Bangladesh: 72-hour blockade begins

The BNP-led opposition alliance enforces a 72-hour countrywide blockade of road, railway and waterways beginning this morning demanding the cancellation of the national elections schedule and the holding of the elections under a non-party, election-time government.

This is the third spell of blockade after the second one for 131 hours beginning on November 30 and the first one for 71 hours beginning November 26.

The BNP’s joint secretary general Salahuddin Ahmed, now the party’s spokesperson, announced the blockade enforcement in a video message from an undisclosed location on Thursday. The blockade will continue till 6:00am on Tuesday.

The Dhaka city unit BNP in a statement signed by its joint convener Ali Asgar Matubbor on Friday announced a 24-hour general strike in the capital beginning at 6:00am Sunday in protest at the arrest of the Dhaka city unit BNP, Sadeque Hossain, also the BNP’s vice-chairman, that took place at night on December 4.

An engineer and two drivers, who earlier sustained injuries in blockade-related violence died in Dhaka and Sylhet on Friday.

At least 50 people were killed in violence after November 25 when the Election Commission announced the schedule of the national elections posting it for January 5.

The blockade beginning today coincides with the visit of the UN assistant secretary general for political affairs, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, who is due in town today.

Fernandez-Taranco is scheduled to meet the leader of the opposition in the parliament, Khaleda Zia, in her house at Gulshan this evening, BNP leaders said.

The BNP and its allies held ghayebana janaza for the activists, who died in blockade violence, in all cities, districts and upazila headquarters after the jumma prayers  on Friday.

In view of the blockade beginning today, panic gripped city people on Friday afternoon as blockade supporters started clashing with the police and damaging and burning vehicles.

Some Jamaat and Shibir activists clashed with the police at Uttar Badda after the jumma prayers.

They set a police car and a bus on far and damaged some other vehicles during the clash, DMP Gulshan zone assistant commissioner Nurul Alam said.

Witnesses said that Jamaat and Shibir activists had brought out a procession from near a mosque after the congregational prayers. As the police obstructed them on Pragati Sarani, chases between them lead to the clash when the police fired several gunshots and rubber bullets.

There were no casualties, the police said adding that they had arrested two Shibir activists at the place.

Blockade supporters also set a bus on far near Farmgate on Friday afternoon. They also burnt a microbus on Manik Mia Avenue.

Nilufar Yasmin, duty officer at the control room of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, said that local people had put out the flames.

Blockade supporters also exploded crude bombs near the Bangla Academy, witnesses said.

Truck driver Mehedi Hasan, 30, who sustained burn injuries when his during the blockade on November 30 in Faridpur, died from his injuries in the burn and plastic surgery unit at Dhaka Medical College Hospital at 9:20am, officials said.

At least 13 people have so far died from the injuries they had sustained during blockade-related violence only in the DMCH since November 25.

CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver Shoib Ahmed, 35, who became wounded after his vehicle had overturned when blockaders chased him at Dakkhin Surma in Sylhet on December 5, died in MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital in Sylhet about 6:30am on Friday.

Engineer Ratan Kumar Saha, who sustained injuries in an attack on a bus at Savar on December 2, died in Square Hospitals about 1:00am on Friday.

Ratan worked in a factory owned the prime minister’s adviser Anwar Hossain Manju at Savar. (source) 

Bangladesh: 6 parties deny having submitted nomination papers

Top leaders of six registered political parties, including three opposition alliance partners, were taken aback by the disclosure of Election Commission that candidates from their parties had submitted nomination papers for contesting the next general elections.

All six parties said they had not fielded any candidates or issued any nomination letters.   

Three opposition alliance partners said it was a ‘plot’ to create ‘confusion’ among the allies and asked the EC how they had accepted nomination papers without authentication by the leadership of the respective parties. 

They said they would not participate in the election unless there was a non-party or neutral election-time government.

The Election Commission said that candidates of 20 political parties had submitted nomination papers till December 2, the last date for submission of papers. 

Jatiya Party JP (Manju), the Ershad-led Jatiya Party, Jatiya Party-JP, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu) and Workers Party of Bangladesh, submitted nomination papers.

Allies of the AL – Bangladesh Tariqat Federation and Bangladesh National Awami Party and Ganatantry Party and the newly floated Bangladesh Nationalist Front – are also in the race.

Besides, candidates from Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), Bangladesh Muslim League, Gana Front, Bangladesh National Awami Party (Bangladesh NAP), Bangladesh Jatiya Party (Matin), Islamic Front Bangladesh, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Bangladesh Islami Front and Khelafat Majlish also submitted nomination papers for the January 5 polls.

According to the EC website, Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal, was an unregistered party.   

Surprised by the disclosure of EC, six parties said that they had not submitted any nominations papers. The parties are – Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Rab) Bangladesh Muslim League, Islamic Front Bangladesh, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), Khelafat Majlish and Bangladesh National Awami Party (Bangladesh NAP).

Three of the parties – Jatiya Party (BJP), Khelafat Majlish and Bangladesh NAP – are components of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led opposition alliance.

Jatiya Party (BJP) chairman Andaleeve Rahman said, ‘It is ridiculous… Nobody from my party has

submitted nomination. I have not signed anybody’s nomination papers’. 

Khelafat Majlish general secretary Ahmed Abdul Kader and Bangladesh NAP general secretary Golam Mostafa said none from their respective parties had submitted nomination papers.

‘It was part of plot to create confusion and split our alliance,’ said Golam Mostafa.

They said it was irresponsible on the part of the EC to do so and asked how the commission could accept nomination papers without authentication by the leadership of the respective parties.

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Rab) general secretary Malek Ratan, Islamic Front Bangladesh secretary general Abul Bashar Mohammad Jainal Abedin and Bangladesh Muslim League Nurul Haque Majumder said that no candidates from their parties had submitted nomination papers.

‘The Election Commission has made false claims…,’ said Abul Bashar Mohammad Jainal Abedin.

BNP chairperson’s advisory council member Ahmed Azam Khan said no leaders or activists of the components of the alliance had submitted nomination papers. (source) 

Bangladesh: Taranco arrives, meets Hasina, Khaleda today

The UN assistant secretary-general for political affairs, Oscar Fernández Taranco, arrived in Bangladesh Friday evening amid the country’s murky political situation that has cast a shadow on its general election.

Taranco reached Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 7:55pm by an Emirates flight.

His visit is aimed at encouraging ‘dialogue and conditions’ conducive to parliamentary elections scheduled for January 5, said a statement issued by UN resident coordinator in Dhaka, Neal Walker.

Taranco will start his official tour on Saturday and will meet foreign secretary M Shahidul Haque at 10:00am, foreign minister AH Mahmud Ali at 10:30am at the latter’s office on the day.

He will meet prime minister Sheikh Hasina at 4:00pm at her official residence Ganobhaban and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan residence at 7:00pm on Saturday, according to PMO and BNP sources.

During his stay here, the UN envoy will also meet chief election commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, senior leaders of the Awami League and BNP, representatives from the government, civil society and the international community to help ensure free, fair and credible polls in Bangladesh.

Taranco will leave Dhaka on December 10 and report back to the UN chief on the outcome of his Bangladesh visit ahead of the election, said an official source.

On May 13 in Dhaka, he gave an idea what could be the consequences in case of unreliable polls and fruitless dialogue, saying, ‘Everybody knows the consequences. The history of Bangladesh is already a good indicator what consequences can be if you don’t have a free, fair and credible election…the political actors could clearly understand what the consequences would be.’

Last week, Ban Ki-moon wrote to Bangladesh’s two top leaders — Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia — and encouraged them to reach a mutually agreed consensus through ‘constructive dialogue’ to hold a ‘non-violent’ election in Bangladesh with the participation of all parties.

The UN envoy visited Bangladesh from May 10 to 13 at the request of secretary-general of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon.

During his last visit to Dhaka, he met the prime minister, the BNP chairperson, the speaker of parliament, the foreign minister, the chief election commissioner, leaders of major political parties, and the representatives of civil society and the media. (source) 

Bangladesh: AL-JP talks on amid Ershad flip-flop

The Awami League and Jatiya Party are holding negotiations behind the scenes though the JP has announced it will not contest the 10th general elections because of its being non-inclusive and lack of proper atmosphere.

Influential leaders of AL and JP confirmed the negotiations and told New Age that they were hopeful about the polls even if it required rescheduling of the election. 

Ershad on Friday night told newsmen that three of his ministers, including Rawshan Ershad, at a meeting with prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday had requested that the polls schedules be changed. The move followed a series of events after the JP’s announcement that it was going to boycott the election scheduled for January 5 and 

resignation of all six ministers and an adviser.

As part of the negotiation, Awami League has, meanwhile, offered to look into the cases pending with the court against Ershad, 70 seats and some other facilities, some top JP leaders said. 

`Discussion is going on. There is nothing final in politics. We are hopeful that Ershad will contest the election,’ senior Awami League leader Amir Hossain Amu, also the minister for land, told New Age on Friday night.  ‘Date for submission and withdrawal of nomination papers would be changed in line with the demand of Ershad,’ Amu said. 

`Jatiya Party is holding discussions with the government over taking part in the polls,’ JP secretary general ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader, also minister for civil aviation, told newsmen on Friday at Ershad’s Baridhara residence.  

‘I see nothing wrong if we continue talks with the government for a solution. We will not take any decision that goes against the country’s interest,’ Ruhul Amin Hawlader said adding, ‘We do not want the process of our tendering the resignations to be seen as something of a bad precedence in history.’ 

The national flag was seen flying atop Hawlader’s residence at road 44, Gulshan 2 in Dhaka on Friday afternoon.  ‘I have stopped using the flag on my car and so at my residence,’ claimed Hawlader who handed over his resignation letter to Ershad on Thursday for submission to the president.   

Immediately after Hawlader’s disclosure of talks with the government, water resources minister Anisul Islam Mahmud requested him not to make comments to the media over it,’ a source close to Hawalader told New Age Friday evening.  Hawlader assured Mahmud that he would not do so any more.  Two hours later, Ershad claimed that what Hawlader had said about negotiations with the government was baseless. Ershad also claimed that he had no discussions either with the government or with the opposition.  

New Age visited the Gulshan residence of Mahmud, also JP presidium member, on Friday and found the national flag hoisted but he declined to talk. On Friday Ershad said that Mahmud and Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu would hand over their resignations to him. 

New Age also visited the Gulshan residence of prime minister’s adviser and JP presidium member Ziauddin Bablu and found the national flag hoisted. He also declined to talk to New Age. 

Ershad on Wednesday told newsmen that he would commit suicide if anyone forced him to revise his decision to boycott the polls but on Friday he denied the statement and blamed the media for misquoting him. 

Talking to newsmen at his Baridhara residence on Friday morning, Ershad claimed that the media had misquoted him that he had threatened to commit suicide. On Thursday, a general diary was filed with the Gulshan police against Ershad’s threat to commit suicide.  

‘The media misquoted me. Actually I wanted to say that death would be my only destiny if the government plays any tricks or forces me to revise my decision to boycott the polls,’ Ershad claimed. 

‘I have noticed too many law enforcers and intelligence men inside and outside my residence and I feared that they might force me to revise my decision,’ he said.  

On the night of December 4, Ershad told newsmen that he would commit suicide if the government played any tricks or put any pressure on him to revise the decision to boycott the polls and retract the resignation of JP ministers. The video footages and audio records of the word ‘suicide’ that Ershad had uttered are available with the media. 

Ershad on Friday again claimed that Rawshan, Anisul and Ziauddin would hand over their resignation letters to him soon. Resignation letters of four ministers and state ministers have been given to Rawshan who has been assigned to submit the letters to the president. (source) 

Bangladesh: 6 ministers, 33 others likely to be elected unopposed

At least 33 ruling Awami League candidates, six of them are ministers, are likely to be elected unopposed in the 10th parliamentary elections as they emerged single candidates for the constituencies after the scrutiny of 

nomination papers that ended on Friday.

During the scrutiny that began on Thursday, the Election Commission cancelled candidature of 260 candidates keeping 847 valid for the polls scheduled for January 5, according to the commission’s draft list of valid candidates. 

Commission officials said that the number of candidates to be elected unopposed could increase after the withdrawal of candidature on December 13.

The six ministers elected unopposed are Syed Ashraful Islam for the Kishoreganj 1 constituency, Abul Mal Abdul Muhith for the Sylhet 1 constituency, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain for the Faridpur 3 constituency, Tofail Ahmed for the Bhola 1 constituency, Obaidul Quader for the Noakhali 5 constituency and Hasan Mahmud for the Chittagong 7 constituency.

Immediate-past ministers Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir contesting for the Chandpur 1 constituency, Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju for the Narsingdi 5 constituency and Dipu Moni for the Chandpur 3 constituency remained single candidates for the constituencies and another immediate-past minister Suranjit Sengupta also emerged the single candidate for the Sunamganj 2 as his rival candidate, Jatiya Party’s Jamil Chowdhury, had withdrawn his candidature.

The other candidates who emerged single contestants after the scrutiny are HN Ashiqur Rahman for the Rangpur 5 constituency, Nuruzzaman Ahmed for the Lalmonirhat 2 constituency, Omar Faruk Chowdhury for the Rajshahi 1 constituency, Enamul Haque for the Rajshahi 4 constituency, Abul Kalam for he Natore 1 constituency, Shafiqul Islam Shimul for the Natore 2 constituency, Zunayed Ahmed Palak for the Natore 3 constituency, Md Ishaq Hossain Talukder for the Sirajganj 3 constituency, Mrinal Kanti Das for the Munshiganj 3 constituency, Sheikh Helal Uddin for the Bagerhat 1 constituency, Mir Shawkat Ali Badsha for the Bagerhat 2 constituency, AKMA Awal (Saidur Rahman) for the Pirojpur 1 constituency, Amanur Rahman Khan Rana for the Tangail 3 constituency, Rezwan Ahammed Toufique for the Kishoreganj 4 constituency, Mamtaz Begum for the Manikganj 2 constituency, Zahid Ahsan Rasel for the Gazipur 2 constituency, Abdur Rahman for the Faridpur 1 constituency, Morshed Alam for the Noakhali 2 constituency, Md Abdus Shahid for the Moulvibazar 4 constituency, Md Ali Ashraf for the Comilla 7 constituency, AHM Mostafa Kamal for the Comilla 10 constituency, Nizam Uddin Hazari for the Feni 2 constituency and Sheikh Afil Uddin for the Jessore 1 constituency. They are all from the Awami League.

There has been no valid candidate for the Lakshmipur 3 constituency as the commission invalidated the nomination of both the candidates, including the one from the Awami League.

Article 19(1) of the Representation of the People Order 1972 stipulates that where, after scrutiny under Article 14, only one person remains as a validly nominated candidate for election as a member from a constituency or where after withdrawal under Article 16 only one person is left as a contesting candidate, the returning officer will, by public notice, declare such candidate to be elected to the seat. The article also says that if, after scrutiny, any candidate indicates that he intends to make an appeal under Clause 5 of Article 14 against the rejection of his nomination paper, no person will be declared elected uncontested until the period prescribed for filling such appeal has expired and no such appeal has been filed for, where an appeal is filed, until the disposal of such appeal.

The nominations of 847 candidates remained valid after the scrutiny as the returning officers cancelled nominations of 260 candidates. The candidates whose nominations were cancelled in the scrutiny would be able to file an appeal against the returning officer’s decision by December 9.

A total of 1,107 candidates from 20 political parties, mostly belonging to the Awami League-led ruling alliance, submitted nomination papers for the 10th parliamentary elections with most of the political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led opposition alliance, boycotting the polls.

The validly nominated candidates could withdraw their nomination by December 13 and the commission will then allocate the symbol among the candidates on December 14, the day when the candidates will be able to begin electioneering. (source) 

Bangladesh: AL hopes JP will eventually contest polls

The Awami League is still hopeful the Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad will withdraw his decision to boycott the next general elections and is party will eventually contest the polls, scheduled for January 5. 

Leaders of the ruling party say that Ershad changes 

his mind frequently, so they believe he would eventually change his latest decision and participate in the polls.  

Hoping that Jatiya Party would return to the polls race, the AL leaders have avoided harsh comments on Ershad’s latest decision to pull out of the polls-time government and the election. 

The AL suffered a major setback on Tuesday last when HM Ershad announced that Jatiya Party, the country’s third largest political party and a key ally of the ruling alliance, would not participate in the elections, attributing its sudden decision to lack of proper election atmosphere and participation of all political parties.

AL advisory council member Suranjit Sengupta on Friday said Ershad had been in the polls race, still remained in the polls and finally would stay in the polls.  

‘He [Ershad] will assist the government to transfer power to the next government through elections,’ he said while addressing a discussion meeting organised by Bangabandhu Academy at the National Press Club. 

AL advisory council member Amir Hossain Amu, while briefing reporters after a meeting at the party chief’s Dhanmondi office on Thursday night, said that it would not be wise to make prediction about Jatiya Party which changed position frequently. 

‘But we are still hopeful about the party [Jatiya Party]­­­… Wait and see what happens,’ he said. 

An AL presidium member told New Age that the prime minister was directly handling the matter to reach an understanding with Ershad in a bid to bring his party back to the polls race. 

‘We will wait for Jatiya Party till the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers on December 13. Awami League will take part in the election along with its alliance partners and other political parties if the Jatiya Party finally stays out,’ he said.  

Asked about Ershad’s decision to pull out of the polls race, AL general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam on Wednesday declined comments and said, ‘Wait and see…’ 

Two ministers and a state minister of the JP who went to the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday for submitting their resignations to prime minister Sheikh Hasina as directed by Ershad, returned without doing so. The prime minister requested the three JP leaders to reconsider their decision for the sake of democracy and continuation of the constitutional process, PMO sources said.  (source) 

Bangladesh: Changes in RAB, BGB

The government has changed some important posts in the Border Guard Bangladesh and the Rapid Action Battalion, officials told New Age on Friday.

Brigadier General Anisur Rahman, now at army headquarters on return from UN peace keeping mission, will replace BGB additional director general Brigadier General Golam Mustafa, who will return to the army headquarters.

Brigadier General Habibul Karim, now in course at the National Defence College in Dhaka, will join the 

paramilitary force again on deputation. He will replace Sarail region commander Brigadier General Aiyub Ansary.

Habib earlier had served as the Dhaka sector commander as a colonel following the February 25-26, 2009 mutiny in the Bangladesh Rifles, now renamed as Border Guard Bangladesh.  

He said that he would join BGB after completing his NDC course on December 20. 

Deputy director general (operation and training) Colonel Hafiz Ahsan Farid will return to army headquarters and Cox’s Bazar sector commander Colonel Nazrul Islam will replace him.

The BGB is yet to name new sector commander in Cox’s Bazar, the officials said.

In the Rapid Action Battalion, director intelligence Lieutenant Colonel Ziaul Ahsan, who had already been promoted to the rank of colonel, was named as the additional director general of the battalion. 

The battalion legal and media wing director Wing Commander ATM Habibur Rahman confirmed the new appointment.  The battalion is yet to name the next director intelligence.

Additional director general Motiur Rahman was promoted to Brigadier General and was made the commandant of 46 Independent Brigade in Dhaka.  (source) 

Bangladesh: Thousands in southwest marooned for Kobadak River silt up

Thousands of people living in the Kobadak river basin which covers parts of three districts in the country’s south-west continue to suffer as their homesteads have been under water for more than four months.

The areas—parts of Tala upazila in Satkhira, and a some parts of Keshobpur upazila in Jessore and Paikgachha upazila in Khulna—became waterlogged from monsoon rain as the rain-water has not flushed back into the adjacent Kobadak river which has been silted up.

In the affected areas, the Kobadak riverbed is higher than the adjacent beels (marshy land), said sources in the upazila administration.

People living in the affected area mainly depend on agriculture, but they have not been able to grow any crop in their fields in the past months since they are waterlogged. There is no hope that this will change soon.

In addition, a large number of fruit-trees on their land have already died.

 

Many villagers have fallen in debt to local money lenders and non-governmental organisations. 

In Tala upazila alone, around 71,000 people from 21,000 families living in 46 villages were affected with around 400 families totally displaced by the waterlogging, according to the latest information collected by Tala upazila administration.

According to available data, 250 houses in the upazila were totally destroyed and 2,510 houses, 20 educational institutions, 20 religious establishments, 10 kilometers of good quality road and 35 kilometers of mud-made road were partialy damaged.

However, ABM Shafiqul Islam, president of Paani Committee, a civic group organisation active in southwest for the past two decades said that the number of affected people and the level of destruction was much higher than the government statistics.

Shafiqul, the principal of Chuknagar College in Dumuria within the district of Khulna, said that the waterlogging problem in the area had been acute  since the late 1990s, but that it had taken a serious turn in the last couple of years.

The Tala upazila administration office compound, considered to be higher than many other parts of the upazila, was still under water.

Anil Biswas, convener of Kobadak Banchao Andolon, said that though parts of Keshobpur upazila was under water for months together, it dried up and some of the areas are still muddy.

The affected villagers from that upazilla said that they had been facing severe difficulties with water logging for at least the last five years, and that most of the villagers, even the poor ones, had taken loans to build the bases of their house using brick and cement and had been sleeping on cots to avoid water.

‘The people of the affected areas had been coming to the hospitals with different water borne diseases including scabies, diarrhea and dysentery,’ Jyotirmoy Sarkar, residential medical officer of Tala upazila health complex, told New Age.

‘This year, none came to provide us relief, though the local chairman gave us some rice during the two Eids,’ Kamala Parveen, 45, of village Dholbaria told New Age while she boiled some Kolmi Shak on a mud-made oven on a wooden roof in her living room.

She said that she had collected the Shak from the nearby beel and that her family members often had to pass days eating only boiled shak and no rice.

Kamala showed her hands and legs which were full of scabies and she said the health workers sometimes come to the affected areas but the medicines they gave were inadequate and ‘being waterlogged and poor, it was not possible to do as they say and avoid using the rotten water.’

Villagers also said that education of their children were badly affected due to the water-logging as they could not study properly and go to schools regularly as the small boats and floating banana-rafts were the only means of communication.

Tapan Kumar Sadhu, headmaster of Noapara High School and also a villager of Kalapota, said education at his school was severely affected due to the waterlogging for months. He was worried about the result of his students in the ongoing final examination.

In the badly affected village of Kanaidia in Tala, many families were still living in makeshift shanties on high roads.

‘The span of waterlogging period and height of logged water are increasing every year,’ 65-year-old Shaheed Gazi of Boro Kanaidia, who along with his 11 family members took shelter on the Kanaidia-Patkelghata road, told New Age.

‘The height of water on my homestead was 1.5 feet in 2009, 2 feet in 2010, 5 feet in 2011 and 2012 and it is 6 to 7 feet this year,’ Shaheed said, adding that the situation was almost the same in nearby Chhota Kanaidia, Atghara and Nalta villages.

He said that the base of his house was still under water. 

Qasem Sardar, a 62-year-old villager of Noapara, said, to his knowledge, five of the villagers have left the village in the last few months and at least 11 people go to Khulna city every early morning in search of work.

Upazila Nirbahi officer Md Mahbubur Rahman, who was transferred from Tala to Fakirhat  in Khulna last week, said that the general relief activities were going on in the affected areas and that he had sent the latest situation report on the affected areas to his senior officers.

He admitted that many affected people had little opportunity to get work.

Mahbubur said that the administration had already begun a 40-day job creation programme in the upazila last week from which a total of 1,396 people would be benefited. 

Another official of the upazila administration, however, preferring anonymity, said that the relief activities were too small to meet the demand. (source) 

Bangladesh: Elderly woman burnt in petrol bomb attack

A pentagenarian woman sustained serious burn injuries in the upper part of her body as unidentified assailants hurled petrol bomb at a CNG-run auto-rickshaw at Shyampur WASA gate point under Kadamtoli police station in the capital on Friday evening.

The injured, Jahanara Khatun, was immediately rushed to burn unit at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Witnesses and the police said that the assailants hurled a petrol bomb on the CNG-run auto-rickshaw carrying Jahanara at about 7:15pm while he was returning home at Gendaria from her daughter’s house at Shyampur in the city.

They said that the locals and the police rescued her and rushed her to the hospital. (source) 

Bangladesh: Medical college teacher found dead in Sylhet

The body of an associate professor was found in his chamber at Ragib-Rabeya Medical College in Sylhet city Thursday evening.

The deceased was identified as Shubhagata Baidya, 35, a teacher of surgery department at the medical college, police said.

Hospital sources said that despite repeated attempts, Abul Hossain, attendant of Baidya’s private chamber in city’s Stadium Market, failed to contact him.  

In the evening, Abul went to the medical college at Tarapur Tea Garden and found the room closed from inside. 

Later, Baidya’s colleagues rushed to the spot, entered the room by breaking open its door and found his body hanging from the ceiling. 

RRMC principal Nazmul Islam said that Baidya might have committed suicide as the door of his office was closed from inside. 

Jalalabad police officer-in-charge Gausul Hossain told New Age that the body was sent to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.  (source) 

Bangladesh: Railway sabotage marks blockade

Buses were burnt and railway lines sabotaged as clashes between demonstrators and the police were reported from different places across the country on Sunday, the second day of the fresh spell of rail-road-waterway blockade enforced by the opposition parties.

The blockade virtually snapped communications between the capital and the rest of the country badly affecting life and taking a heavy toll on economy. 

Railway remained a prime target of the blockaders as they torched carriages, 

removed fishplates and rail tracks at places causing derailment of several trains that left at least two dozens injured.  

At least 250 people were injured as an inter-city train on Dhaka-Chittagong route derailed in Burichang upazila of Comilla on Sunday night after miscreants removed fishplates from tracks in a spectacular act of railway sabotage.

Hamidul Haque, acting station master of Comilla Railway Station, told New Age that the locomotive and four carriages of the Dhaka-bound Mahanagar Godhuli Express had derailed between Rajapur and Shasidal railway stations around 7:45pm.

The sabotage forced suspension of train services on Chittagong-Dhaka and Chittagong-Sylhet routes, he said.

Miscreants set fire to the Natore district election office around midnight Saturday.

Five people were killed on the first day of the fresh 72-hour blockade on Saturday while widespread violence during the first spell of blockade had claimed 19 lives, many of them victims of transport arson. 

The death toll could continue to rise, as doctors feared that some of the victims with severe burns could succumb to their wounds. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led opposition alliance began enforcing the 72-hour blockade on Saturday in protest against the government’s move to hold ‘unilateral’ polls before reaching an understanding over an election-time administration.

Blockaders torched a bus carrying garment workers by spreading gun powder in front of Shiddhirganj power station at 7:00am on Sunday.

Police quoting the passengers said that at least 20 youths attacked the bus and set it on fire by spreading gun powder. Five of the workers suffered burns while others managed to get off the bus unhurt.

Another bus was torched at Hajiganj in Fatulla around 7.30am but none was injured. Chhatra Dal activists brought out processions in the town and blasted crude bombs.

Three passengers of a three-wheeler suffered appalling burns after blockaders hurled petrol bombs at the vehicle at Lebukhali ferry point in Patuakhali. One of the victims, Abdus Sattar, a retired madrassah teacher has been shifted Dhaka with 40 per cent of his body burnt. 

The other victims – Mujibur Rahman, 44, a teacher of Pagasia Alia Madrasa and Ataur Rahman, 40, land office staff at Dumki, have been admitted to Patuakhali General Hospital. 

Opposition activists continued to occupy the entrance to the Chittagong city at Colonel Haat and blockade railway at AK Khan crossing and in City Gate area halting train service between the port city and the rest of the country. The opposition activists went out on demonstration at Bahaddarhat, Bakalia, Dewanhat, Alankar crossing, Khulshi and Halishahar. Police fired rubber bullets at several places to disperse the protesters while pickets blasted crude bombs across the city.    

At least 30 people were injured as blockaders clashed with the police at Kaliakair in Gazipur after police obstructed a procession at Sahebbazar in Kaliakair bypass area.

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the stone-throwing pickets. At least 30 activists, including BNP’s district unit secretary Kazi Saidul Alam Babul, sustained injuries in the clashes. The upazila unit of BNP has called a daylong strike in Kaliakair for Monday in protest at the police action. 

Activists of Swechchhasebak Dal brought out processions and blasted crude bombs at Joydevpur bazaar and at Tongi. They put blockade on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and damaged a number of vehicles.   

Assistant sub-inspector Hamid of Konabari police outpost said pickets had started fire on the highway halting traffic for an hour. 

Activists of the BNP-led alliance set fire to the district unit office of Jatiya Party in Kurigram and manhandled former minister Tajul Islam Chowdhury. The opposition marches attacked the Jatiya Party office at Sabuj Para in the town.

They pounced on Tajul Islam Chowdhury, also a Jatiya Party candidate for the next polls, at Kalibari crossing and vandalised his motorcycle.

The blockaders set fire to two carriages of Rajshahi-bound Uttara Express at Naldanga station in Natore around 10:00am leaving several passengers injured.

 At least 12 people were injured when four carriages and the locomotive of Dhaka-bound Dhumketu Express derailed around 2:00am after blockaders removed fishplates from rail tracks at Sholua near Sharda station in Charghat of Rajshahi. The injured were taken to the local clinics.   

Kamalapur railway station master Dipendra Saha said service of Dhumketu Express and Padma Express between Dhaka and Rajshahi had been cancelled for Sunday. Dhaka-bound Mahanagar Godhuli Express from Chittagong derailed     

at Pachora in Brahmanpara upazila of Comilla around 8:00pm after blockaders removed rail tracks.  

Trains from Bangabandhu Bridge’s east part and Akhaura arrived in Dhaka four hours late while trains from Sylhet, Khulna and Chittagong were late by three hours, he said. 

Tarakandi-bound Agnibina Express and Chittagong-bound Turna Nishitha left Dhaka four hours behind the schedule and Chittagong-bound Meghna Express stopped at Nauri in Shahrasti upazila due to railway sabotage, he said.

The correspondent in Natore said miscreants had set fire to the Natore district election office around midnight Saturday. 

Police fired five rounds to disperse the arsonists but none could be arrested.

Nahid Hassan, superintendent of police, said the arsonists had poured petrol and set fire to the office after smashing the windowpanes of two rooms. Fire engines put out the flames after frantic efforts. 

The Dulu Mukti Parishad has called a dawn-to-dusk shutdown in the district for today demanding immediate release of BNP central leader Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu.

Opposition activists put blockade at different points on Rangpur–Dhaka highway, including Modern crossing, CO bazaar, Bus Terminal and Darshana intersection in the city, reported the correspondent there.

Police arrested 10 BNP men, including a municipal ward councillor, for vandalism in the town on Sunday. The BNP activists vandalised vehicles in the town on Saturday night. 

Three day-labourers suffered burns after opposition supporters set fire to a sand-laden truck at Fulbaria in Brahmanbaria and vandalised some other vehicles. Labourers Abdur Razzak, Zaher Mia and Md Mosharaf, all from village Nazirpur of Habiganj, were taken to hospital.

Auto-rickshaw driver Khairul Islam suffered burns after his vehicle went up in flames in a petrol bomb attack in front of Magura upazila complex. He was taken to Magura General Hospital.  

In Kaliganj of Gazipur, truck driver Minu Mia, 42, and his assistant Rubel, 30, suffered severe burns as blockade enforcers set the truck on fire on Ghorashal–Kaliganj road on Saturday night. They were shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

The correspondent in Sylhet said crude bombs were hurled at the houses of two Jatiya Party-nominated candidates for the 10th parliamentary election in Sylhet.

Police said miscreants had thrown several bombs at the houses of former Sylhet municipal chairman Babrul Hossain Babul and Zakiganj upazila chairman Sabbir Ahmad at Bateshwar and Shahjalal upashahar respectively.

The opposition alliance also enforced a daylong shutdown in Dakkhin Surma, Companiganj, Goainghat and Jaintapur upazilas in protest at the ‘attacks’ on the alliance leaders and withdrawal of cases filed against them.

Blockaders vandalised two CNG-run auto-rickshaws and five rickshaws in Dakkhin Surma in the city. 

Blockaders torched a medicine-carrying covered van of Incepta Pharmaceuticals and ransacked nine other vehicles in Barisal on Sunday. 

Police foiled an attempt to block Barisal-Dhaka highway at Kashipur and Rupatali. 

The BNP-led alliance has called a daylong strike in Begumganj upazila for Monday protesting at the filing of ‘false’ cases against lawmaker Barkat Ullah Bulu, also joint secretary general of BNP.

In Dhaka, Juba Dal activists brought out processions at Hatirjheel, Mirpur 11, Tejgaon, Hajipara and Uttara while Chhatra Shibir men at Green Road and Khilkhet in the morning but police quickly dispersed them.   

The police recovered 16 live bombs at Green Road after clashes with Shibir men.  

Several crude bombs were also exploded by the blockaders in different parts of the capital in the morning.   Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws dominated the city streets in the morning. (source)

Bangladesh: Deprived AL nomination aspirants vent anger

Rivalries among Awami League leaders over nomination have come into the open in many constituencies after the announcement of the names of party candidates on Friday for the 10th parliamentary elections. 

With a hope to win AL tickets, a total of 2608 aspirants had collected party nomination forms against 300 constituencies. 

After the announcement of the names of the party candidates on Friday, the deprived aspirants and their supporters were staging protests in different constituencies.       

Many deprived aspirants have declared that they will contest the polls as ‘rebel’ candidates.  In Habiganj, Mushfiq Hossain Chowdhury for Habiganj 1 and Syed Tanvir Ahmed for Habiganj 4 constituencies bought nomination papers to contest the polls as ‘rebel’ candidates.

Supporters of Syed Tanvir Ahmed declared the party nomination winner Mahbub Ali ‘unwanted’ in the constituency.   

Leaders and activists of a faction of Abhaynagar upazila unit of the AL in Jessore district on Sunday observed a dawn-to-dusk general 

strike at Nawapara in protest at the party’s giving nomination to Ranjit Roy for Jessore 4 constituency. They demanded party nomination for whip Sheikh Abdul Wahab.

AL has given nomination to Abu Reza Mohammad Nezamuddin Nadwi, faculty member of the Jamaat-e-Islami-backed International Islamic University Chittagong, for Chittagong 15 constituency (Satkania-Lohagara). Leaders and activists of Satkania upazila unit of the AL protested at the nomination for Nadwi’s links with Jamaat-e-Islami. 

Abdul Matlab, acting president of Satkania unit of the AL, who was an aspirant for  the party ticket, told New Age that the grassroots leaders and activists of the upazila did not accept the nomination of Nadwi for the constituency as he had no relations with the AL, rather it was widely known that he had links with Jamaat. 

Nomination aspirants Yarul Islam and Makbul Hossain of Meherpur 1 and Meherpur 2 constituencies on Saturday announced that they would contest the polls as independent candidates to protest at the nomination of Farhad Hossain Dudul and Abdul Khaleque for the two constituencies.      

Leaders of Belkuchi upazila unit AL resigned en masse on Friday night as former fisheries and livestock minister Abdul Latif Biswas did not get nomination for Sirajganj 5 constituency. The AL has nominated Abdul Majid Mandal for the parliamentary seat.

Supporters of Latif Biswas also staged demonstrations on Saturday to protest at the nomination of Abdul Majid.  

AL leaders in Bogra 3 and Bogra 5 constituencies on Sunday staged demonstrations and threatened to resign en masse if the party did not replace the party candidates – Ansar Ali Mridha and Habibur Rahman – in the two constituencies. 

Several thousand supporters of former communications minister Syed Abul Hossain took to the streets and blocked Dhaka-Barisal highway at Kalkini shortly after the party named its central organising secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim as the candidate to contest the polls for Madaripur 2 constituency instead of Abul Hossain. 

Nomination of Reza Ali, a lawmaker, for Mymensingh 7 constituency sparked protests and clashes at Trishal leaving at least 10 injured. The activists loyal to nomination aspirants Madani and Anisuzzaman brought out violent processions soon after the announcement of Reza Ali’s nomination. They also barricaded Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, halting traffic for over an hour.

In protest at the nomination of AL central committee member Kazi Nabil Ahmad for Jessore 3 constituency, supporters of Shaheen Chakladar, general secretary of Jessore district AL, blocked highways at least at 12 points in Jessore town. They also declared Nabil ‘unwanted’ in Jessore. 

Supporters of nomination aspirant Mostafa protested at the nomination of Monirul Islam Monir for Jessore-2 constituency. 

Followers of deprived aspirants also staged protests in Jessore 4, Sirajganj 4, Bogra 5, Kushtia 4 Narail 2, Kishoreganj 3, Cox’s Bazar 3, Dhaka 4, Gaibanda 4, Naogaon 3 and Nilphamari 4. 

Sitting lawmaker AA Maruf Saqlain won the party ticket for Niphamari 4 (Syedpur-Kishoreganj) constituency despite protests by grassroots leaders of the two upazilas. During the meeting with the party president Sheikh Hasina in September, they urged her not to nominate Saqlain again as he had detached himself from the party activists and local people since the last elections. 

Deprived nomination aspirant for the constituency, Kohinur Akter told New Age that they were stunned by the party’s decision to nominate Saqlain again. 

AL presidium member Mohammad Nasim said it was difficult for a large political party like the Awami League to satisfy all. ‘There might be dissatisfactions over the nominations but it would not continue for long as all will be united and work for the party candidates when the electioneering will start,’ he said. (source)

Bangladesh: UN rights chief slams political leaders for death in violence

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has warned politicians in Bangladesh that they risk facing prosecution at the International Criminal Court based in the Hague for election time violence.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Pillary pointed out that Bangladesh is a State Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.  

‘In other situations, we have seen cases of political or election related violence where the perpetrators of such acts -- including political leadership -- have faced prosecution,’ she said.

Pillay was referring to six senior Kenyan politicians, including former ministers, who were initially charged with crimes against humanity at the international crimes court for offences they are 

alleged to have committed after elections that took place in December 2007 that resulted in as many as 1200 deaths.

In Bangladesh, dozens of people have died in recent weeks in violence primarily blamed on supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Jamaat-e-Islami who are demanding that an election takes place under a neutral government.

In the statement, given five days before the visit of Oscar Fernandez-Taranco the UN’s assistant secretary general of political affairs, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said she was deeply worried by the rising levels of political violence in Bangladesh resulting from the major parties failing to resolve their differences over the conduct of elections.

‘In recent weeks, supporters of both parties have been clashing with each other and with the security forces. Scores of people have been killed, hundreds injured, and there has been extensive destruction of property,’ the statement reads. 

‘In the past week, we have seen acts as extreme as protestors throwing Molotov cocktails onto public buses without allowing the occupants to escape, leaving women and children with horrific burns,’ the High Commissioner said.  ‘Such levels of violence are deeply shocking for the Bangladeshi people, the vast majority of whom want -- and deserve -- a peaceful and inclusive election.’

The High Commissioner also expressed concern about the on-going arrest and detention of key opposition leaders by the law enforcement agencies.  ‘This can further inflame the situation and rule out any possibility for engagement and dialogue between the main political parties,’ she said.

‘Whatever their differences, political leaders on both sides must halt their destructive brinkmanship, which is pushing Bangladesh dangerously close to a major crisis. Instead, they must fulfil their responsibility and use their influence to bring this violence to an immediate halt and seek a solution to this crisis through dialogue,’ Pillay said. (source)