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Some publishers of books and owners of libraries in Manikganj and Jamalpur are engaged in pushing the sale of their sub-standard books on different subjects to high schools and kindergartens through fraudulent means.
   The books of these dishonest publishers and libraries abound with grammatical, spelling and printing mistakes. These books are also replete with wrong information on many issues. A report from our Manikganj correspondent said the guardians of students of most of the 143 high schools and over one hundred kindergartens under seven upazilas in the district are being compelled to buy these low quality books on different subjects at high prices.
   The publishers of the below standard books are stated to be offering cash money and gifts to the management of schools and kindergartens, influential teachers and representatives of the teachers’ association for including their books in their book list. The gifts include computer, furniture and electrical gadgets. The size of cash money ranges from taka ten thousand to four lakh.
   The owners of different libraries patronise the dishonest publishers for getting hefty commission.
   There was an allegation that a book publisher gave Tk four lakh to Shibalay Upazila Teachers’ Association as donation for recommending their sub-standard books to different high schools in the upazila.
   The district administration constituted a committee headed by the additional deputy commissioner (general) recently to scrutinise the books of different publishers.
   The committee by letter directed the management of the high schools to include only those books of the publishers in their list which have been approved by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board.
    The committee also asked all concerned to sell and purchase books at prices fixed by the NCTB.
   But many of the schools in the district are not paying any heed to the directive of the committee .These schools are instructing their students to buy the sub-standard books of the dishonest publishers only for getting gifts and donation in cash from the latter.
   Such donation is nothing but bribe, a teacher said.
   Majority of the teachers were of the view that the NCTB should take initiative to stop the malpractices in selecting books for the high school students.
   Our Jamalpur correspondent adds: Head masters, members of the managing committees of a good number of high schools across the district and representatives of the teachers are falling prey to the lucrative offers being made by the publishers of the sub-standard books for different classes. The publishers of books are also taking them to different picnic spots by buses and bearing all their expenses for the favour of recommending their low quality books to the students.

Rickshaw pullers observed a dawn to dusk strike in the Patuakhali town on Saturday protesting against killing of a fellow rickshaw puller.
   There was no picketing in favour or against the strike. The rickshaw pullers brought out a protest procession that paraded different roads in the town. They also held a rally at launch ghat in the morning.
   Speakers at the rally demanded immediate arrest of and punishment for the killers of the rickshaw puller, Manik.
   Habibur Rahman, Nuruzzaman Charkha and Faruk Fakir of the local rickshaw pullers association were among those who addressed the gathering.
   Manik, 26, was abducted from the Patuakhali launch station area and beaten to death allegedly by Abul Qashem Mridha, a rickshaw trader, and his associates Forkan and Miron on Thursday noon over dispute of paying transport rent to the owner.
   The father of the victim lodged a case with the police in this connection. However, none was arrested till filing of the report on Saturday evening.

At least 30 people were injured in a clash between two groups of villagers over previous enmity at village Kauwatikory under Singra upazila in Natore on Saturday. Four houses were also ransacked during the melee.
   The police said the trouble erupted when the suppor- ters of Kazi Amzad Hossain
   and Alhaj Khalilur Rahman locked in a quarrel at the village in the morning.
   Of the injured, eight bullet-hit persons — Saiful Islam, 38, Baharul Islam, 32, Askan Ali, 22, Abdul Hannan, 32, Abdur Rouf, 40, Abdul Jabbar, 35, Zillur Rahman, 34, and Manjuarara, 27, — were admitted to Singra Upazila Health Complex.
   On information, the Singra police went to the spot and brought the situation under control. None was arrested in this connection.

A boy was killed and 10 others, including six children, were injured in a boiler explosion at a rice mill at Mathuradi under Sribardi upazila in Sherpur on Saturday.
   The dead is Mizanur Rahman, 12. Of the injured, boiler mechanic Jamshed, 28, and Solaiman, 7, were taken to the Mymensingh Medical College Hospital in critical condition.

An 80-year-old woman committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling at village Gopalpur under Tungipara upazila in Gopalganj on Friday night.
   The police said the woman, Kanto Biswas, wife of late Debendra Nath Biswas, of the village was suffering from different types of diseases; but due to poverty she could not go to the doctor. A case was filed.