BANGLADESH

Junior LGRD Minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak has finished giving his account in the murder case filed over the killings in the Feb 25-26, 2009 Peelkhana BDR mutiny.

After he finished his statement, defence lawyer Aminul Islam started quizzing him on Monday at the special court set up at Aliya Madrassa playground in the old part of the city.

On Aug 27, treasury bench Whip and Awami League leader Mirza Azam finished giving his testimony in the murder case filed over the killings in the Feb 25-26, 2009 Peelkhana BDR mutiny. He was then grilled by the defence.

The BDR mutiny saw 73 persons killed, including 57 army officials deputed to the force. After the bloody mutiny, the border force was revamped to form the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB).

Police have sued several hundred people over the demonstrations by readymade garment workers in Ashulia for riot and vandalism.

Ashulia Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Hafizur Rahman filed the case in the wee hours of Sunday on charges of blockading the road, assaulting police, obstruction to government work and vandalism.

Eleven people, all of whom are leaders and activists of main opposition BNP and its front organisations, were named in the case along with several hundred other unnamed people.

Anwar Hossain, a BNP leader who owns Anwar CNG filling station and former member of Piarpur Union's ward number 1, has been made the chief accused in the case.

Manager of the filling station Abul Kashem alleged up to 15 policemen, led by Ashulia Police Station OC (investigation) Mustafa Kamal, broke into the station's office room where Anwar was sitting and beat him up around 9am.

Kashem said the BNP leader was currently undergoing treatment at Savar's Enam Medical College Hospital.

The garment workers at Ashulia demonstrated again on Sunday morning as the weeklong unrest reached a new height after factory owners shut all garment factories in the industrial hub for an indefinite period.

They have been demonstrating since June 11 demanding better wages. Hundreds of people have been injured and over 150 vehicles vandalised during the weeklong protest.

On Thursday, the owners failed to agree on the proposal of FBCCI President AK Azad, owner of Ha-Meem Group, to raise salaries.

The meeting, however, ended deciding that all factories in Ashulia would be shut down if the ongoing unrest was not contained by Sunday.

Apex bodies -- Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) -- took the decision and also threatened to shut all factories nationwide.

Around 450,000-500,000 workers are engaged in nearly 350 garment factories in Ashulia and there are about 3,500 garments factories across the country.

Police have sued several hundred people over the demonstrations by readymade garment workers in Ashulia for riot and vandalism.

Ashulia Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Hafizur Rahman filed the case in the wee hours of Sunday on charges of blockading the road, assaulting police, obstruction to government work and vandalism.

Eleven people, all of whom are leaders and activists of main opposition BNP and its front organisations, were named in the case along with several hundred other unnamed people.

Anwar Hossain, a BNP leader who owns Anwar CNG filling station and former member of Piarpur Union's ward number 1, has been made the chief accused in the case.

Manager of the filling station Abul Kashem alleged up to 15 policemen, led by Ashulia Police Station OC (investigation) Mustafa Kamal, broke into the station's office room where Anwar was sitting and beat him up around 9am.

Kashem said the BNP leader was currently undergoing treatment at Savar's Enam Medical College Hospital.

The garment workers at Ashulia demonstrated again on Sunday morning as the weeklong unrest reached a new height after factory owners shut all garment factories in the industrial hub for an indefinite period.

They have been demonstrating since June 11 demanding better wages. Hundreds of people have been injured and over 150 vehicles vandalised during the weeklong protest.

On Thursday, the owners failed to agree on the proposal of FBCCI President AK Azad, owner of Ha-Meem Group, to raise salaries.

The meeting, however, ended deciding that all factories in Ashulia would be shut down if the ongoing unrest was not contained by Sunday.

Apex bodies -- Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) -- took the decision and also threatened to shut all factories nationwide.

Around 450,000-500,000 workers are engaged in nearly 350 garment factories in Ashulia and there are about 3,500 garments factories across the country.