BANGLADESH

Police submitted their first progress report on investigation into the missing of BNP leader M Elias Ali with a Dhaka court on Sunday.Banani Thana Inspector Kazi Mainul Islam submitted the report with Metropolitan Judge Moniruzzaman on Sunday noon.
The progress report stated that police sent wireless massages in every police stations of the country as part of their initial step to find out Elias Ali and his driver.
Meanwhile, an application has already been placed to BRTA authority for verifying the ownership the abandoned private car seized by police from city’s Mohakhali area.
Earlier, BNP Organizing Secretary of Sylhet Division and former MP M Elias Ali went missing along with his car and driver in the early hours of Wednesday.
Tahsina Rushdi Luna, wife of Elias Ali, lodged a General Diary (GD) with Banani Thana over the incident on the same day.
The High Court on Thursday issued a rule on the government to explain within 10 days why it should not be directed to produce Ilias Ali before the court.
The HC bench comprising of Justice Farid Ahmed and Justice Sheikh Hasan Arif issued the rule following a writ petition by the BNP leader`s wife, Tahsina Rushdi.

The HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim also issued a suo moto order on the government asking it to find Ilias Ali on the same day.

Meanwhile, a Dhaka court also directed Banani police to submit reports to it every 48 hours on the progress of the investigation into the whereabouts of Ilias Ali.

Police have arrested the disgraced army officer who allegedly led the looting of Tk 20 million from a Chittagong shrine while being the commander of a RAB unit.

The former RAB-7 chief, discharged lieutenant colonel Zulfikar Ali Majumdar, has been the prime accused in the case after the incident at Talsara Darbar Sharif in Chittagong during a raid on Nov 4.

A police officer in Dhaka said Thursday that he was arrested from a house in the city's Maghbazar area.

"He was in a house in Bhuter Goli and we took him into custody at around 4am," Ramna OC Shah Alam told .

A Chittagong police officer, Anwara Police Station OC Abdus Salam, also participated in the raid and was the one who identified Zulfikar.

A case was filed against the commander and nine of his subordinates on Mar 13 this year. They were accused of breaking open the almirah of the shrine during a raid on Nov 4, 2011 and stealing Tk 20 million in cash. The RAB team arrested five Myanmar nationals, whom they handed over to police, but did not say anything about the money.

The accused law enforcers were withdrawn from their duties after a preliminary investigation.

Police have raided several places in Chandpur to trace missing BNP leader M Ilias Ali.

However, there was no news of any breakthrough until 10pm Saturday.

Additional superintendent of Chandpur police Mohammad Amir Jafar told bdnews24.com: "We have information that an ambulance carrying Ilias Ali entered Chandpur from Comilla. We are searching various places ... he is yet to be recovered."

Police patrolling had been intensified in the district, he added.

The car of former MP and one of BNP's organising secretaries Ilias was found abandoned at Mohakhali near his Banani residence in the capital on April 18. Ilias and his driver Ansar Ali has been missing since then.

His family and the party have alleged that government's henchmen had picked up Ilias.

The party has already enforced three days of dawn-to-dusk general strike and announced to observe another round of two-day hartal on Sunday and Monday in protest against his disappearance.

Police on Sunday fired around 100 rounds of blank shots and tear shells in Sylhet as massive clashes broke out between the law enforcers and pro-shutdown pickets on Sunday afternoon.

At least 20 were injured during the clashes and over 50 people detained, police said.

However, the situation was peaceful until the afternoon.

Clash ensued in Sylhet city after police barred BNP activists from taking out a procession in support of the shutdown protesting disappearance of one of the BNP's organising secretaries, M Ilias Ali.

The clashes ensued around 12:30pm at Zindabazar when police barred a procession led by Jamiyate Ulamaye Islam, member of the newly formed BNP-led 18-Party Coalition, Kotwali police officer in charge Ataur Rahman said.

Police fired at least 20 tear shells and 30 blank shots to bring the situation under control. They also detained 14 activists from the area that turned into a battle zone with opposition activists pelting the law enforcers with brickbats.

Earlier, opposition activists gathered at City Centre after police foiled a number of their attempts around the city to take out processions.

Chases and counter-chases also took place at the city's Babna Intersection. Law enforcers detained an activist during the altercation, South Surma police said.

A clash broke out at Tuker Bazar also and police fired 20-25 tear gas shells and blank shots and detained around 20 activists, Sylhet Mertopolitan Police deputy commissioner Ezaz Ahmed said.

BNP activists surrounded the Bishwanath Police Station, the area where Ilias Ali's home is, around noon and pelted brickbats. A clash between the law enforcers and protesters began and police fired 50 tear shells and blank shots. They also detained 11 activists from there.

Earlier, around 11:00am, pickets vandalised an auto-rickshaw carrying newspapers and a medicine shop and torched a food shop. Police have detained three pickets from there, Sylhet district SP Shakhawat Hossain said.

Additional police have been deployed at the key points of Sylhet city including Ambarkhana, Chouhatta, Court Point, Jindabazar and City Point. Rapid Action Battalion personnel are also patrolling the city.

Additional commissioner of Sylhet Mertopolitan Police Abdullah Al Azad Choudhury said, "Police are working to ensure safety and security of the people."

He added they detained two Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) activists, Saidul Enam Choudhury Lahin, 28, and Enamul Haque Choudhury Shamim, 32, from Zindabazar in the morning along with a knife and a motorcycle.

Most of the streets are empty due to the shutdown except for the rickshaws plying the streets. Long route buses are not operating and most of the shops are closed.

Around 8am, police detained four pickets from Eidgah area in Shayestanagar. They are Azizul Islam, 35, Sumon Mia, 30, Jewel Mia, 28, and district JCD joint convenor Imran Ahmed, 30.

A daylong shutdown was also enforced on Thursday in Sylhet over Ilias Ali's disappearance, who is also the chief of the district BNP.

After two days of violent street demonstrations, students of Jagannath University have paused their agitation over a funding row following assurance from the ruling party.

The decision to halt the protest came on Monday afternoon from a meeting between the students, teachers and several student organisations.

Ruling Awami League's student front Chhatra League president Badiuzzaman Sohagh, after the meeting, told reporters that Awami League presidium member Obaidul Kader will sit with the stakeholders to resolve the matter at the Imperial Hotel at Gulistan on Tuesday.

The students had taken to the streets for a second day protesting the provision that the public university should generate its own income to operate.

Following Sunday's protest, some 1500 students had blocked the city's Raisa Bazar-Naya Bazar street at 8:45am on Monday amid police cordon, creating a severe traffic snarl-up on the Dhoalikhal connecting road and Dhaka-Dohar road.

The general secretary of the university's Chhatra Union unit Nazmul Hasan told reporters, "We've pushed back the protest for now. But we'll announce instant programmes if nothing positive comes out from tomorrow's talks."

At a press briefing following the meeting, JnU vice-chancellor Prof Mesbahuddin said, "We're trying with honesty and good sense. I hope the law will be reformed at the earliest."

According to the Article 27 (4) of the Jagannath University Act- 2005, the university authority will have to fund its operations themselves. The Jagannath College, founded in 1884, was turned into a university in 2005.

The students say the university raise their semester fees from Tk 3,500 to Tk 20,000 to raise revenue. Their other demands include recovery of university dormitories, setting up a library, and increased transport facilities.

Earlier in the day, baton-wielding police had clubbed and dispersed the students around 10am and several people including police constable Nazrul Islam and students were injured during brief clashes.

Police also detained at least 24 students during the protests on Monday before the situation came under control, Kotwali Police Station chief Salahuddin told bdnews24.com.

The traffic became normal around 10:30am after the protesters left the street. They took position inside the university campus.

Chhatra League activists also paraded down the street calling for repeal of the law while its president Shohag sat with the students on the campus.

The students of JnU have long been demanding the rule be repealed amid support from the teachers.

University's proctor Ashok Kumar Saha on Sunday told bdnews24.com: "We are holding talks with the government to repeal this clause as its implementation would hike tuition fees and there will be very little difference between Jagannath University and other private initiatives."

The angry students began their protests at 11am on Sunday in front of the National Press Club after they came to know about the funding rule from a newspaper report.

Police charged batons to disperse them and the students, in retaliation, smashed several vehicles.

A week after Jamaat-e-Islami activists torched police cars and vandalised vehicles, prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said the party will not be allowed to go on the rampage again.

"Militant activities are off in the country, the war crimes trial is proceeding. A quarter is active to thwart the process that supports development and progress," Hasina told a function in New York on Monday.

"Bangladesh is not a terrorist country. Our country been recognised as a liberal democratic one in the world," she said.

The prime minister was speaking at a reception given by the Bangladeshi expatriates in New York.

Activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir clashed with police in Dhaka and Chittagong on Sep 19 injuring at least 50 law enforcers. They also vandalised and set ablaze several vehicles.

Hasina arrived in New York on Sep 18 to join the 66th UN General Assembly. She is likely to leave for Dhaka on Sep 28.

About the caretaker government system, the prime minister said, "The caretaker government bill had been passed in parliament by installing killers of Bangabandhu in parliament. A law passed by killers cannot do any good to people."

She said the spirit of the original constitution of 1972 has been 'restored'. "No-one will be able to capture power by violating the constitution."

The caretaker government system had been repealed through the passage of the 15th Amendment to the constitution in parliament on June 30 following a Supreme Court order.

'ONE HARTAL A MONTH'

Hasina ridiculed opposition BNP's movement and shutdowns, joked that the people would get rest if they call general strikes once a month.

She termed lockdowns 'environment-friendly' and said the factories owned by opposition supporters remain open during shutdowns.

BNP and its allies enforced seven general strikes, including one on Sep 22, during the current government's tenure.

The prime minister termed the Awami League's 1996-2001 tenure the 'golden era' of Bangladesh.

"People's dreams started falling apart after 2001. BNP and their coalition government had made Bangladesh questionable at international level.

"A total of 16 journalists had been killed and 1,500 others harassed at that time (BNP's tenure)," she added.

'WE'LL LEAVE POWER'

The prime minister said the government achieved 93 percent of the Annual Development Programme target in the last fiscal year and hoped that the GDP would grow at seven percent.

She also said no power lasts forever. "When people won't vote [us], we'll relinquish power. Many bad habits of those who bask in power get worse."

"Those power-mongers get crazy once they are deposed. They start stealing when they no more get what got easily overnight. I have been through many ups and downs in my life. We want to let go of our present for the people's welfare."

She urged the expatriates to invest in Bangladesh and announced that the Biman Bangladesh Airline's New York flights would be re-launched once Boeing supplies plane.

"The firm is likely to supply plane in November," Hasina said.