Dhaka edn board tense over
staff quarters troubles
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Tension prevails at the Dhaka education board as the employees’ union on Saturday agitated against a former school inspector, who has been staying in a house in the residential quarters, ignoring a several notices asking him to vacate the house.
‘The school inspector, Atiar Rahman, left the board in March 2002. But he has been living in the residential quarters, that has hampered administrative work of the board,’ said the union president, M Golam Mostafa.
‘Atiar is secretary of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board and he should not use the board’s residential quarters,’ Mostafa said. ‘It is our responsibility to drive him out.’
‘Atiar was asked, in a notice, to leave the house for the first time on September 21, 2002. But he sought three months at the time,’ Mostafa said. ‘The sixth notice was issued on July 10.’
‘Showing various reasons, Atiar received time extension for several times. Finally, he informed the board authorities, in black and white, that he would leave the House by July 31,’ Mostafa said. ‘Meantime, he has filed a case against the board. It is really unacceptable.’
The union brought out a procession on the board premises on Saturday and chanted slogan against Atiar. The union members said they would drive him tomorrow (Monday) from the house.
Talking with New Age on Saturday, Atiar alleged that the employees had threatened to assault him. ‘Supply water connection of my house has been disconnected.’
As per the directive of the board chairman, Shaheda Obaed, the employees piled up garbage in front of his house on Friday, he alleged.
‘Against a July 10 board notice asking me to leave the house, I filed a writ petition with the High Court,’ he said. ‘The court on July 23 stayed the notice for three months.’
‘I sought police protection. I will stay in the house till the court orders in my favour.’
Shaheda denied the allegation of piling up garbage in front of the house under Atiar’s occupation. She, however, told New Age that ‘the house in question is meant for the employees of the education board and Atiar should leave the house as he is no longer a board official’.
Four passengers thrown
off bus after robbery
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Robbers stabbed four passengers of a minibus and threw them out of the vehicle on the New Airport Road in Dhaka early Saturday. They also looted cash and valuables.
The victims, Ziaur Rahman, 22, Mujibur Rahman, 28, Azhar Ali, 42, and Samiul Islam, 24, of Jhenaigati in Sherpur, were on their way to Narayanganj from Zia International Airport.
They said they got on the Dhaka-bound Salsabil Paribahan bus from the airport stand at about 12:15am.
The robbers, who had already been on the bus, began looting cash and valuables when the vehicle passed the Bishwa Road crossing.
The bus moved towards Mohakhali, changing its regular course along the Bishwa Road-Rampura route.
The robbers took away Tk 22,000 in cash, two mobile handsets and two wrist watches and stabbed four.
The robbers threw the four at different places on the road up to the Banani crossing.
The injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital from where they were taken to the Airport police station after treatment in the morning.
Samiul told newsmen that he had looked at the registration number of the bus, but it was covered with a white paper.
The police could not trace the bus till evening.
7pc of violence against women
filed with police in 2004
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Eleven thousand, one hundred and sixty-four cases of murder, suicide, acid burn, fire burn and desertion of wife were reported in newspapers in 2004, said the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association executive director Salma Ali.
Eight hundred and twenty-seven of the cases were field with the police, she said, quoting reports from 10 newspapers, at an advocacy workshop on Saturday. This accounts for only 7 per cent of the total cases of violence against women.
Dhaka University sociology professor Mahmuda Islam, who read out the keynote paper, said about 45 per cent of single women experience violence within the family.
Mahmuda listed physical assault, mental torture, sexual abuse by close family members, marital rape, torture, murder for dowry, early marriage and teenage pregnancy, preference to baby boys, traditional practice, and restriction on women’s mobility on the list of domestic violence.
The Concerned Women for Family Development organised the workshop at the Press Institute of Bangladesh.
Farida Islam of the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust said most of the cases related to domestic violence were caused by dowry.
Physical assault accounts for 38 eight per cent of domestic violence, followed by mental torture, which accounts for 35 per cent. Verbal abuse accounts for the remaining cases, she said.
Mahmuda also urged the media to continue and strengthen their commitment to sensitise society on violence against women within the family from various dimensions.
Robbery at Suritola footwear market
Shopkeepers pull down shutters in protest
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Robbers broke into the Yousuf Memorial Market at Suritola in Dhaka early Saturday and looted more than Tk 1.5 lakh from six shops.
In an instant protest against the robbery, shopkeepers in the Suritola area closed their shops. The shopkeepers and owners went out on demonstrations.
They also demanded punishment for and immediate arrest of the criminals.
The shopkeepers said a gang of robbers had broken open shutter locks of the Bangladesh Rubber Stores, Salim Shoes and Materials Stores, Haji Ahmed and Sons, Rajjab Ali and Sons, Sajib Rang Bitan, and S Alam Traders housed on the ground floor of the Yousuf Memorial Market at 8/9 Suritola between 12:00am and 4:00am.
They looted more than Tk 1.5 lakh.
The shopkeepers came to know of the incident when they went to the market to open their shops at about 8:30am.
They found that all of their shutter locks were broken and all of their cash missing from the cashboxes.
Mohammad Salim, owner of Salim Shoes and Materials Stores, told New Age that he came to know of the incident from Nazim, who owns the Bangladesh Rubber Stores.
‘He informed me of the matter over cell phone at about 8:30am and I found that all of my cash was looted after breaking cashbox,’ he said.
Mohammad Ali, owner of Rajjab Ali and Sons, said he did not take the money he earned during the week.
‘I kept all my money in my shop thinking that it is the safer place than the house. But I found no money in my cashbox’ he said.
The shopkeepers alleged that although they have an association, they did not find any members of the association during their trouble.
‘The association members have heard about the robbery incident,’ said Anis, owner of S Alam Traders.
‘But they are yet to visit the spot or go to the police station to file a case,’ he alleged.
The shopkeepers, however, opened their shops at about 2:00pm after the ward commissioner and the police officials assured them of proper investigation of the incident.
Ward commissioner Haji Ahmed told New Age that the police had arrested a night guard, Jalal Uddin, 30, for interrogation.
‘We hope that the police will arrest the criminals within the short time,’ he said. ‘We will take steps to beef up security in the markets.’
Abul Hossain, owner of Sajib Rang Bitan, filed a case with the Kotwali police station.
CCC mayor demands withdrawal of DIG
STAFF CORRESPONDENT, Chittagong
The Chittagong mayor, ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, on Saturday sent a fax message to the prime minister, Khaleda Zia, urging her to withdraw Amzad Hossain from the post of deputy inspector general of the Chittagong Police Ranges, said a release issued by the Chittagong City Corporation.
In the fax message, Mohiuddin accused Amzad of instigating anti-social elements to commit crimes in an effort to destabilise law and order in the city.
The message said Amzad had been the prime accused in a case of a double murder and the people of Chittagong did not want to see him in such a responsible position.
The mayor said the Election Commission had withdrawn Amzad from the post of the metropolitan police commissioner after the mayor’s appeal as he had failed to discharge his duties impartially during the corporation polls.
USTC dy registrar assaulted
BDNEWS, Chittagong
The deputy registrar of the University of Science and Technology, Chittagong was severely injured when some disgruntled students attacked him Saturday morning. The injured Jashim Uddin was admitted to a private clinic.
The Khulshi police said about 50 students along with some expelled students laid siege to the administrative building.
At one stage, they forcibly entered the room of the deputy registrar and beat him. The police went to the place and sent Jashim to hospital.
The university authorities urged the Chittagong Metropolitan Police to deploy policemen on the campus to avoid further untoward incidents. The authorities said Jashim will file a case.
The university director, retired colonel Iskandar, said the authorities had expelled eight students, including Salauddin Johnny, Kamanashish Barua, and Somen Palit, in June for violating rules.
The university also filed a case against 50 students, including the eight expelled, at the time, he said.
Fire at Karwan Bazar fruit market
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Fire broke out near the Karwan Bazar fruit market Saturday, burning down property worth about Tk 10 lakh.
According to traders, the fire started from a kerosene stove in a room, occupied by one Abdul Mannan, at about 11:45am.
Three fire-fighting vehicles from different fire service stations extinguished the fire at about 12:45pm. No-one was injured.
Ten shops, a barbar’s, a hotel and thirteen rooms of a mess were burnt to ashes.
Officials at the Fire Service and Civil Defence said they were yet to ascertain the cause of fire and the extent of damage. They estimated that the fire had damaged property worth Tk 5 lakh.
The traders claimed the figure should somewhere around Tk 10 lakh.
Call for move against drug trade
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
All the political parties and conscious citizens should come forward and form a common platform for a drive against drug abuse and illegal drug trade in the Dhaka city, said the Dhaka mayor, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, on Saturday.
He addressed a discussion organised by Manos, a voluntary organisation, in the National Museum auditorium at Shahbagh.
Manos president Arup Ratan Chowdhury chaired the meeting. The mayor was chief guest.
Arup said drug traders use Bangladesh as a transit point for trafficking in drug.
Programme on computer literacy held
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Ekmatra, a Mirpur-based non-profit organisation working to improve the conditions of the street children, held a programme on computer literacy and community service at Mohammadpur Boys’ High School on Tuesday.
Six hundred students from both the morning and day shifts of Class V and VI attended the one-hour programme held at the school auditorium under Ekmatra-Lexmark Awareness Campaign Operation.
Ekmatra, teamed up with Computer Source Limited, the sole distributor of Lexmark Printers, arranged the programme to acquaint the students of the school with the use of computer alongside creating their awareness of the state of the street children.
The programme was performed by street children who are under various programmes of the organisation.
A symbolic character from the planet, Pluto, ‘Toto’ played by one of the performing children, adorned in a comic costume, was used to narrate a story through poems and songs on how to use his ‘friend’, the computer.
It was an interactive programme where the school children from the audience were called up on stage and asked to help ‘Toto’.
Through the programme, ‘Toto’ later narrated the state of the schoolchildren.
The programme concluded with the chorus ‘we shall overcome’ song.
Ekmatra earlier had organised the similar programme at Siddheshwari Girls’ High School on July 9.
In the upcoming months, the programme is slated in four other schools.
Square Toiletries signs memo with
Acid Survivors’ Foundation
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
The Square Toiletries Limited signed a memorandum of understanding with the Acid Survivors’ Foundation on July 27, 2005, said a release.
The memo was signed by Square Toiletries general manager Md Mabmudul Hoque, and Acid Survivors’ Foundation executive director Munira Rahman.
Square Toiletries will donate a portion of the sales revenue from Senora sanitary napkins to the foundation, which will be used to foster socio-economic development of survivors of acid violence and to create awareness of such violence among the poeple.
SUB and NIIT sign agreement
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
The State University of Bangladesh, and IT training company NIIT signed an agreement on credit transfer facilities for NIIT students towards Bachelor of Science in computer science and engineering at the university, said a news release.
The ceremony was held on the university campus in Dhaka on Saturday. Acting university vice-chancellor Ilyas Dhami was chief guest. NIIT Bangladesh head Devjit Sarkar was special guest.
Registrar AYM Ekram-ud-Daulah and science and technology dean AAKM Lutfuzzaman also spoke.
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CITYLINE
Five suspected
robbers held
The Detective Branch arrested five suspected robbers from a hotel at Maghbazar early Saturday in possession of three revolvers, 12 bullets and a grille cutter. A polie team raided the hotel Saint Martin at about 12:30am and arrested them from Room 302. The police said the gang had assembled to plan a robbery at a Malibagh house. The arrested are Mohammad Ali alias Angulkata Ali, 40, and his associates Akash, 26, Mainul, 25, Rois, 22, and Rafiq, 26. The police said the gang had committed a number of robberies in the city over the past few years. They were interrogated in the Detective Branch office.
— New Age
RAB, transport
workers clash in Khulna
Transport workers on Saturday clashed with a team of the Rapid Action Battalion and stopped bus movement on different routes from the Sonadanga bus terminal for three hours. The workers said the trouble began when a RAB team accused the transport workers of harassing passengers and assaulted four bus drivers for not having valid documents near Khulna University at Paikgacha at around 9.30 am. The transport workers at the bus terminal stopped bus movement in protest. As a patrol team of RAB reached at the terminal at about noon, the workers attacked the RAB vehicle, forcing it to retreat. The bus services resumed after three hours at about 1:00pm.
— BDNews
Aurora Foundation formed
A trust named Lieutenant General Jagjit Singh Aurora Foundation was formed on Friday in acknowledgement of contribution of lieutenant general Jagjit Singh Aurora, the Indian general who led the allied forces during the Bangladesh war of independence. The trust will help the disadvantaged and poor freedom fighters. A convening committee was also formed led by Supreme Court lawyer Abu Jahid Sentu. Other members on the committee are Mohuddin Ahmed, Durgadas Bhattacharya, Abul Barakat, Aroma Datta, Rawshan Ara, Sahfiquzzaman, ASM Badrudozza, Ahmed Parvez Shamsuddin, Syed Tasneen Hossain, Swapon
Sarker, Akhtaruzzaman and Akhter Mahmud Choudhury.
— New Age
13 ships fined in Ctg
The Chittagong port magistracy fined 13 vessels and detained two others on Saturday for violating rules. Port officials said a mobile court, led by magistrate Mohammed Monir Chowdhury, realised Tk 2 lakh in fine from the vessels on charge of violating berthing law, overloading and sailing in the sea ignoring weather signal. The court detained two vessels of the WMS Company from the dry dock area on charge of violating sailing rules. The drive was conducted with the help of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police.
— New Age
BASIS newsletter launched
The Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services on Saturday launched its monthly newsletter — BASIS News & Views. The objective of the newsletter is to focus on the local capacity in software production and IT-enabled services, and to work as an advocacy tool. BRAC University vie-chancellor Jamilur Reza Chowdhury was present as chief guest. BASIS vice-president TIM Nurul Kabir, former president Habibullah N Karim and its founder president A Towhid and its director and newsletter editor AKM Fahim Mashrur spoke.
— BDNews
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