Main accused in Madaripur remanded

A Madaripur court has placed a former union parishad member on a one-day remand in a case over an arbitration provoking a teenage girl to kill herself.

Judicial magistrate Masud Pervez passed the order on Monday when the police produced Mohsin Bepari, who is thought to be the main man behind the illegal arbitration, before the court with a two-day remand petition.

Mohsin was arrested on Saturday night following filing of a murder case by Hajera Khatun, mother of the girl, Shirin Akther.

Six other people were accused in the case for their role in the arbitration.

Shirin, a grade-X madrassah student from Aoz village of the upazila's Dudhkhali union, hanged herself from the ceiling fan at her house on Friday night after she was publicly humiliated at the arbitration.

Mortaza Sharif, a brother of the victim, on Saturday told reporters that Akhter committed suicide after returning from the arbitration.

She was caned by the arbitrators over an altercation with one of her neighbours, Shah Alam on Thursday, he said.

Meanwhile, two delegations of the Human Rights and Legal Aid Programme of non-government development organisation BRAC and Madaripur Legal Aid Association visited the victim's house on Monday. The High Court on July 31 ordered that such 'arbitration business' must stop amid outcry by human rights groups and media.

Source : New Age

Eviction drive launched at Gazipur

Eviction of unauthorised structure at the side of Dhaka- Mymensingh Highway launched on Sunday.

Besides removal of garbage from the roadside also started.

Garbage piled at the roadside for last several years.

UNO sripur upazila under Gazipur Devashis Nag inaugurated this eviction drive and cleaning programme at Maona crossing under Sripur municipality.

Road and highways initiated this eviction and cleaning programme. Members of Roads and Highways and police jointly continue this programme.

Mehdi Hasan, Engineer of Roads and Highways of Joydevpur unit said they had issued notice to the people to remove their unauthorised structure immediately.

He also said enough time was given to them but they did not bother to remove their unauthorised structure.

Source : New Age

Aman, Aus on vast tracts remain under flood water

Farmers in different flood affected areas across the country are worried about losing their crops as floodwater inundated vast tracts of Aman and Aus paddy fields.

At least 1.10 lakh hectares of transplanted Aman, 6,000 hectares of T-Aman seedling beds, 7,000 hectares of Bona Aman and 20,440 hectares of Aus paddy fields in Jessore region and in Madaripur, Faridpur, Netrokona and Sherpur districts went under floodwater, primary reports from the DAE in different districts said.

DAE sources expressed their apprehension that a large part of paddy in the inundated fields might be damaged, depriving  the farmers of their harvest.

Agriculture officials were assessing the extent of damage and loss of crops in the inundated fields, they said.

Water-logging, overflowing of the river banks, continuous rain and water flow from upstream were the reasons behind the flood and inundation, said officials at the flood forecasting and warning center in Dhaka.

Tapan Kumar Das, a farmer of village Atghara under Tala Upazila in Satkhira district, said all his crops on three bighas of land remained under floodwater for more than three weeks. 'I will get no paddy this year… my family will starve,' lamented Tapan.

Almost 80 per cent of the inundated crops in Satkhira will be damaged as the crops remained submerged for three to five weeks, a DAE official in Satkhira said on condition of anonymity.

The Department of Agriculture Extension director general Md Habibur Rahman, however, claimed that the inundation would not harm the crops as the situation was improving.

'It (inundation) may damage the crops on a very few hectares in different pockets, especially in Satkhira,' he said.

Source : New Age

BNP says AL keen to pocket the funds, not repair the roads

BNP said on Monday that the Awami League government minister were interested more in pocketing the funds than repair the badly damaged roads.

The main opposition party said that the government was making hollow propaganda that it would repair the roads and highways before the Eid simply to mislead the people of the country.

It's a hollow promise to mislead the people, said BNP.

The acting secretary general of the main opposition party, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, told a news conference at BNP central office at Naya Paltan, that the road communication was never so bad in independent Bangladesh in last 40 years.

He said that the people were worried whether they would at all be able to go home to celebrate Eid with their near and dear ones.

He said that the ruling party men were for a wholesale loot of the road repair and maintenance funds.

Fakhrul said the people are shocked at the government's continued indifference to repair the badly damaged roads and highways even after they cost the lives of noted filmmaker Tareque Masud and journalist Mishuk Munier.

He said that prime minister Sheikh Hasina 'is , as usual, more eager to blame the opposition for the bad shape the roads and highways are in, though BNP had left office more than four and a half years ago.'

Fakhrul said that the badly damaged roads and highways across the country were causing frequent accidents claiming many lives.

He said that more than 100 people died in road accidents in one month.

He said that it was unprecedented in the history of Bangladesh for the owners to keep their buses off the roads due to the unserviceable roads and highways.

He said that the ministers were blaming each other instead of taking the responsibility for their failures.

He said that the people want to know where Tk 1,774 crore disbursed by the Awami League led government for maintenance and repaid of the roads has gone.

He said that the ruling party elements pocketed all the money meant for the repair of the roads and highways.

Fakhrul said that severe criticism from the people as well as from within the ruling party led the Awmi League led government to make a hollow pledge that it would repair the roads and highways before Eid.

It's nothing but a 'hollow assurance' he said.

He said that the scathing criticism compelled the Awami League government    to disburse Tk 690 crore for the repair of the roads when the season would hardly allow the work.

It's nothing but an eye wash, he said.

He said that the government was making a hollow promise that it would repair the roads in seven days.

He said that everyone knows that it would be impossible to repair the roads and highways in seven days.

He said road communication remained undisturbed during the tenure of the BNP led government even after severe floods.

He said that the BNP led government had build many roads, highways and bridges worth Tk 12090.51 core between 2001 and 2006.

He said that the people were surprised at the finance minister and the communications minister blaming each other for the sorry state of the roads.

He said that neither the AL led government nor its ministers care for the people's sufferings they were causing.

The ministers of this government are in a shameless competition of shirking their responsibilities prompted senior leaders of the ruling coalition to demand their ouster, said Fakhrul.

He said that the nation had the misfortune of witnessing the communications minister providing an honourable exit to the corrupt chief engineer of roads and highways by allowing him to resign.

Fakhrul called it would be totally irresponsible for the government to issue driving licence without any test.

He said that this government issued 20,000 driving licences without any test and was planning issue 24,000 more driving licences without the tests on pressure from shipping minister Shahjahan Khan.

He called issuing driving licence without the tests as the recipe for cold blooded murder.

Asked about why the opposition was not going for a tougher movement on the issues affecting the people, Fakhrul said BNP was avoiding calling hartals during Ramandan keeping people's sentiment in the view.

He said that the opposition did not want the people to suffer in any way during the Ramadan.

BNP vice-chairmen Abdullah Al Noman, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, joint secretaries general Rizvi Ahmed and Salahuddin Ahmed were present at the news conference.

Source : New Age

AC, SI among 8 cops arrested for extortion

Eight members of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, including an assistant commissioner, were arrested on Sunday night for their alleged involvement in extortion.

The arrested are RMP AC Toufikul Islam, Rajpara police subinspectors Masud Rana and Matiur Rahman, RMP constables Golam Mortuza, Islam Ali, Sujon Ali, Md Sabuj and Akter Hossain.

The police said the accused had gone to the house of one Dr Abdur Rashid Basunia at Jhautola Mithur More under Rajpara police station in plainclothes on Wednesday night

and forced him to pay them Tk 1 lakh.

They ransacked goods at the house, claiming the goods were smuggled from India. The policemen threatened to implicate him in narcotics smuggling case unless he paid them the money.

Abdur Rashid lodged a complaint on Thursday with the Rajpara police in this connection, officer-in-charge of the police station Mokarrom Hossain said.

A probe body was formed to investigate the matter and the three-member body submitted their report Sunday with evidence of extortion by the lawmen.

After receiving the report, the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police commissioner Mohammad Obaidullah issued an order to lodge a case and arrest them.

The Rajpara police arrested the accused from Rajshhai police lines and produced them in Metropolitan Magistrate Court 3 Monday morning, seeking seven days' remand.

The judge Mezbaul Haque sent the accused to jail and fixed Tuesday as the hearing date, the OC said. 

Source : New Age

Bangladeshis ask migration agency for help

The International Organisation for Migration said Monday that it had dispatched a ship to the Libyan capital Tripoli to evacuate migrants.

The IOM said the ship with a capacity to carry 300 people had left the eastern city of Benghazi earlier Monday.

'The boat, the Tasucu, is due to arrive in Tripoli on Tuesday and will leave for Benghazi as soon as IOM is able to successfully board the migrants,' said the inter-governmental agency.

Meanwhile, the UN's refugee agency said on Monday that thousands of third country nationals were 'trapped in Tripoli' and appealed all sides of the conflict to protect them from harm.

'We have seen at earlier stages in this crisis that such people, Africans especially, can be particularly vulnerable to hostility or acts of vengeance,' UN High Commissioner for Refugess Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

'It is crucial that humanitarian law prevails through these climactic moments and that foreigners — including refugees and migrant workers — are being fully and properly protected from harm,' he said.

For its part, the IOM said more than 5,000 Bangladeshis, Filipinos and Egyptians had asked the migration agency for help to leave the capital.

But with rebels pushing into Tripoli, the IOM said 'it is unclear how many foreign nationals working in the country would still wish to leave', adding that it would carry out further evacuations by sea if necessary.

The agency also urged both parties of the conflict to allow those seeking evacuation to make their way safely to the port.

Those evacuated to Benghazi would first be taken by road to the Egyptian border at Salloum before they get help to return to their home countries, said the IOM.

'The situation is extremely fluid, not only in terms of how many people may have changed their minds about leaving, but also in terms of changing counterparts on the ground,' said Pasquale Lupoli, who is the IOM's regional director in the Middle East.

'We hope the IOM boat will be able to dock on Tuesday on time and that the Organisation will be able to safely carry out its mission,' added Lupoli.

Source : New Age

Slight rise in temperature likely

Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely at a few places over all the seven divisions till 6:00pm today.

Slight rise in day temperature is expected over the country, Met Office said.

The sun sets in the

capital today at 6:26pm

and rises tomorrow at 5:37am.

The country's highest temperature, 35.0 degrees Celsius, was recorded on Sunday at Saidpur and the lowest, 23.8 degrees, in Comilla.

Source : New Age

RU rally demands speedy trial of Aug 21 grenade attackers

Leaders and activists of Rajshahi University unit Bangladesh Chhatra League, along with teachers and students, formed a human chain on the campus on Sunday, demanding speedy trial of those involved in the August 21 grenade attack on an AL rally.

The university unit BCL organised the programme in front of the university central library at around 12:00pm.

Later they held a brief meeting at the same venue where the speakers alleged that the grenade attack was carried out under direct patronisation of the then ruling BNP-Jaamat government.

They also said there was no more doubt about the incident and the recent supplementary charge sheet proved who were involved in grenade attack.

RU vice-chancellor Professor Abdus Sobhan said, 'We do not want any more political killings.'

RU public relations officer Professor Chitta Ranjan Misra, law and justice department professor Hasibul Alam Pradhan, RU unit BCL president and general secretary Ahmed Ali and Abu Hussain Bipu addressed the programme among others.

Source : New Age

Photo show on repression of students held at DU

Students Against Oppre-ssion, an organisation of general students of Dhaka University, on Sunday arranged a photo exhibition in front of DU Central Students' Union building to raise awareness among the students of all kind of repressions across the country.

The daylong exhibition was a part of programmes, marking the 20-22 August student agitation during Army-backed caretaker rule in 2007.

The exhibition in four parts included photos of the Shamsunnahar hall protest in 2002; protest at the torture against teachers and students in August 2007, demonstrations demanding punishment of murderer of Abu Bakar in 2010, police torture on Abdul Kadar in 2011 and other recent incidents of repression.

The second part represented the photos of protests against increase in fees and RAB torture on students at Chittagong University in 2009.

The third part had photographs of demonstrations demanding trial of the teacher convicted of sexual abuse of a Viqarunnisa Noon School student.

Speaking on the occasion, organisation leader Moustafa Mahbub Russell said that it was high time for teachers and students to unite and protest all sorts of oppression and torture on students, rape, murder and other anti-social crimes.

Source : New Age

Trendy dresses attract shoppers to fashion houses

With a little more than a week left for Eid-ul-Fitr, fashion houses and boutique shops in the capital, presenting new design dresses, are experiencing huge rush of buyers.

Most of the new Eid collections for girls are based on the latest trends and using locally-produced materials at affordable prices for middle and upper middle classes, said fashion house owners.

Leading dress maker Aarong has tried to follow the latest sub-continental trend in their dresses like long six-cut, eight-cut and double-step kameez with churidar payjamas, said Asad Gate outlet supervisor Mehbub Alam.

Various materials including muslin, silk and even cotton have been used for the dresses designed with laces and hand embroidery, he added.

The prices of three-piece suits for girls range between Tk 2000 and Tk 15,000, depending on the material used.

Aarong's sari section supervisor Shirin Ahsan said the new collection includes opera katan, muslin baluchori with jamdani work, Rajshahi silk with nakshi katha work, jamdani and cotton sari ranging between Tk 2000 and Tk 25,000 each.

Aarong's exclusive Taga collection tops and frock style are mostly designed with knit fabrics this year and the prices range from Tk 700 to Tk 2,000, said supervisor Halima Taslim.

The Aarong's Eid collection also has latest design of hand bags, shoes and different types of ornaments to match the dresses.

Fashion house Rang also has come up with a wide range of collections in salwar-kameez and saris made of locally produced silk, andy, cotton, muslin and khadi with price ranging from Tk 3,000 to Tk 6,000. 

Rang's ornaments variety include earthen ear rings, finger rings, necklace sets and bangles. Wooden and silver ornaments have also found a place in this year's fashion, said section manager Jahangir Alam.

Dhanmondi Nabarupa's shopkeeper Ashim Ahmed said they had a wide range of collection of cotton saris including traditional Tangail tant, jamdani, cotton baluchuri and gadwan.

Nabarupa also has latest designs in Rajshahi silk, crape, kota, muslin and embroidery sari with price varying from Tk 1,400 to Tk 20,000.

All the outlets of trendy fashion house TRENDZ have their own newly designed salwar kameez made of silk, viscose, cotton and muslin with price starting from Tk 3,500 and going up to Tk 15,500.

Traditional ladies' wear house Nilanjana Palli, famous for their jamdani saris, have collections with prices ranging from Tk 3,500 to Tk 25,000.

They also have their jamdani salwar kameez with price starting at Tk 3,000 up to Tk 5,000 per set.

Texmart Dhanmondi branch sales executive Mamunur Rashid said their female collections include salwar kameez, tops and denim dresses priced from Tk 795 to Tk 4,000.

Besides usual saris and salwar kameez, Jatra's main feature is their hand bags, sandals and decoration pieces made of recycled materials.

Asked about the most-sought-after colour trend this Eid, Kay Kraft's Basundhara City's Deshi Dash branch sales executive said this year both ladies and gents clothes were blue and purple colours in Kay Kraft.

Fashion house owners said more girls would be wearing long kameez this Eid and most of the dresses are designed to suit the hot summer.

Banglar Mela, Sada Kalo, Anjans, Prabartana, Bibiana, Deshal, Dressy Dale, Nipun, Grameen Check are the other leading fashion wear houses presenting Eid dresses for both females and males.

Source : New Age