United News of Bangladesh

The government has sent three senior officials of the Bangladesh Police on compulsory retirement. According to separate notifications, issued on January 1, three Additional Inspector Generals (AIGPs) -- Malik Fakhrul Islam, Selim Md Jahangir and WM Belalur Rahman --have been relieved of their duties by the Ministry of Home Affairs. 65 senior police officers, including DIGs and SPs, transferred The notifications specify that the retired officers will be entitled to post-retirement benefits as per the regulations.

A Chattogram court on Thursday rejected the bail prayer of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote and former ISKCON leader, in a sedition case. Chattogram Metropolitan Sessions’ Judge Md Saiful Islam passed the order after a hearing on it, said Public Prosecutor Md Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan. Earlier, a group of 11 lawyers from Dhaka’s Supreme Court went to Chattogram to join the bail hearing of Chinmoy while the judge entered the courtroom around 9:45am. An additional number of law enforcement agencies, including police, Border Guard Bangladesh and Army were deployed around the court to ensure a tight security measure. As per the schedule, the court held the hearing today and rejected the bail prayer of Chinmoy. Besides, the justice seekers were allowed to enter the court upon showing documents. On December 3, a Chattogram court set January 2 as the next date of hearing in the case after the prosecution had sought time due to the absence of the defendant’s lawyer. Read: Ex-ISKCON leader Chinmoy among 164 sued in another case On October 25 last year, a large gathering of the Sanatani community was held in Chattogram under the leadership of Chinmoy Krishna Das. On October 31, a sedition case was filed against 19 people, including Chinmoy, on charge of belittling the national flag. On November 22, another large rally was held in Rangpur under the leadership of Chinmoy who was arrested in Dhaka on November 25 in the sedition case. The Chattogram court rejected Chinmoy's bail petition, ordered him to be sent to jail, and the decision sparked clashes between his followers, law enforcers and lawyers on the court premises. Read more: Chinmoy Das’ bail hearing deferred to January 2 At one stage of the clash, one lawyer, Saiful Islam Alif, was hacked to death outside the court premises. Several cases have so far been filed against Chinmoy and others following the murder of the lawyer.

Detectives of Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) arrested five accused, including a top listed criminal, from parts of Dhaka, said the authority on Thursday. The top listed criminal is Md Nur Azim, 28, while his cohorts are Md Riazul Islam alias Dada Mia, 35, Faisal Ahmed Dwip, 25, Mohammad Rana Talukdar, 29, and Nayeem alias Md Kamruzzaman Nayeem, 25. Md Taimur Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Detective Branch at the KMP, said being tipped-off they conducted drives in Gulshan, Badda, Khilkhet, Bashundhara and other areas on Wednesday and arrested the five. Of the arrestees, Azim is the top listed criminal and accused in over 50 cases, including, killing, arms, drugs and others, he said. Read: Surveillance intensified as criminal activities rise at Kamrangirchar: DMP DC The KMP commissioner had earlier announced a bounty to arrest Azim, the OC said, adding that Azim stepped in crimes through a teen gang in 2017 in Khulna city. Moreover, the rest arrestees are accused of several cases, including extortion, ransom, human trafficking, arms, and robbery, the detective official said. The arrestees are supposed to be produced before a Khulna court on Thursday to take the next course of legal actions, he added.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has launched an investigation into its former commissioner, Jahurul Haque, over alleged irregularities in acquiring RAJUK plots, money laundering, and unlawfully amassing assets beyond his known income. ACC Director General Md Akhtar Hossain said on Wednesday that the commission has decided to probe the allegations against Jahurul Haque. A three-member committee has been formed to carry out the investigation, he added. The committee, led by ACC Director SMM Akhter Hamid Bhuiyan, also includes Assistant Director Minhaj Bin Islam and Deputy Assistant Director Md Zakir Hossain. ACC seeks info on dual citizenship of govt employees The ACC has directed the investigative committee to follow due process and submit its findings within the stipulated time frame. The commission has also instructed the committee to notify the relevant ACC office in writing if any of his bank accounts are frozen or properties seized during the course of the investigation. The complaint filed against Jahurul Haque accuses him of abusing his power to receive bribes from individuals involved in cases under investigation by the ACC. Additionally, Jahurul is alleged to have fraudulently obtained five plots from Rajuk (Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha) in the names of his wife and himself. Furthermore, he is accused of taking bribes of hundreds of crores of taka from major telecom companies during his tenure as chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), laundering the money abroad, and accumulating undeclared assets, including multiple properties overseas. Meanwhile, the home ministry has imposed a travel ban on him.

A total of 65 officers of the Bangladesh Police, holding the ranks of DIG, Additional DIG, and Superintendent of Police (SP), have been transferred. Among them, three are DIGs, 14 are Additional DIGs, and 48 are SPs. On Wednesday, two separate notifications were issued by the Police-1 branch of the Public Security Division under the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding their transfers. Govt appoints four prosecutors to ICT The notifications were signed by Deputy Secretary Abu Sayeed on behalf of the President. According to the notifications, officers have been transferred from various departments, including the Police Headquarters, Highway Police, Range DIG Offices, DMP, In-Service Training Center, River Police, PBI, CID, and SB.

The government has appointed four prosecutors to the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) with immediate effect. A gazette notification issued by the solicitor wing of the Law and Justice Division on Wednesday confirmed the appointments. The newly appointed prosecutors are: — Md Abdus Sobhan Tarafder, accorded the status and benefits of an additional attorney general. — Md Shahidul Islam Sardar, with the status and benefits of a deputy attorney general. — Faruk Ahmed, holding the status and benefits of a deputy attorney general. — Md Hasanul Banna, enjoying the status and benefits of an assistant attorney general.

The Supreme Court Helpline has received a total of 1003 phone calls from people across the country in three months since the launch of the helpline services in September last. Out of the total calls, 604 people sought legal advice, while 344 inquired of case-related information. The helpline picked all calls immediately and responded rightly to their queries, said a press release on Wednesday. Besides, the helpline recorded 55 complaints regarding irregularities, bribery, negligence, delays in service delivery, and misconduct in the past two months. Among these, 22 complaints were specifically related to delays in legal service delivery, while 33 others related to irregularities, bribery, negligence and misconduct. Out of  33 complaints, 12 are against district court judges, 3 against officials and employees of the High Court division, 12 against district court employees and 6 against lawyers. Read:  Supreme Court launches helpline Each complaint was addressed promptly, and the concerned officials and staff were held accountable. On the instruction of Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, the helpline service was launched on September 26, 2024. The helpline platform (+88 01316154216) receives calls from 11am to 4pm on Sunday-Thursday (working days).

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) rescued a female dentist from Pabna city on Tuesday, a day after she was abducted from the Chandrima Residential Area in Rajshahi city. Three individuals have been arrested in connection with the abduction, and authorities are continuing operations to apprehend others involved. The victim, identified as 26-year-old Shakira Tasnim Dola, recently completed her Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree from Islami Bank Medical College in Rajshahi. The abduction is linked to Shakira’s former lover, Tanjim Khan Taj Nirob, who falsely claimed to be a magistrate when the two began a relationship three to four years ago. Recently, Nirob proposed marriage, but Shakira’s family discovered his true profession as an egg vendor and rejected the proposal. Enraged, Nirob allegedly plotted the abduction, hiring a microbus to carry out the crime. Read: Infant rescued one month after abduction from Gazipur, 2 arrested In the early hours of Monday, Nirob and his associates first targeted Shakira’s father, Abu Taher Md Khurshid, 60, a retired Bangladesh Water Development Board official. They abducted him as he was heading to the mosque for Fajr prayers. The group then used his keys to enter the family home, where they abducted Shakira. During the ordeal, her mother, Rehana Parvin, was injured after being shoved into a wall. On their way to Pabna from Rajshahi, the abductors released Abu Taher in the Hatikumrul area of Sirajganj. Upon his return, he filed an abduction case with Chandrima Police Station, naming Nirob and his associates as suspects. Read more: Abduction and extortion feared in the disappearance of businessman from Ctg’s Boalkhali Mohammad Ilias Khan, squadron leader of RAB-12 in Pabna, confirmed that Shakira was rescued from Pabna on Tuesday. Three suspects, including Nirob, were arrested during the operation. Drives are ongoing to apprehend other individuals involved in the abduction, he said.

To prevent accidents on New Year’s Eve, the High Court has directed the Inspector General of Police, law enforcement agencies, and other relevant authorities to take strict measures to prohibit fireworks, crackers, and other pyrotechnics on rooftops, buildings, open spaces, and parks. The court also issued instructions to halt the sale of fireworks, crackers, and cocktails. Following a primary hearing on a writ petition filed by a Supreme Court lawyer, the bench comprising Justice Md. Jahangir Hossain and Justice KM Rasheduzzaman Raja passed the order on Tuesday. Advocates Md. Ashraf Uz Zaman and Md. Delwar Hossain appeared in support of the writ petition, along with Advocates Mainuddin Farooqi, Shah Ahmed Badal, and Mohammad Azizul Haque. Representing the state were Deputy Attorney General Jishan Haider, Deputy Attorney General AFM Saiful Kabir, Assistant Attorney General Imrul Kayes Rana, and Assistant Attorney General Zaker Hossain. Advocate Ashraf Uz Zaman said that the High Court had instructed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to take measures to prevent gatherings on rooftops, buildings, open spaces, and parks in the capital on New Year’s Eve. The lawyer stated that the petition sought directives to prevent loud events with intense sound from 11 PM to 1 AM on New Year’s Eve, as well as to stop fireworks, crackers, and lanterns on rooftops. Additionally, it requested restrictions on gatherings in streets, parks, and open spaces from 10 PM onward and a ban on the sale of fireworks, crackers, and lanterns for the occasion.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali has assured all that there is no security threat surrounding the big student gathering for or the Thirty-First Night celebrations. In a media briefing held on Tuesday at the DMP Media Centre, he outlined the security measures planned for the Thirty-First Night and English New Year celebrations in Dhaka. Tapan Kumar Biswas, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, was also [resent at the briefing who discussed initiatives to prevent fireworks, cluster bombs and sky lanterns during the festivities. Enhanced Security Deployment The DMP Commissioner announced that additional 3,000 police personnel have been deployed across the metropolitan area to ensure safety. DMP issues traffic guidelines for Shaheed Minar-centric events on Dec 31 Explaining the arrangement, he said, "Regular police deployment includes patrol teams from every outpost and multiple teams from each station. For the Thirty-First Night, we have added 3,000 officers to our regular deployment, targeting key areas like Dhaka University, Gulshan, the 300-feet road, and Uttara Diabari." Environment magistrates from the Department of Environment will collaborate with the police, conducting mobile courts to enforce regulations where necessary, he added. Efforts Against Noise Pollution Tapan Kumar Biswas highlighted efforts to address excessive noise pollution during the celebrations. "Mobile courts will be active across Dhaka and other parts of the country. They will enforce existing laws, imposing fines and other legal actions against violations," he said. Crackdown on Illegal Fireworks In preparation for the celebrations, the DMP conducted raids over the past week, seizing 127 kg of fireworks, including cluster bombs and rocket bombs. Five cases were filed, and five individuals were arrested in connection with the seizures. "We urge citizens to cooperate in curbing noise pollution. It's not just the responsibility of the police or the Department of Environment; every individual must contribute," the Commissioner said. A Controlled Celebration Responding to questions about why Bangladesh faces unique environmental challenges compared to other countries that celebrate with fireworks, the Commissioner explained, "Globally, New Year celebrations often occur in designated areas. Here, we lack such arrangements, but we are considering organising controlled events in specific locations in Dhaka in the future." Police Morale and Preparedness About concerns about police morale, he reassured that the force has overcome previous setbacks. "The challenges that lowered our morale have been addressed. We are in a much better state now," he affirmed. Govt issues directives for Tabligh Jamaat activities to maintain peace He reiterated that no specific threats have been identified for the celebrations, emphasising the readiness of law enforcement to ensure public safety. As Dhaka gears up to welcome the New Year, both the DMP and the Department of Environment have called for public cooperation to make the festivities safe and environmentally responsible.