under the National Pay Scale 2015. According to the circular, the Managing Director will be responsible to the Dhaka WASA Board for planning, managing, and overseeing the authority’s day-to-day and development activities. The detailed duties of the Managing Director will be defined under the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority Act, 1996. The candidate must have at least 20 years of senior-level experience in the water supply and sanitation sector or in general administration and management.    

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday approved five separate cases against former Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser and Beximco Group Chairman Salman F Rahman, his brother, and top officials of Janata Bank over allegations of laundering nearly Tk 2,000 crore through fraudulent import-export transactions linked to Letters of Credit (LCs). The cases were approved at the ACC headquarters, confirmed ACC Director General Md Akhter Hossain. He said the five approved cases accuse 34 individuals of embezzling and laundering a total of Tk 1,939.75 crore. According to the ACC investigation report, the accused embezzled and siphoned off a huge amount of money from the local office of Janata Bank PLC. The misappropriated funds include: In total, they allegedly embezzled USD 21,552,801, equivalent toTk 1,939.75 crore**, through these five cases. The accused include from Beximco Group are- Salman F Rahman (Chairman), his brother ASF Rahman (Vice Chairman), his two sons Ahmed Shayan Fazlur Rahman and Ahmed Shahriar Rahman, Director Iqbal Ahmed, Managing Director Osman Kaiser Chowdhury (O.K. Chowdhury), and Directors A.B. Siddiqur Rahman, Masud Ikramullah Khan, Shah Manzurul Haque, and Reem H. Shamsuddoha. Other company officials are Anwarul Bashar (MD, Skynet Apparels Ltd), Nasrin Ahmed (Director, Skynet), Abu Nayeem Mahmud Salehin (MD, Crescent Accessories), Md Mostafizur Rahman Tanvir (Director, Crescent Accessories), Mohammad Alif Ibne Zulfiqar (MD, Platinum Garments), Mst. Nusrat Haider (Director, Platinum), Wasiur Rahman (MD, Pearl Garments), Rizia Akhter (Director, Pearl Garments), Salauddin Khan Mojlish (MD, New Dhaka Industries), Abdur Rouf (Director, New Dhaka Industries), Mahfuzur Rahman Khan (MD, Kanchpur Apparels), and Syed Tanbir Elahi Afendi (Director, Kanchpur Apparels). Former Managing Directors Abduch Salam Azad and Abdul Jabbar, former General Managers Mizanur Rahman and Md Shahidul Haque, retired Deputy General Manager Md Abdur Rahim, retired DGM (Export) Md Momtazul Islam, Senior Officer Rafiqul Islam, Manager Md Saleh Ahmed, retired Assistant General Managers Md Moazzem Hossain and Mohammad Shahjahan, retired AGM (Export) Md Humayun Kabir Dhali, and Principal Officer S.M. Mahatab Hossain Badsha from Janata Bank. The cases have been approved under sections 409, 420, 467, 468, 471, and 109 of the Penal Code, along with section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.    

A court in Narail sentenced two men to life terms in prison over the death of a man in Lohagara upazila of the district around nine years back.    Judge Sharmin Nigar of Narail District and Sessions Judge’s Court also fined the convicts Tk 20,000 each, said public prosecutor SM Abdul Haq. The convicts are Asha Begum and Arafat Sheikh who were tried in absentia.    Another accused, Roman, was sentenced to seven years in jail with a Tk 10,000 fine, in default to serve six more months’ imprisonment. He was the only one in police custody and so present at the trial Another accused, Shabana Begum, was acquitted.    According to the case statement, victim Masum Fakir went missing from his home on December 8, 2016. Five days later, locals spotted a body lying on the north bank of the Nabaganga River near Jalalsi village of the upazila. Police recovered the body and sent it to Narail Sadar Hospital for autopsy, after which the family identified it as Masum. The victim’s brother Md Shahidul Fakir filed a murder case with Narail Sadar Police Station around a week later. Police submitted chargesheets against the four. After hearing 22 witnesses and verifying documents, the court handed down the judgment in the absence of the lifers.

A defamation case has been filed against Chief Coordinator of National Citizen Party (NCP) Nasiruddin Patwary for making ‘defamatory’ remarks about a leader of the Jubo Dal. Kazi Mukituzzaman, a member of the convening committee of Dhaka South Jubo Dal, filed the case on Monday with the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Zakir Hossain. After recording the plaintiff’s statement, Magistrate Zakir Hossain ordered the Detective Branch (DB) of police to investigate the allegations and submit a report. According to the case statement, Nasiruddin Patwary made defamatory comments targeting Rabiul Islam Nayon during a conference at the BMA Auditorium in Dhaka on November 1. Patwary said that a major party is engaging in thuggery over the July Charter. There is a Dhaka metropolitan leader named Nayon; the amount of extortion and corruption he alone has committed could fund a referendum in Bangladesh, he said. “We tried to cleanse them with Zamzam water for so long, but their heads weren’t clean, nor were their bodies. Now I think they need to be cleaned with Buriganga’s water,” he added. The plaintiff alleged that since the fall of the “fascist government” on August 5 last year, Nasiruddin Patwary has been deliberately spreading false, fabricated, misleading, and defamatory propaganda on social media and the press, with the intent to tarnish the image of BNP and its leaders involved in the movement and to socially humiliate them.

Four children who went missing from Sylhet have been rescued from a hotel in the capital’s Shahjahanpur railway colony area. The rescued children were Tanim Ahmed ,12, Abdul Hakim ,12, Tamim, 12 and Suhin Mia,13. DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media) Talebur Rahman on Monday said tipped off, a Shahjahanpur police team conducted a drive around 5:30pm on Sunday in  railway colony area and rescued the four missing boys from a hotel. Child kidnapped using ’devil breath’ in Dhaka rescued: 3 held During preliminary questioning, the children told police that they had travelled from Sylhet to Dhaka by train but lost their way after arriving at Kamalapur Railway Station. They said they had been working at a hotel in the past six days. Police said the children were handed over Sylhet Airport Police Station.      

Police recovered the bodies of a youth and a woman from a building in the city’s North Badda area on Sunday. The deceased were identified as Saiful Islam, 28, a security guard of the building, and Sakila, 24, who worked there as a cleaner, said Officer-in-Charge of Badda Police Station Habibur Rahman. Acting on information from residents about a foul smell, a police team went to the three-storey building located at Plot No-5, Road No-2 of North Badda around 11:00am and found the two bodies inside a godown on the ground floor. The OC said the two were not husband and wife. The bodies are believed to have been there for 5-7 days before being discovered. “The actual cause of death will be known after receiving the postmortem report,” the OC added. The bodies were sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.

A case was filed on Sunday against 200 people in connection with the death of three 'cattle lifters' in a lynch-mob attack in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha district. Tafir Uddin, sub-inspector of Gobindaganj Police Station filed the case against 200 people of Nasirabad village in the afternoon, said officer-in-charge of the police station Bulbul Islam. According to the case statement, the incident occurred around 2:30am when a group of eight alleged thieves tried to lift cows from the shed of one Abdus Salam Mia at Nasirabad village in the upazila. Hearing noises, Salam shouted for help, drawing villagers out of their homes. Later, local people managed to catch three people and beat them up mercilessly while the other five others managed to flee the scene. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Gobindaganj Police Station, Bulbul Islam, said two of them died on the spot and the third succumbed to his injuries while being taken to Gobindaganj Upazila Health Complex. One of the deceased was identified as Kausar Ali of Shibganj upazila in Bogura district while the identities of another could not be known immediately. Nishat Engela, superintendent of Gaibandha Police said legal action will be taken against those involved in the killing. Local residents said incidents of cattle theft had been frequent in the area in recent weeks, leaving villagers frustrated and anxious. Police have intensified patrols in the area and launched an investigation to identify those involved in the killing, as well as the rest of the suspected cattle lifters who managed to flee.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT-2) on Sunday ordered the initiation of trial against former Information Minister and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad) president Hasanul Haq Inu over six killings in Kushtia during last year’s uprising. A three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, framed eight charges of crimes against humanity against him. The court also set November 30 for the presentation of opening statements and witness testimonies in the case. On Sunday, the tribunal read out the eight charges against Inu and asked whether he pleaded guilty. In response, Inu asserted his innocence, following which the tribunal formally framed the charges and issued the trial order. Read more: Ex-minister Inu threatens police: ‘I will destroy your entire lineage’ The former minister was brought to the dock from the tribunal’s detention centre around 11:30 am and the prosecution read out the allegations in his presence. The court told him, “Eight charges have been brought against you. If you plead guilty, our work will end; otherwise, the trial will proceed.” Inu then responded, “I have heard a few charges but not all. However, it seems my request is not being considered.” Inu was charged with issuing the command to kill six people in Kushtia after communicating with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the uprising. Read more: Trial of July killings to be held at Speedy Trial Tribunals On October 23, the prosecution presented formal charges against him and requested the start of trial, prompting the tribunal to issue a production warrant to ensure his presence. On October 28, Inu’s lawyer, Monsurul Haq Chowdhury, argued that none of the allegations were true and sought dismissal of the case, urging the tribunal to examine the charges thoroughly. The prosecution, however, contended that Inu could not evade responsibility as a leader of the 14-party alliance. Inu was arrested on August 26 last year from Uttara in Dhaka and remains in prison facing multiple cases. Read more: Chankharpul killings: Tribunal orders protection for witness facing security threat

A youth was shot dead and three others were injured in a firing incident allegedly over establishing supremacy in Nabinagar upazila of Brahmanbaria district on Saturday night. The deceased was identified as Shipon Mia, 30, son of Monnaf Mia of Nurjahanpur area under the upazila. Locals said a longstanding dispute had been ongoing between Shipon and another youth, Rifat, over dominance in the area. On Saturday evening, Shipon went to a hotel near the Gani Shah Shrine in Borikandi area to have snacks. Sensing his presence, Rifat allegedly opened fire from outside the shop, leaving four people, including a hotel staff member, injured with bullets. The injured were initially taken to a local hospital and later shifted to Dhaka for better treatment. On Sunday morning, Shipon’s brother-in-law Shakil Mia said they had rushed him to a hospital in Dhaka, where he succumbed to his injuries in the early hours due to excessive bleeding. The remaining injured individuals are undergoing treatment in Dhaka, he added, noting that apart from the hotel staff, the other two were customers. Jubo Dal activist shot dead in Raozan Following the death, tension gripped the area, prompting authorities to deploy additional police personnel to avert further untoward incidents. Fearing clashes, local businesses, including shops, remained closed. Officer-in-Charge Md Shahinur Islam of Nabinagar Police Station said a police team was immediately dispatched to the scene on Saturday night upon receiving the information. “The situation is now under control,” he said, adding that the conflict over local dominance likely led to the killing. He, however, admitted that no one had been detained in connection with the incident so far.