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The Institute of Health Technology, Rajshahi was closed sine die on Tuesday following a series of clashes between the activists of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and the Islami Chhatra Shibir that left at least 50 students injured.
   The academic committee of the teachers’ association took the decision at a joint meeting and asked the male students to vacate their halls by noon on Tuesday and the female students by 9:00am on Wednesday.
   Campus sources said the clash erupted at about 8:00pm on Monday night when the Shibir men attacked the institute unit Chhatra Dal vice-president, Sazzad, at the Shamim Hostel gate.
   Later the party men from both the sides tried to settle the issue at Room No 312 of a hostel at midnight.
   But the Shibir activists forced the Chhatra Dal men out of the room resulting in sporadic clashes that left a number of students injured.
   Both the party men used weapons, Chinese axes, hammers, iron rods and bicycle chains during the clash and vandalised windowpanes, doors and furniture at various rooms.
   The Rajpara police went to the spot and brought the situation under control at that time.
   At noon on Tuesday, both the parties brought out processions on the campus and locked into further clash when the Shibir men attacked the Chhatra Dal activists leaving nine students injured.
   They are the institute unit Chhatra Dal president, Shahidul Islam, leaders Jalil, Karim, Arif, Awal, Ariful and Khorshed, and Chitrangshu Das alias Raju, and Abdullah Al Mamun.
   Fifteen of the injured were admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital in ‘critical’ condition.
   Campus sources said there had been rivalry between the two student wings over capturing of a room at a residential dormitory for the past several months.
   Shahidul said the Shibir men attacked them to grab a blank seat. But the city unit of Shibir in a press release said the Chhatra Dal activists, Tipu and Mahiuddin, were playing the tape recorder at top volume at Room No 312.
   As the Shibir activists requested them to stop music, the Chhatra Dal men attacked them, the release said.
   Sources said classes at the institute resumed on the first week of July after a clash between the activists of the two parties on May 11.
   Additional police forces were deployed at different educational institutions, including the Institute of Health Technology, to fend off further trouble.

Three mobile courts on Tuesday realised Tk 70,000 in fine and filed three cases against the owners of food factories at Shyampur, Mirpur and Sowarighat in Dhaka on Tuesday. The court also jailed the three.
   A mobile court conducted a raid at the Titas Bakery and Diamond Centre at Shyampur. It was led by metropolitan magistrate Mujibul Haque.
   The court fined it Tk 20,000 for producing bread and biscuits without any licence from the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution.
   The team also filed a case against the owner, Jasim Uddin, for producing and marketing of bread and biscuit without any licence.
   The second court, led by metropolitan magistrate ABM Abul Fattah, raided the Asia Fruits and Drinks at Madhya Pirerbagh at Mirpur.
   The court found that the company had been producing and marketing drinks of litchi and orange flavours and marketing the Rasna soyabean oil and tea without any approval.
   The court arrested the company owner, Abdur Rahman, and fined him Tk 50,000.
   The court also sentenced him to a year’s imprisonment. He is to suffer six more months in jail if he fails to pay the fine.
   The third court, led by metropolitan magistrate Rokon-ud-Doulah, conducted a drive at two confectioneries at Sowarighat and arrested the managers.
   The court sentenced the manager of a company, Jafar, to one-year imprisonment, and sentenced the manager of the other company, Ripon, to six months’ imprisonment.
   The court during its raid at the Kamal Biscuit and Bread and Jamal Biscuit and Bread factories found that some 10 to 12 types of textile colours were used in the bread and confectionary items.
   The court issued search warrants against the owners of the confectionaries — Mohammed Isahaq and Mohammed Jamal Chowdhury — who managed to get away.
   The court directed the Lalbagh police officer-in-charge to destroy all bakery items preserved in the shops and suspend the production.
   The United News of Bangladesh from Chittagong reported a mobile court in Chittagong raided the factory of Kwality ice-cream at Chandgaon and fined it Tk 50,000 for producing ice-creams in an unhygienic environment.

A drive against encroachment pulled down 204 structures at Shyamlapur and Aminbazar at Savar and Mirpur Barabazar on Tuesday, the second day of the four-day drive along the rivers Buriganga and the Turag.
   The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority and the Dhaka district administration are conducting the drive to free the riverbank, stretching between Kholamora and Mirpur, from encroachment.
   The drive on Monday pulled down 23 structures along the Buriganga on the first day of the drive.
   The water transport agency deputy director (port and transport), Saiful Haque Khan, led Monday’s drive with magistrate Jahid Hossain. It was joined in by more than 400 per- sonnel of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police and some 150 labourers.
   Two tug boats — Agrapathik and Agrani — were used in the drive that ran between 11:00am and 5:30pm.
   Forty-seven tin-shed structures were demolished at Shyamlapur and Aminbazar at Savar.
   The team also pulled down 157 tin-shed structures of the local ward commissioner Monowar Hossain Dipjol at Mirpur Barabazar, a kitchen market.
   The transport agency and the district administration earlier identified about 400 structures on both the banks of the Buriganga and the Turag. All identified structures will be demolished, said Saiful.
   The transport agency reclaimed 112 acres of land in several drives from 2000.
   But 90 acres more are yet to be reclaimed, said an official of the water transport agency According to statistics, 1,812 illegal structures were demolished in three years in several drives.

Professor Aftab Ahmad, who was recently removed as vice-chancellor of the National University, joined the department of political science at Dhaka University on Tuesday after the syndicate had agreed to allow him at the department.
   After submission of a joining letter to the registrar, he went on a two-month leave on the day.
   The syndicate at a meeting Monday night decided to allow him to join the department although the departmental coordination and development committee, and the academic committee of the department earlier opposed his joining.
   After his removal from the National University, he was asked to get back to his previous job. But his former colleagues raised objections, saying that teaching at the department was not his previous job.
   They said he should not be allowed at the political science department as before joining the National University, he had left the department and had joined the development studies department at the university.
   He joined the National University on July 5, 2003 on a four-year deputation, but he was removed on July 20, 2005 amid controversies.
   The department chair, AKM Shahidullah, who had been vocal against Aftab’s joining the department, refused to talk with the newsmen. A teacher at the department said they would go by the syndicate
   decision.
   The Bangladesh Chhatra Union, a left-leaning student organisation, slated the syndicate’s decision.
   ‘The return of such a controversial person to the university is ominous and it will encourage corruption,’ said a statement signed by the Chhatra Union president, Baki Billah, and general secretary Shamsul Alam Sajjan.

The Chittagong metropolitan and sessions court on Tuesday sentenced two people to death and two others to life imprisonment in a murder case.
   Nasiruddin alias Nasira of Chandanagar and Abdul Malek of Jalalabad were sentenced to death.
   Abdul Khalek of Jalalabad and Rasul Amin of Chandanagar were sentenced to life imprisonment. They were also fined with Tk 50,000, in default to suffer six more months in jail.
   Nasiruddin, Abdul Malek and Abdul Khalek were not present in court during the trial. The court acquitted eight of the accused.
   The accused confined Babar, 22, from the brickyard of Shahjad Company at Chandannagar on October 16, 1996.
   As his younger brother Azad and father Shafiqur Rahman went to the place regarding his release, the accused fired on them, killing Azad dead on the spot and Shafiqur injured. Babar managed to escape later.

Tk 26 lakh in cash and mobile handsets were looted from a shop of electronic goods at the Baitul Mukarram Market in Dhaka early Tuesday.
   The local people said robbers broke into the Sahera Electronics Store on the ground floor of the market and looted Tk 5 lakh in cash, 622 mobile handsets worth about Tk 21 lakh sometimes between midnight and 4:00am.
   The police could not recover the looted cash or the handsets till night. But the Paltan police duty officer said the incident was not a robbery, but a theft.
   The owner of the shop came to know of the incident when he went to open the shop at about 8:30am.
   The owner, Mohammad Sohrab Alam, said he requested the police to file a robbery case, but the police filed a case of theft.

The children of the Little Jewels School thronged the National Museum as part of its golden jubilee celebrations on Monday.
   The present and former students greeted each other, and met the teachers including the founding principal Anwari Kabir.
   The education minister Osman Farruk, who was chief guest, in his speech, said there were more than 600 English medium schools, but only a few maintain the teaching standard along with traditional culture. Little Jewels is one of them, he said.
   He said Little Jewels has been producing the jewels of tomorrow, and believed the school would keep it up.
   Presided over by Anwari, the golden jubilee celebration was addressed by president of the school’s alumni association A Matin Chowdhury, vice principal Sonia Imran, and alumni Shakil Kasem and Nashid Kamal.
   The kindergarten was established on August 8, 1955 with Montessori method of education. The school began with 56 students and 7 teachers, and the medium of instruction was English.
   It was after liberation in 1972, the school had to convert to Bangla medium, and from 1990 the English section started afresh with 155 students and 10 teachers.
   A joyous and colourful celebration at the national museum enthralled the audience.
   The students sang and danced to traditional Bangla songs. They also performed a skit from the Arabian Nights.
   The teachers’ fashion show came as a pleasant surprise and was met with loud cheers. Nashid Kamal, an alumni
   herself sang a popular Bangla song. Piaro Khan, an old student and member of the music band Feedback, also performed.
   Awards were given to teachers and staff for their services to the school.
   The show, organised by the school’s alumni association ended with a group performance as a tribute to the school.

The Barisal divisional speedy trial tribunal disposed of 108 cases, out of 125, in three years.
   The higher court stayed the judicial procedures of 12 cases and five other cases are now under trial.
   Of the disposed cases, 34 accused in 16 cases were sentenced to death penalty. One hundred and thirty-seven accused in 40 cases were sentenced to life imprisonment and 61 accused were sentenced to imprisonment of different terms. The accused in 25 cases were acquitted and ordered to be released.
   Court sources said no sensational case in the Barisal city is now under trial in the tribunal.
   Lack of the office of the public prosecutor and places for waiting for under-trial prisoners during trial creates problem, said Mojibur Rahman Nantu, the special public prosecutor of the court.
   Sources said four out of five cases sent to the tribunal in 2002 were disposed of and the trial of another case under arms act against Abul Hasnat Abdullah, former chief whip and Barisal district Awami League secretary, was stayed by the order of High Court.
   Sixty-eight out of seventy-three cases sent to the Barisal speedy trial tribunal in 2003 were disposed of and the proceedings of five other cases were stayed by the High Court.
   The five cases stayed in 2005 included sensational murder case of Azhar Gazi of Barisal, two cases under arms act of Jhalakati, one bomb blast case of Bhola and another case under the explosives act.
   In 2004, 40 cases were transferred to the Barisal speedy trial tribunal. Of them, the trials of 33 cases were finished. Two others are now under trial.
   Trial of the five cases stayed by High Court in 2005 included sensational cases of Police Kamal murder and Saistabad arms case of Barisal, Patharghata murder case of Barguna, bomb case of Jhalakati, Mathbaria robbery case of Pirojpur.
   The trial of the three cases out of the seven sent to the Barisal tribunal in 2005 and three more are now under trial.
   Another case of Jhalakati bomb blast was stayed by the High Court in 2005.

Barisal Shilpakala Academy music instructor Chittaranjan Das has been suffering from liver disease for long. He is now under treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in Dhaka.
   He needs money for his treatment. He has made an appeal to the prime minister, Khaleda Zia, and others for help.
   Father of two daughters, Das is also the president of the Brisal Divisional Nazrul Song Artists’ Council.
   Money can be sent to Betar Shilpi Parishad, Barisal, savings account 16388, Agrani Bank, Sadar Road, Barisal.

The 29th anniversary of death of Matiur Rahman, former chief reporter of the Bangladesh Times and the weekly Holiday, will be observed today.
   Sessions of recitation from the Qur’an and prayers will be held after the maghrib prayers in his sister’s house at House 16, Block F, at Mirpur Section 2 in Dhaka.
   Before independence, Matiur Rahman joined the then Pakistan International Airlines as public relations chief.
   Matiur Rahman worked as a stringer of the New York Times. He was also related to Sandhani Prakashani.

DU mosque plans place for girls
The University of Dhaka is planning to make an arrangement at the university central mosque for girl students to say prayers. The authorities said this replying a question of AKM Rafiqunnabi at the recent annual session of the university senate. The vice-chancellor, SMA Faiz, said separate accommodation at the central mosque for girl students will be arranged. Khadiza Parvin, a student of economics at the university, said it would be convenient for girl students if prayer facilities are provided at the central mosque under the purdah system.
— BDNews

Protest against ministers’ pay hike
Ganamukti O Jatiya Sampad Rakkha Sammilita Andolan will hold rally at Muktangan in Dhaka on August 13 to protest against the increase in the remunerations of the ministers and lawmakers and the presidential clemency for Jhintu. The steering committee of the organisation at a meeting on Tuesday said when the people had been suffering for the price hikes and the workers had not been getting minimum wage, the increase in salaries was nothing but a farce. The leaders demanded implementation of a minimum wage for the workers. Chaired by Badrul Alam, the meeting was attended by Khalequzzaman, Saiful Huq, Bazlur Rashed Firoz and others.
— New Age

Hijacked truck seized at Lalbagh
The police recovered a truck at Lalbagh in Old Town of Dhaka early Tuesday more than 24 hours after it had been hijacked from Tongi the previous day. Four suspected hijackers were also arrested. The police said the arrested — Jahangir, Pintu, Shaheed and Selim — hijacked the truck, hiring it for carrying sand at Tongi in Gazipur early Monday. The driver, Sohag, and the helper, Ayub Ali, went into hiding after the
incident.
— New Age

Rally against power outage in Khulna
The Khulna city Citizens’ Forum on Tuesday formed a human chain from the Dak Bungalow crossing to Shaheed Hadis Park in the city with candle lights in protest at frequent power outage. Chaired by Abdul Quyaum, the human chain was addressed by secretary general Rafiqul Islam, Swapan Guha, Aloka Nanda Das, Shahin Jamaal, Arjul Islam, Prodyut Rudra Chaiti and Naoshad Jahan.
— New Age

New police out-post at Tanbazar
The construction work of new two-storey building of the town police outpost at Tanbazar in Narayanganj involving Tk 54 lakh is progressing satisfactorily. The district police sources said about 60 per cent work has been completed. The remaining work includes the construction of a magazine room, dining room, kitchen, and the connection of utilities. The jobs are expected to be completed by December. The design of barrack-cum-office plus the police out-post has been made by the Housing and Public Works Department, Narayanganj. The construction began in 2003.
— BSS