FROM a middle-aged man, Ali Hussain now turns 62 in jail. All co-accused in a murder case are now free. But Ali, inhabitant of Habiganj, has been in jail till today since August 5, 1992.
   Fifteen years are enough to fade out his memory about the family he left home. His youngest son is now 15 years old. The old man has almost given up the hope of being reunited with the family.
   This story was revealed recently when some prisoners, released from the Moulvibazar district jail, told the local journalists about Ali Hussain, known as Allya among the jail mates.
   Jail and district authorities were also aware of him.
   Records show Ali Hussain, son of Askar Ali of village Chhaysri at Ahmedabad union under Chunarughat upazila in Habiganj was arrested in a murder case on August 5, 1992 along with 10 others. Other arrested included chairman of Ahmedabad union parishad Abdul Latif.
   All were accused of murdering Saleque Miah, a UP member at Amrut Bazar under the upazila, on August 4, 1992.
   The arrested, including the chairman, managed to get the case shifted from Habiganj district court to Moulvibazar district and sessions judge court. They also moved to the High Court and step out of the jail on bail. But Ali Hussain was left behind and the proceeding of the case stopped since February 1996 on a High Court stay order.
   Ill-fated Ali continued to languish in jail as he was none to move for him from court to court.
   His wife saw him only once in last 15 years, when he was in Habiganj jail. The poor family could not afford to see him after he was shifted to Moulvibazar jail, where he is detained till today.
   Journalists contacted his family members at his village home and brought them before him in the jail gate of Moulvibazar.
   His wife was pregnant when Ali was arrested. He saw his youngest son Didar, now 15, for the first time. Ali, father of five sons and a daughter, only gave a blank look.
   His wife Rokeya Khatun for the first time got a scope to demand the release of her husband.
   Her neighbour Aminul Haque said he had contacted with several human and legal rights organisations in Dhaka, Sylhet and Moulvibazar and sought their help in getting Ali released, but none came up for help so far.
   Dulal Bhuiyan, the plaintiff of the murder case that landed Ali in jail more than 15 years ago, told the journalists that Ali was not known to him and he was a victim of poverty. ‘As he is a poor man, so he had not been able to get bail,’ Dulal said.
   Abdul Latif, the UP chairman and co-accused of Ali, told journalists that real murderers escaped the trial while people like him and Ali fell victims.
   The chairman said when he had got bail from the High Court, none on behalf of Ali communicated with them or the lawyers.
   Shajahan Ahmed, Moulvibazar jail super, confirmed that Ali had been detained there for long. ‘The jail authorities wish to see that Ali’s case proceeding concludes soon,’ he said.
   Alkama Sidiquee, deputy commissioner of Moulvibazar, said the case of Ali should be put for trail as soon as possible. ‘But it is a matter of the honourable High Court,’ he concludes.

ACHIEVING self-reliance is essential to drive out poverty from the society, speakers said in a workshop in Rangpur.
   The speakers asked the young people to engage themselves in income-generating activities after getting proper trainings on various trades. They also asked for playing their due role by the youths in alleviating poverty, social development, upgrading the living standard through achieving self-reliance.
   Youth Development Department and Mithapukur upazila administration on Thursday organised the workshop at the auditorium of the upazila parishad with deputy director of the department, Rajshahi Motiur Rahman in the chair.
   Mithapukur UNO AKM Masuduzzaman attended it as chief guest. The department's assistant director Rafikul Islam Shameem and assistant director (poverty alleviation and loan) of Dhaka Biraz Chandra Sarker, among others, addressed the workshop.
   The speakers underscored the need for creating mass awareness among the conscious citizens at the grassroots level to get rid of the abject poverty in the areas through proper utilisation of the micro-credits, building leadership, capitals and social awareness.
   They said the youths including women were successfully changing their fates by sewing, cottage and handloom industries, businesses, farming vegetables and other cash crops and rearing poultry birds, goats, cows, sheep and ducks.
   A total of 50 centre chiefs and secretaries of the upazila took part in the training.

THE joint forces have rounded up the chairman and two members of a union parishad under Mithapukur upazila in Rangpur on charge of misappropriating VGF cards.
   The arrested were chairman Saiful Haq, and members Abdul Mazid and Rana Miah. The law enforcers detained them in front of the union parishad office on Wednesday night.
   The police said the VGF rice was being distributed among the vulnerable people in the parishad on Wednesday. Each of them was supposed to receive 15kg of rice. But the chairman and the members were giving the beneficiaries 13kg of rice.
   Tipped off, members of the joint forces caught them red-handed. The arrested were handed over to the police and a case was registered.

A WOMAN and her two sons were electrocuted in a Barisal village on Thursday.
   The deceased were Mongoli Begum, 71, Khalil, 53, and Alamgir Howladar, 35, at village Satla under Wazirpur upazila.
   The police said the family constructed electrified fencing surrounding the cropland to save paddy from rats.
   On Thursday evening, without disconnecting electricity supply Khalil went to the field and got electrocuted. His mother Mongoli Begum and brother Alamgir rushed to save him and also were electrocuted.
   Joynul Abedin, their neighbour, who also tried to save the victims also sustained severe injuries and was treated in a local clinic.

A BOOK fair will be held in Gaibandha in February 23-29.
   A preparatory meeting related to holding the fair was held at the conference room of District Collectorate Bhaban in the town on Wednesday with the deputy commissioner, Quazi M Anwarul Hakim, in the chair.
   District administration will organise the fair with the assistance of Jatiya Grantha Kendra on the occasion of International Mother Language Day.
   The fair will be held on the premises of Independence Square of the town, officials said.
   As many as 30 book stalls, including attractive handicraft shops, will be set up in the fair. Besides, discussion meetings and cultural functions will be held in the fair everyday.
   A convening committee headed by ADC (general) M Abul Bayes Miah was also formed to make the fair a success.
   Sadar upazila UNO Iftekhar Hossain, representatives of book publishers and sellers attended the meeting.