HC seeks govt explanation

The High Court has asked the government to explain why an order to conduct a land survey in Chittagong Hill Tracts to stop land disputes should not be issued.

The cabinet division secretary, law secretary, CHT secretary and 10 others have been asked to explain to the court within 12 weeks.

The bench of justices Farid Ahmed and Mohammad Shawkat Hossain issued the rule on Monday following a writ filed by CHT residents Mohammad Jahangir Kamal and AHM Shahidullah.

Lawyer Monzil Morshed stood for the petitioner during the hearing.

He told the court that the CHT Land Dispute Settlement Commission on August 3, 2009 decided to conduct survey in three districts. As per law, it was compulsory for the administration to implement the decision, he said.

'But the administration is yet to implement the decision,' Morshed added.

Source: New Age

9 killed in road accidents across country

Nine people were killed and 30 others wounded in separate road accidents in Dhaka, Lalmonirhat and Cox's Bazar on Sunday and Monday.

In Dhaka, four people were killed and one was critically injured in two separate road mishaps at Mirpur Beribadh, Naya Paltan and Khilkhet areas on Sunday.

The deceased were identified as Suronjan Madhu, 23, son of Mukandu Madhu, a resident of Agailjhara of Barisal, Abdul Jabbar, son of Amir Ali, a resident of Tongi, Probir Odhikari, son of Nirmal Odhikari, a resident of Dakkinkhan and Rashida Khatun, a resident of Naya Paltan.

Police said Suronjan and Mukandu were killed and Shahnaz Begum was injured critically when a speedy truck hit a taxi-cab near Beribad at Mirpur at around 12:30pm on Sunday.

The bodies were taken to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination.

In Khilkhet, Probir was killed when a speedy private car knocked him down near Khilkhet bus station while he was crossing the road at around 1pm on Sunday. The body was sent to DMCH morgue for autopsy.

At Naya Paltan, Rashida Khatun was killed when a private car hit her from behind at around 10:30pm on Sunday.

Body of Rashida was taken to DMCH for post-mortem examination.

New Age correspondent from Lalmonirhat reported a motor cyclist was killed when a truck hit his bike near Barobari area of Rangpur-Kurigram Road in Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila on Monday morning.

The victim was identified as Manzur Islam, 45, a resident of  Fulbari village in Kurigram district.

Police said Manzur Islam was going to Rangpur riding a motorcycle. A goods laden truck from opposite side hit the motorcycle injuring Manzur critically. He died in the way to Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital.

The killer truck and its driver managed to flee from the scene of accident, police said.

New Age correspondent in Cox's Bazar reported that four people were killed  and 30 injured in separate road mishaps at Harbong point under Chakoria Upazila of the district on Cox's Bazar-Chittagong highway on Sunday.

The deceased were identified as Mohammad Farook, 30, son of Hanif Hossen, of Fishery Ghat of Cox's Bazar town, Rafique Ahmed, 19, son of Ishaque Ahmed, of New Pallan Para village under Teknaf Sadar Union of Teknaf Upazila, Soma, 5, of Badarkhali of Chakaria Upazila and Parvez, 4, of same area.

Chakoria police recovered the dead bodies and sent them to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Separate cases were filed with Chakoria Upazila police in  connection with the accidents.

Source: New Age

Government asked to stop extra-judicial killings

Human rights organisation Odhikar has expressed grave concern over continued extra-judicial killings and deaths in custody of law-enforcement agencies.

The members of law-enforcement agencies have been killing people, including suspicious 'criminals', bypassing the due process of law, despite repeated assurances of the government to stop extrajudicial killings, the human rights watchdog said in a press release on Monday.

Odhikar in its monthly report for April demanded that the government should arrange better treatment and compensations for college student Limon Hossain, who became a victim of RAB shooting.

Odhikar also was critical of the shooting at the HSC examinee Limon Hossain, who had to undergo amputation of a leg after being shot by the Rapid Action Battalion on March 23 at Saturia village under Rajapur upazila of Jhalakathi district.

The organisation also expressed concern over 'secret' submission of a charge-sheet through a sub-inspector of Rajapur police station against Limon to the court.

The rights watchdog demanded legal action against the members of the law-enforcement agencies, including RAB, responsible for extra-judicial killings and deaths in custody.   

The report cited five incidents extrajudicial killing in April and demanded that the government should put an end to such abuse of law. 'The government must bring all people involved in extra-judicial killings to book through proper and independent investigations by an independent investigation committee. The investigation report should also be made public,' it said. 

The report mentioned killings of five and injuring 12 Bangladeshi nationals along the border by Indian Border Security Force. The government should take effective measures to stop intrusion and killings by the BSF and also to ensure the security of the people living in the border areas, Odhikar demanded.

It called for appropriate action against the perpetrators following a judicial investigation into the incidents of killing and arson attack in Ramgarh and Manikchari of Khagrachari hill district on April 17.

It asked the state to ensure the security and rights, including those to life and property, of the religious and ethnic minorities.

Odhikar also reported deaths of seven people in jail.

Eighteen people were lynched across the country in April and eight people were killed in political violence, the report said, adding around 1,229 people were also injured in political violence in the month.

Violence against women continued in April with 54 incidents of rape, seven of acid violence, 28 of dowry-related violence, and 56 of sexual harassment or stalking.

Nine newspersons were injured and three were assaulted in April, the report said. 

The organisation recommended that the government should refrain from shrinking the space for democratic practices and from repression on political opponents.

It also recommended taking appropriate measures to stop violence against women and ensure punishment to the offenders to ensure that justice was served.

Source: New Age

Birth anniversary of Jahanara Imam today

The 82nd birth anniversary of Shaheed Janani Jahanara Imam will be observed today across the country in a befitting manner.

On the occasion, Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee will place wreaths at her grave at Mirpur Intellectual Graveyard.

Jahanara Imam, a prominent writer and mother of freedom fighter Rumi, was born in an aristocratic family in Murshidabad on May 3 in 1929.

Under her leadership, Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee was formed on 19 January in 1992.

Strong civil movement demanding trial of war criminals and amendment to the constitution in line with the spirit of liberation war began after the formation of the committee.

Owing to unavoidable reasons, discussion of the central Nirmul committee will be held on May 12, 2011 at 4:00pm at BILIA auditorium at Dhanmondi.

Source: New Age

Islami Andolan threatens strike

Islami Andolan Bangladesh on Monday threatened to enforce a general strike if the proposed women policy and education policy were not withdrawn by May 30.

At a press conference held at its Purana Paltan office, amir of the Islamist party, Syed Mohammad Reazul Karim, said, 'We will go for a hartal and agitation programmes if the demands are not met within the given timeframe.'

He also declared protest rallies on May 4 at every Upazila, at Muktangon in Dhaka on May 5 and at all districts on May 11, protesting police attacks on the party activists at Muktangan on Sunday evening.

Source: New Age

Towhid Samad new chair of IUB Trust

Former chairman of Independent University, Bangladesh, Governing Council, Towhid Samad, has been elected the chairman of the Board of Trustee of the university recently for two years, said a release.

He is also the chairman of Bangladesh General Insurance Company, the Savar Group and the managing director of Holiday Publications Limited.

Towhid Samad earlier worked as the chairman of ESTCDT, the founding trust of the IUB, in the year 2004 and re-elected for the second term in 2006.

Source: New Age

Passengers suffer for launch owners’ caprice

The Launch Owners' Association, continuing self-imposed rotation system, has decreased number of vessels on Barisal-Dhaka-Barisal route violating rules, timetables and conditions of route permit of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, according to passengers.

Following the rotation system introduced by the launch owners defying the rules of BIWTA, two or three launches are plying instead of five or six launches from each end of the route every day.

The passengers on this route alleged that the self-imposed rotation system of the LOA had increased sufferings of them leaving a little scope to choose better vessel for the journey or services and book seats as per their choice and avoid travel on overloaded launches in stormy monsoon season.

According to BIWTA sources, 12 launches named as MV Sundarban-7, 8, MV Suravi-7, 8, MV Parabat-2, 7, 9, 11, MV Dipraj, MV Kitankhola, MV Tipu and MV Kalam Khan have route permits to ply six launches from each end of Barisal-Dhaka-Barisal route.

Each of the launches has capacity of 760-1220 passengers with 20-25 per cent cabin and sofa seats and required at least 4500-5000 passengers per day to ply six launches from each end.

The Launch Owners Association sources claimed number of passengers did not exceed 2500 per day from each end except on holidays and weekend days. So the owners had become bound to decrease number of launches by imposing rotation system to avoid losses of operating cost of at least Tk 1 lakh per one way trip for each vessel, the sources said.

Saidur Rahman Rintu, vice- president of Barisal launch owners association, said normally one or two launches had to remain off from service as number of deck passengers drastically decreased following development of road communications.

Rush of cabin passengers on this route had increased on every weekend and holiday, he said.

'We requested the authority to consider our system due to the poor number of deck passengers which forced us to incur huge loss daily,' he also said.

Kazi Wakil Newaz, deputy director BIWTA Barisal port, said they had failed to apply terms and conditions of the route permits and the timetables and cancel illegal rotation system on the Barisal-Dhaka-Barisal route under pressure of the launch owners.

Source: New Age

Conservation of wetlands stressed

Ramsar East Asia Centre director Seung-oh Suh said conservation of wetlands and their resources were essential for human beings and maintaining ecosystems.

Drying up of wetland usually affects the livelihood of thousands of people adversely, said Suh while addressing a four-day 'wetland management workshop' at the Korean EPZ Centre in Chittagong recently.

Ramsar Convention, named after the city in Iran where it was signed in 1971, is the international body responsible for maintaining the wetlands across the globe. Bangladesh ratified this convention in 1992.

About 42 representatives from different organisations, including the Department of Environment and IUCN-Bangladesh, attended the workshop, held from April 21 to April 24, was organised by non-governmental organisation Bangladesh Paush with support from Korean company Youngone, said a release.

Former secretary Jafar Ahmed Chowdhury, Centre for Sustainable Development secretary general and IUCN regional councillor Mahfuz Ullah, NACOM chairman Abdur Rob Mollah, former ambassador Jahangir Saadat, KEPZ president Sung-hoon Woo and Paush executive director Sanowar Hossain, among others, addressed the workshop.

The speakers observed that the wetlands of Bangladesh were not properly protected despite government intervention.

They urged all concerned to mobilise public opinion and programmes in the interest of protecting the wetlands, which cover a huge area of Bangladesh.

Source: New Age

Lightning strike kills three in Lalmonirhat

Three persons include a farmer were killed by lighting strike at different places in Lalmonirhat Monday morning and Sunday night.

The deceased were identified as Yasin Ali Mollah, 52, son of late Abdul Gofur at village Shimulbari in Lalmonirhat sadar upazila, Alimuddin Miah, 58, son of late Nantu Mia at village Azizpur of Patgram upazila and Rahul Miah, 46, son of late Tarek Ali at village Dawabari of Hatibandha upazila in the district.

The police and family members said the thunderbolt stuck farmer Yasin Ali when he went paddy field adjacent to his home Monday morning, leaving him dead on the spot. Two other persons were stuck by lighting when they went out from their homes during raining Sunday night.

Source: New Age

Rapist arrested in Kurigram

A rapist was arrested on Monday at Nageswari in Kurigram.

The rapist was Hafijul Islam Hapu, 24, son of Abdul Wahed at village Kuti Payradanga at Nageswari.

The police said Hafijul forcibly raped a 19-year-old girl on the way while she was going to a shop at the village Sunday evening.

A case was filed.

Source: New Age