BNP leader Rajon admitted to Square Hospital

A central leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, who was hacked by activists of a rival faction of the party in Barisal on Monday night, was taken to Dhaka early Tuesday in a critical condition.

Police arrested one activist in connection with the attack on Tuesday after a case was lodged against BNP's local lawmaker Mojibor Rahman Sarwar and 11 other activists of the party and its front organisations.

Police and witnesses said party rivals had pounced on Advocate Nazrul Islam Rajon, central BNP's assistant organising secretary for Barisal division, at Charkawa ferry terminal and struck him with machetes repeatedly leaving him critically injured on Monday night.

Rajon, also former secretary of the party's district unit, came under attack on his way to Barisal city after completing an organisational tour of Bhola district. He was accompanied by central BNP leaders Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Hannan Shah, former lawmaker Nazimuddin Alam and others.

He was taken to Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital with injuries on head, chest, eyes, a leg and a hand and was sent to Dhaka by road early Tuesday after his condition deteriorated, said Dr Zahirul Islam Manik of SBMCH.

Rajon's elder brother Principal Abdur Rashid Khan, also an Awami League leader, said Rajon had been admitted to Square Hospital in Dhaka under Dr Sanwar and that his condition was not yet out of danger.

The BNP leaders and activists, who witnessed the incident, said Qamrul Islam Ratan, Maksud Alam Mamun, Ariful Islam Munna, Firoz Ahmed Kalu and other activists of the rival faction had dragged Rajon out of his car, beaten him up mercilessly and struck him with machetes on the terminal.

The rivals later attacked and beat up sadar upazila BNP president Rustam Mallik on the Barisal circuit house premises at about 11:00pm in presence of central leaders.

Momen Sikder, a central Juba Dal leader, who witnessed the incident, alleged that the attackers were henchmen of local BNP lawmaker and former BCC mayor Mojibor Rahman Sarwar.

Principal Abdur Rashid Khan and BNP leader Ahsan Habib Kamal claimed that miscreants unleashed by Sarwar had attacked Rajon.

When contacted, Mojibur Rahman Sarwar denied the charge saying he never believed in terrorism. He also condemned the attack and demanded punishment of the culprits.

Source: New Age

2 go missing in Meghna boat capsize

Two people went missing as a boat caught in storm sank in the River Meghna at Hatikhola in Sarail upazila early Tuesday.

The missing were Rupchand, 28, and Sumaiya, 6, of Mithamoin upazila of Kishoreganj.

Local sources said the Bhairab-bound boat carrying 1,500 mounds of paddy and 27 passengers met with the accident while sailing from Kishoreganj.

Of the passengers, 27 swim ashore while two others remained untraced till filing of this report at 4:00pm  Tuesday following the accident.

The divers launched drive to salvage the sunken river craft.

Source: New Age

PSA wants Limon shooters punished

Progressive Students' Alliance on Tuesday announced a rally for May 16 and a procession for May 19 in protest at the shooting and maiming of college student Limon by the Rapid Action battalion and police attack on the residents of Fulbari and Barapukuria on May 5.

Announcing the programme at a press conference at Dhaka University Madhur Canteen, the leaders of the students' alliance demanded exemplary punishment of the RAB personnel involved in shooting Limon which resulted in amputation of his left leg.

They said extrajudicial killings or killing in encounters were a kind of terrorism and it was time to protest against such serious violation of human rights.

The student leaders also protested against terrorism in educational institutions and violence for establishing supremacy on the campuses.

The PSA condemned the police action on members of National Committee for Protection of Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Port and Power during their protest against acquisition of private lands for mining at Barapukuria.

Shamajtantrik Chhatra Front president Saifuzzaman Sakon, general secretary Mehdi Hasan Tamal, Bangladesh Chhatra Federation president Ariful Islam, Bangladesh Chhatra Union president SM Shuvo and leaders of Chhatra Oikya Forum and Biplobi Chhatra Maitri were present at the conference.

Source: New Age

RMG workers demonstrate for dues in DEPZ

The workers of two garment factories in the Dhaka Export Processing Zone in Ashulia demonstrated on Tuesday for payment of their overdue wages.

Police and factory sources said that the workers of Alfa Patten and Alfa Fashion Bangladesh Ltd, which are owned by the same person, went to the factories in the morning on Tuesday, and were told that they would not get their wages that day. They became agitated, abstained from work and began demonstrating.

According to the rules of the EPZ, the workers have to be paid their wages before the 10th of each month.

The management said that due to some internal problems they could not pay the workers their April wages in time, but the workers complained to reporters that the management often delays the payment of their wages.

The Ashulia thana police said that the management had promised that the workers would be paid their wages on 15 May, and declared holiday till 14 May to prevent any untoward incident.

The deputy director of the Ashulia zone industrial police, Faizul Kabir, said though the workers had demonstrated there had been no vandalism or violence.

An additional number of policemen, however, have been deployed.

Source: New Age

Man accused of killing mother sent to jail

A 25-year-old lawyer who surrendered to the Mirpur police on Monday evening hours after killing his mother in their house at Shewrapara in Dhaka was on Tuesday sent jail after recording his statement given to a magistrate.

Habib Mughul in his statement said that his mother Roksana Mughol, 47, died after he had hit her with a brick.

He said that he had killed his mother as he though she was had been trying to kill him by mixing poison with his food since 1998. Habib said that he used to fall sick after eating meals prepared by his mother.

The investigation officer, Mahbubul Haque, said that during preliminary investigation, Habib appeared to be mentally ill. 'The court after recording his statement sent him to jail.'

Habibur recently received his LLB degree from the Dhaka International University and had practiced law in court for two months.

Source: New Age

JS body asks ministry to explain BB’s incurring Tk 80 crore loss

The parliamentary standing committee on public undertakings on Tuesday asked the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry to submit a report within next one month explaining the reasons behind the Tk 80 crore loss incurred by Biman during fiscal 2009-10.

The committee at a meeting discussed the audit reports of the Civil Aviation Authority and Biman Bangladesh Airlines and reviewed the overall activities. The committee members raised questions over the huge loss incurred by Biman last year, the meeting sources said.

According to the audit report, the national flag carrier ran its  operation during the caretaker regime without following  proper rules and in the fiscal 2009-10 it incurred aloss of Tk 80 crore which prompted the committee to ask the reasons for such loss.

'Suddenly in the fiscal 2009-10Biman incurred such huge loss which was not normal and we wanted to look into the matter,' the committee chairman ABM Golam Mostafa told New Age after the meeting.

He said that the committee asked the Civil Aviation ministry to investigate into the matter and submit a detail report before the committee showing the reasons behind the huge loss within next one month.

'Not only the huge loss, we also wanted to know under which rules and regulations the Biman management recruited officials during the caretaker government regime and how much loss it incurred for raising the Biman fare,' committee member TIM Fazle Rabbi Chowdhury said.

He said that the committee sensed irregularities in the operation of Biman and wanted to know details for further course of action.

Meeting sources said that the committee recommended that the passenger transporting service and operation of Biman should be upgraded to make it commercially viable.

The committee also asked the Biman management to follow the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reliable and Time bound) formula for improving the services of the national flag carrier.

Source: New Age

Security beefed up at Pilkhana as 2nd verdict on BDR mutiny case to be announced today

Security was beefed up at the Border Guard Bangladesh headquarter at Pilkhana in the city as the second verdict of one of 11 cases related to BDR rebellion in Dhaka on February 25-26, 2009 will be delivered today, officials said.

Additional para-commandos and law enforcers including Rapid Action Battalion were called in at Pilkhana and existing security personnel were asked to remain alert before and after delivering the verdict, a preparatory security meeting source said.     

The special court-11, presided over by theBGB Mymensingh sector commander, Colonel Iftekhar Uddin Mahmud, will start delivering the verdict on 84 accused of BGB Dhaka Sector Headquarters at about 9:00am at BGB Durbar Hall at Pilkhana. 

The first verdict in cases relating to soldiers' rebellion in Dhaka on February 25-26, 2009 had been delivered on February 1.

The other judges of the special court-11 are Lieutenant Colonel Shahadat Hossain and Major AKM Alamgir Hossain.

On October 3, 2010, the special court started the proceedings against 84 accused mutineers of BGB, formerly Bangladesh Rifles.

Plaintiff of the case, acting Subedar Major Shah Alam of Dhaka Sector Headquarter raised the charges against the 84 border guards for violating the orders of BDR officers, not resisting other mutineers from taking part in the mutiny and not informing the higher authorities about the mutiny on February 25-26, 2009 at the border guards' headquarter in Dhaka where 75 people, including 57 army officers, were killed.

The plaintiff had said 40 of the accused had trained their guns at their officers on the first day of the two-day mutiny while the other accused did not try to stop them.

Till day, 1,947 soldiers have been sentenced by special courts across the country on charge of the February 2009 mutiny.

Fifty-seven cases, including 11 in Dhaka, were filed after the mutiny that rocked all but nine BDR units.

The first trial of BDR mutiny began in Rangamati on November 24, 2009 under Bangladesh Rifles Order 1972.

After carrying out unit-level investigations, authorities brought mutiny and related charges against 6,052 soldiers, 4,098 of them in Dhaka.

Fifty-nine BDR soldiers have so far been acquitted of the charges by specials courts.

Source: New Age

Ministry proposes 2pc health tax on tobacco items

The health ministry has proposed that the finance ministry should introduce health tax in the forthcoming budget to control tobacco use.

A ministry official said that the 'the proposal for tobacco use control has already been sent to the finance ministry and the National Board of Revenue.'

According to the proposal, the ministry also suggested imposition of 2 per cent health tax on bidis and cigarettes to reduce tobacco use.

The proposal said that 57,000 people die of tobacco related diseases in the country every year.

Millions also become disabled because such diseases forcing the government to pay a large amount of money on health care.

The ministry in its proposal said that it was also necessary to increase taxes on all types of cigarettes and bidis.

It suggested that taxes on all tobacco items should be increased in view of the negative impact of tobacco on human health.

The proposal said that the revenue earned from the health tax should be given to the health ministry.

The money will be spent on anti-tobacco campaign and other activities to stop and reduce vulnerability of tobacco-related diseases.

The health ministry's tobacco control programme manager Azam-E Sadat said that the ministry had sent the proposal to finance ministry and the revenue board.

'People with low incomes spend a larger percentage of their income on tobacco than the people with higher income do,' the proposal said, adding that an increase in taxes on tobacco items can motivate low-income groups to reduce their expenses on tobacco.

Source: New Age

3G mobile phone by this year: Razu

The post and telecommunications minister, Raziuddin Ahmed Razu, has said 3-G mobile phone will be introduced in the country by this year for further development of the mobile phone sector.

'The 3-G mobile phone would bring revolutionary changes in the information and communication technologies including e-education and e-health,' he said while addressing as the chief guest the annual prize-giving function of Bangshal Girls' High School in Dhaka Tuesday.

The telecom minister said new generation, especially the students, could play an important role in implementing Digital Bangladesh.

Highlighting various programmes taken by the government to build a Digital Bangladesh, he said country could not lag behind in the ICT sector.

'We would be able to provide laptops to the students at low cost to reduce burden of the students on textbooks,' he said.

Placing emphasis on educating the new generation in real history, the telecom minister said people, who were in favour of the liberation war, never form a government with Razakar and Al-badr.

With headmistress of the school Jinnat Ara Saleha in the chair, the function was addressed by local parliament member Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin.

Source: New Age

Two killed in Nilphamari storm

At least two people were killed, several hundred houses razed and innumerable trees uprooted as tornado lashed eight unions of Domar, Dimla and Jaldhaka upazilas of the district Monday evening.

Local administration and hospital sources said lightning strike killed Surobhi, 6, daughter of Babul of BOP Bazar of Dangapara village of Domar upazila during storm while Shilpi Begum, 20, daughter of Mahubar Rahman of West Golmunda village of Jaldhaka upazila died as a tree fell on her at 7:30pm.

At least seven people were injured hit by flying obstacles blown by wind or thunder bolts in Bhogdaburi union of Domar, Golmunda union of Jaldhaka and West Chhatnai of Dimla.

Local administration sources said storms battered scores of villages in eight unions, blowing away over 1,000 houses, razing six educational institutions, damaging bamboo bridge and culverts and uprooting innumerable trees and power supply poles.

The injured were receiving treatment at local hospitals.

Source: New Age

Experts urged to exchange information on agricultural research

Experts on agriculture sector from different SAARC countries on Tuesday stressed the need for exchanging information on agricultural research and development to multiply success in the field.

They underscored the need at the inaugural session of a three-day training workshop on 'Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development and Strengthening Regional Agricultural Information Systems in the SAARC countries' at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council in the city.

BARC, SAARC Agricultural Centre, Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions, Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations jointly organized the workshop being attended by 35 participants including 22 from other SAARC countries.

Bangladesh Agricultural University vice-chancellor MA Sattar Mandal, addressing the ceremony as the chief guest, said, 'We can contribute a lot to the agricultural research and development through sharing information and timely intervention.'

BARC executive chairman Wais Kabir, who chaired the session, said South Asia is faced with multiple challenges like ensuring food security, gradual decrease of arable land and increase of population.

He urged APAARI to play an active role in sharing agricultural information in the Asia-pacific region and taking measures for timely forecasting of the possible outbreak of trans-boundary animal diseases to minimise loss.

APPARI coordinator Attaluri Srinivasacharyulu, GFAR representative Ajit Maru, FAO representative Gerard Sylvester, SAC director Abul Kalam Azad and SAC deputy director (Agriculture) SK Pal also addressed the session.

The organizers said the training aims at strengthening capacity and skills of information and communication managers in the SAARC countries to improve participation in the RAIS activities as well as CIARD.

Source: New Age

Former RU treasurer dies

Former Rajshahi University treasurer Mozammel Haque died on Monday night at Dhaka Medical College Hospital due to old age complications. He was 72. 

He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

He was buried at Mirpur graveyard in Dhaka Tuesday after namaz-e-janaza.

RU vice-chancellor Abdus Sobhan, pro-vice-chancellor Mohammad Nurullah and treasurer Abdur Rahman mourned his death.

Source: New Age

Additional tax on bidi, cigarettes demanded

The Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance on Tuesday demanded 15 per cent additional tax on cigarettes and bidis in the forthcoming national budget.

The organization at a work on 'Tobacco Taxation' at the Hotel Sundarban in the capital also urged the government to impose a specific tax of Tk 2 on a pack of bidis.

The workshop was organised by the Progga and the Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance.  The ATMA convener, Ruhul Amin Rushd, presided over the workshop.

The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids advocacy officer, Taifur Rahman, gave a presentation on 'taxing tobacco in Bangladesh: why and how.'

Source: New Age