BANGLADESH

All Higher Secondary Certificate and its equivalent examinations scheduled for Tuesday across the country have been postponed as opposition BNP has called a countrywide general strike for the third successive day.

Examinations of vocational board were scheduled for the day.

Tuesday's deferred examinations would now be held on May 23, said Dhaka Board chairman Prof Fahima Khatun.

HSC examinations scheduled for Sunday and Monday had also to be postponed on account of the opposition-sponsored general strike.

On Thursday, the government had put off Higher Secondary Certificate examinations of Sylhet board and vocational board tests across the country in view of the hartal called by BNP in the district on the day.

The government has been criticising the opposition for enforcing strike at a time when the examinations are in progress. Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid asked the opposition to withdraw the strike considering the sufferings caused to the students.

HSC examinations began across the country on Apr 1. Over 9 lakh students are taking part in examinations under eight general education boards, vocational board and Madrassa education board this year.

The High Court has directed the authorities to stop within 24 hours the unauthorised construction work of Destiny Group in Cox's Bazar district.

The bench of justices A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Jahangir Hossain passed the order on Wednesday after hearing a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB).

The rights organisation pressed the petition following a report published in a Bengali daily that Destiny Group is building a multi-storied building in the Cox's Bazar without approval from the appropriate authorities.

The deputy commissioner (DC) of Cox's Bazar district, superintended of police (SP) and officer-in-charge of Cox's Bazar Sadar Police Station have been directed to implement the order and submit a progress report by May 6.

The court also issued a rule asking the government to explain why its inaction to protect the environment of Cox's Bazar would not be declared illegal and why it would not be directed to remove the construction materials.

The environment secretary, director general of the Department of Environment (DoE), the Cox's Bazar DC and SP and municipal mayor have been directed to respond to the rule within three weeks.

Counsel for the petitioner Manzill Murshid told that the High Court on Mar 13 asked the government to take steps to stop all constructions inside the "ecologically critical area" on the Cox's Bazar beach.

"But the Destiny Group is constructing multi-storied building there which is contrary to the rule of law," he added.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has interrogated at least 15 leaders of opposition BNP including one of the MPs as the elite force try to find out the party's missing organising secretary M Alias Ali.

RAB's legal and media wing director M Sohael told on Wednesday, "The disappearance of Ilias Ali is being dealt with the utmost priority."

Ilias Ali has been missing since the early hours of Apr 18 and the law enforcing agencies are yet to find a clue about his whereabouts.

After enforcing countrywide general strike for three consecutive days, BNP has given the government an ultimatum till next Saturday to 'return' Ilias.

Sohael said that RAB has already conducted raids in different places to find out the missing BNP leader.

"Besides, several people have been questioned in this regard. The list includes a BNP lawmaker too. The lawmaker was questioned for about two hours," he added.

The lawmaker RAB quizzed was once a leader of the BNP's student front Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal.

The list also includes Ilias' party colleagues who had gone to Ruposhi Bangla hotel along with Ilias just before he went missing. Sohael said that Ilias' lawyer has also been quizzed.

"Each of them was interrogated alone," Sohael added.

Detective police deputy-comissioner Mahbubur Rahman said, "Detectives have engaged their full strength to find out Ilias."

Both the officers, however, declined to divulge any information about investigation findings.

The war crimes tribunal on Monday 'reluctantly' adjourned proceedings of a case against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee until Tuesday as defence counsels were not present due to general strike enforced by the BNP.

The three-judge International Crimes Tribunal-1, set up on Mar 25, 2010 to deal with crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, had adjourned the trial until 1:30pm, but the defence counsels did not turn up even after the lunch recess.

Jamaat's executive council member Sayedee was indicted on Oct 3, 2011 on 20 counts of war crimes including murder, rape, arson and loot.

An assistant of senior defence counsel Miznul Islam, Hasanul Manna Sohag told the tribunal that there was no way he could get the lawyer on a rickshaw or an auto-rickshaw, due to his physical disability.

The well endowed defence counsel moves around in a wheel chair and occasionally on crutches. With the leave of the court, Mizanul Islam conducts the cases and argues sitting down.

The tribunal chairman, Justice Mohammad Nizamul Huq told the junior counsels that he would like to reiterate what he had said in the morning and proceed with the case.

Justice Huq assured the defence that the proceedings would be adjourned at the slightest hint of prejudice.

Shohag then pointed out that the defence actually did have a very strong chance of suffering prejudice since the investigation officer would exhibit statements of certain witnesses, who could not be produced in court, as evidence.

Sayedee stood up to address the court. He said he had never so much as even addressed the court in any of the sessions in all the time that his trial started.

He then submitted to the court that the proceedings be adjourned. "Of course, it is up to the court."

Justice Huq then reiterated what he had said in the morning. "We will keep in mind that your counsels are not here and adjourn the proceedings at any hint of prejudice. The matter will remain open for the defence counsels to argue the next day.

Sayedee said, "I have never asked for an adjournment personally. I do have the fullest confidence in the court and am absolutely respectful of the tribunal. But I humbly request the court to adjourn the proceedings for one day.

The tribunal chief said, "But I had wanted to do at least some work today."

Sayedee reiterated his prayer, "Please do take it up tomorrow."

Justice Nizamul Huq then asked his bench officer to take down the order.

Prosecutor Syed Haider Ali, handling Sayedee's case, also told the court that he could not be present during the first half due to the general strike. "However, the defence might have agreed to proceed entrusting the tribunal with its confidence."

The order noted that even one of the tribunal members could not be present due to a general strike called by the opposition parties. As a result, the defence counsels could not come to the court.

The order said that the accused was present in the court and although he had full respect for the court, it was for his full satisfaction that the accused had personally requested an adjournment of the proceedings due to the absence of his counsels.

"Considering the situation we reluctantly allow the proceedings to be adjourned," said Justice Huq giving the order. He ordered that the case would be up for hearing on Tuesday.

Besides the Sayedee case, the tribunal is also scheduled to give an order in reply to BNP MP Salauddin Quader Chowdhury's review of his discharge petition which the court had rejected before. Senior counsel for the top Jamaat leadership, Abdur Razzaq is also expected to argue Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami and the party secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed's case on Tuesday too.

Earlier in the day, with tribunal member Judge A K M Zaheer Ahmed absent, the two other judges of the tribunal decided to adjourn the pending deposition of investigation officer Mohammad Helal Uddin until lunch upon a plea from a junior member of Sayedee's defence team.

Tribunal chairman Justice Huq allowed Muhammad Tarikul Islam to address the court although he was not appropriately dressed.

Dressed in striped dark trousers and a pink shirt, Tarikul Islam had come to the court premises to file an adjournment petition on behalf of Abdul Alim, a former BNP MP and member in Ziaur Rahman's cabinet, also detained for war crimes charges.

But he decided to appear before the court to bring to the tribunal's attention to an untoward incident that had taken place. It turned out that the judge was well aware of what had gone on.

When the counsel stood up to address the tribunal and said he had not intended to appear before the court, Justice Huq said, "And you are not properly dressed. I should ask you to leave the courtroom then."

However, defence counsel was allowed to continue. Tarikul Islam brought to the court's attention that police officers downstairs guarding Sayedee had been rather 'abusive'.

Generally sympathetic to such causes, Justice Huq told the counsel that it was the defence that invited it.

He said, "Despite my instruction why did you try to speak to the accused?"

Tarikul Islam could only get in a word or two in between what Justice Huq said.

"You had insisted to speak to the accused although the permission was not granted. I can see what is going on inside the premises on the CCTV cameras from my chamber. And you had disturbed the policemen."

Tarikul Islam insisted that he was merely trying to calm things down between the policemen and Sayedee's son who had engaged into a heated altercation.

"But the policemen said they would throw me out of the premises and that we could not even look at the accused to talk to him."

Justice Huq stuck to his point. "They were right this time at least. You are a lawyer and as an officer of the court why would you want to engage in such petty matters with the law enforcers? You must maintain the dignity of a counsel."

The tribunal chief said he thought all the parties behaved in a dignified manner and that he was rather proud of that.

"I do not understand why you must go and deal with the police. If there is a problem, inform the registrar's office or come before the court and tell us about it."

Tarikul Islam said he thought that the policemen were too rude and stepped out of line.

Justice Huq: That was something he said perhaps at the heat of the moment. They certainly don't mean what they said.

"And since you are here, let me also tell you that as a lawyer you must never come to the court without being appropriately dressed. You shouldn't even walk the corridors of the court if you are not properly dressed. And you must have your gown if you are appearing before the court.

The defence counsel said, "Yes, my lord."

The tribunal chairman then asked Saidur Rahman, one of the prosecutors assisting Syed Haider Ali, who is conducting Sayedee's case, whether he was ready and the prosecutor said that he was.

The investigation officer was about to begin his deposition for the ninth and presumably last day, when Sayedee stood up to address the court.

He said, "I have no understanding of law. You see that I sit in the dock reading the Quran during the proceedings and my counsels handle the entire matter. However, today none of them are present."

Justice Huq: "We are fully sympathetic. But rest assured that considering your counsels are not present, the tribunal shall act as your counsel. But at least one of the counsels should have been present."

The tribunal chairman then asked two of junior counsels of the defence team to come forward and note if the deposition was being recorded properly.

One of them, Abu Bakar Siddique, stood up and prayed for an adjournment saying that they were not competent enough and begged the court's permission to allow some time so that at least one of the senior counsels could be notified and brought to the court by 2pm.

Siddique pointed out that the senior defence counsel Mizanul Islam could not come to the court without a car, which was not really possible since there were 'no cars' on the streets because of the main opposition's countrywide daylong general strike. The Jamaat happens to be a key ally of the main opposition BNP.

When Justice Nizamul Huq asked the prosecution if they had anything to say, prosecutor Mukhlesur Rahman Badal said he did not have any objection to the plea. "I believe that this much (prayer for an hour's adjournment) could be considered."

Prosecutor Zead-Al-Malum, however, objected to the prayer.

But Justice Huq said that the defence could rightly feel prejudiced if the proceedings went ahead without any of their lawyers present in the court. He then adjourned the proceedings until 1:30pm.


FIRST CASE TO TRIAL

Sayedee's is the first case to proceed to the trial stage at the tribunal. The prosecution on Sept 4 proposed framing of charges against him on 31 counts for crimes against humanity and genocide.

The tribunal also sent Jamaat's former chief Ghulam Azam to jail on Jan 11. His indictment hearing began on Feb 15 and the court is scheduled to give Azam's indictment order on May 2.

Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed and assistant secretaries general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla have been detained on war crimes charges.

BNP MP and standing committee member, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, also behind bars, has been indicted for 23 charges on Apr 4. The prosecution has been ordered to begin with its opening statement on Apr 29.

The tribunal granted conditional bail to former BNP lawmaker and minister Abdul Alim on Mar 31 last year. The bail was extended further, until Apr 24 when the next hearing of Alim's case is scheduled. Alim has been ordered to be present in the court on that day. However, that case has been transferred to the second tribunal set up on Mar 23 this year.

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will announce party's next course of agitation over the alleged abduction of M Ilias Ali at a press conference after the countrywide dawn-to-dusk general strike for the third successive day on Tuesday.

After a meeting between Khaleda and the party's policymakers at her Gulshan office on Monday night, standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy informed reporters of the decision.

Her press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan added that the party chief would meet the press at 6:45pm at her Gulshan office.

He said Khaleda would speak at length about the situation arising out of the disappearance of Ilias at the press conference. "She will also speak about the overall political situation."

Roy said the protests against the disappearance of the organising secretary would continue until the government 'returns' him.

Asked whether hartal would be called again, he said, "Our street protests will continue ... we will protest in various ways."

Acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, R A Gani, Moudud Ahmed, Mahbubur Rahman, M K Anwar, Jamiruddin Sircar, A S M Hannan Shah, Mirza Abbas, Rafikul Islam Mia, Mirza Abbasm Nazrul Islam Khan and Abdul Moyen Khan, among others, attended the meeting.

The BNP will continue enforcing its nationwide dawn-to-dusk lockdown for the third day on Tuesday over the alleged 'abduction' of party leader M Ilias Ali.

Acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the announcement at the party's Naya Paltan headquarters before Monday's hartal ended.

All Higher Secondary Certificate and its equivalent examinations scheduled for Tuesday across the country have been postponed as opposition BNP has called a countrywide general strike for the third successive day.

Examinations of vocational board were scheduled for the day.

Tuesday's deferred examinations would now be held on May 23, said Dhaka Board chairman Prof Fahima Khatun.

HSC examinations scheduled for Sunday and Monday had also to be postponed on account of the opposition-sponsored general strike.

On Thursday, the government had put off Higher Secondary Certificate examinations of Sylhet board and vocational board tests across the country in view of the hartal called by BNP in the district on the day.

The government has been criticising the opposition for enforcing strike at a time when the examinations are in progress. Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid asked the opposition to withdraw the strike considering the sufferings caused to the students.

HSC examinations began across the country on Apr 1. Over 9 lakh students are taking part in examinations under eight general education boards, vocational board and Madrassa education board this year.

The home ministry has reacted sharply to reports appearing in a section of the media on a 'deal' reached between the government and the BNP to 'return' missing leader M Ilias Ali.

Dubbing the report baseless, a media statement on Monday said all-out efforts were being made by the law enforcing agencies to trace the BNP organising secretary.

Ilias' wife Tahsina Rushdir Luna was sincerely helping the law enforcers, the statement said.

"Instead of helping the government for an early recovery of the abducted leader," the note said, "the opposition is misleading people by making false and instigative remarks to provoke them."

About the report on Ilias, it said, "These reports even talked of some imaginary conditions for the release of Ilias, thus creating confusion among the people."

The reports were, in fact, aimed at thwarting the efforts to recover the victims, Ilias and driver of his car Ansar Ali, it added.

The home ministry also urged everyone to help speed up the recovery.

The BNP will enforce for a second straight day a daylong countrywide shutdown on Monday to protest the disappearance of the party's organising secretary M Ilias Ali.

The main opposition party's acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the announcement at a media call at the Naya Paltan headquarters minutes before Sunday's lockdown was to end.

Fakhrul, who has been threatening the government with a non-stop general strike, said, "I'm telling the government again, return Ilias Ali and his car driver. Otherwise, the protest will be tougher."

"Monday's hartal will also be a 6am-to-6pm one like Sunday," he added.

Ilias Ali, also the chief of Sylhet district chapter, went missing since in the early hours on Wednesday. Police recovered his car, abandoned with doors open, from a street in Mohakhali.

Sunday's shutdown saw law-enforcers clamping down on pickets as sporadic clashes took place around the country. BNP leaders were cordoned off at the Naya Paltan headquarters all day long.

Sylhet, the home of Ilias Ali, had the biggest share of violence between police and opposition pickets leading to 20 people being injured and more than 50 detained.

The main opposition has been alleging the government has 'abducted' Ilias while the government refuted the allegation claiming it is trying it's best to find Ilias, a former MP.

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia alleged that Rapid Action Battalion 'abducted' Ilias. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina, however, said that Ilias has gone into 'hiding' and BNP is staging a 'drama' over it.

Fakhrul at the press briefing on Sunday said, "Remarks of the prime minister and the government officials have led us to believe that a government agency has abducted Ilias and now they are staging dramas over the issue of returning him."

Meanwhile, RAB on Saturday night raided several suspected houses at Gazipur's Pubail to find Ilias but had nothing to show for.

Apart from Sylhet, situation was normal elsewhere during Sunday's shutdown. Train, launch and plane operations were normal. Long-route buses were at a halt while rickshaws dominated the streets as usual.

Several local-made hand bombs exploded in the capital since the morning, most of them in front of the BNP headquarters.

Officials and employees of Biman Bangladesh Airlines demonstrated in front of the flag carrier's headquarters on Friday as its board of directors held a meeting there.

Only on Apr 10, the staff called off their strike after the civil aviation minister assured them the board would be dissolved as per their demand.

Some 200 Biman employees, under the banner of Biman Banchao Oikya Parishad, took part in the demonstration on Friday evening.

Additional police were deployed at the scene to avert any unpleasant incident.

"The civil aviation minister had assured us of dissolving Biman board of directors. Even after that, the board of directors has called a meeting in the evening," Biman Banchao Oikya Parishad publicity secretary Harun-or-Rashid told bdnews24.com.

"We demonstrated in front of Balaka Bhaban for one and a half hours starting from 4pm protesting the meeting," he added.

Shamshul Azad, a security official of Biman, told bdnews24.com that all of the board members reached the airliner's headquarters before 6pm to attend the meeting.

Airport Police Station sub-inspector (SI) said the protesters left the scene just after 6pm after staging their programme peacefully.

The Parishad on Apr 3 had called a 48-hour strike from Apr 16 demanding resignation of the chairman and dissolution of the board.

The pilots, cabin crew, officials and employees of Biman have been protesting since Mar 3 to press for their demands, terming the board corrupt and incompetent.

A platform of owners and workers of petrol pumps and oil tank lorries has postponed a nonstop strike scheduled to be enforced from 6am on Sunday.

Bangladesh Petrol Pump Owners and Tank-Lorry Owners-Workers Unity Council announced the postponement in a media statement on Friday evening.

The platform had said that fuel oil will not be sold at about 9,000 petrol pumps while tank lorries would also have stopped supplying oil to press home its several demands including a hike in sales commission.


Convenor of the Council Nazmul Haque told bdnews24.com on Friday that at a press conference on Mar 31 they had issued an ultimatum for the government to raise commission on the sales of petroleum fuel and meet other demands before Apr 21.

"As the government has not made any move on the issue, we will enforce the indefinite strike from 6am on Sunday," he added.

One of the major demands of the association is implementation of the government's decision about increasing the pump owners' commission on sales of petroleum products.

After long negotiations, the government on Feb 23 last year agreed to raise the commission, but has yet to implement the decision.

A special committee formed by the government last year recommended increasing the sales commission of diesel and kerosene by 3.4 percent and octane and petrol by 4 percent.

"But the government on Jan 26 fixed 2.45 percent commission for the pump owners on diesel, 3.27 percent on petrol and 3.3 percent on octane without any discussion with us," he said.

Currently, around 4,900 petrol pumps are in operation.

Haque said the government raised prices of fuel oil several times in past few months but did not revise commission for the pump owners. Also the president of Petrol Pump Owners Association, Haque said pump owners and workers were being affected financially.

After the government raised fuel oil prices on Dec 29 last year, price of per litre diesel and kerosene went up to Tk 61, petrol to Tk 91, octane to Tk 94 a litre and furnace oil to Tk 60.

Their other demands include a guideline on installation of petrol pumps, increase in fares for tank lorries and an end to alleged police harassment in the name of checking papers of tank lorries.

"We have been pressing for several demands for past few years. The government assured us of meeting the demands but it is not keeping its pledge," Haque said.

The council had enforced an indefinite strike on May 9, 2010 but later called it off after prime minister's energy adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury and state minister for energy Enamul Huq had a meeting with them.

On May 17 last year, they once again announced to enforce a strike but later suspended it upon assurance from the government to meet some of their demands.

The ruling Awami League on Sunday brought out several anti-hartal processions at different points of the capital.

They also gathered in front of the party headquarters at the Bangabandhu Avenue.

AL activists and supporters started gathering at the party's Bangabandhu Avenue office since morning.

Party's city unit official Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya was at the headquarters where the supporters chanted anti-strike slogan.

The BNP is enforcing Sunday's shutdown protesting against the disappearance of the party's one of the organising secretaries M Ilias Ali. The opposition asked the authorities to find Ali.

The government, however, had requested BNP to withdraw Sunday's strike. The opposition rejected the call and threatened to enforce indefinite strike if Ali was not found.

Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), AL student wing, Paltan unit brought out a procession at the Nightingale Crossing near the BNP headquarters. Police, however, did not allow them to move towards the BNP headquarters.

Ulama League, a religious group affiliated with AL, brought out a procession at the Bangabandhu Avenue and held a rally in front of the National Press Club.

Several other anti-strike processions were also seen across the capital.

The BNP leaders had been alleging that the government had a hand in Ilias Ali's going 'missing'. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina rejected the allegation and said it was a "drama staged by the BNP".

Home minister Shahara Khatun on Friday called on the opposition to withdraw the strike, saying law enforcing agencies were working to find out Ilias.

BNP spokesman Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the opposition might call non-stop shutdown if Ali was not found.

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.

A Dhaka court on Wednesday sentenced a former police deputy inspector general and his wife to life for illegally keeping seven children in their custody for trafficking.

Judge Mohammad Arifur Rahman of the Fourth Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal handed down the guilty verdict against Anisur Rahman and his wife 'Anowara'.

Wednesday's verdict came six years after the incident came to light. The judgement is related to seven children although according to reports the couple had 14 children in their custody.

The court also fined the couple Tk 500,000 each. The convicts will have to serve another year in jail if they fail to pay the fine.

Defence lawyer Kazi Mohammad Sazawar Hossain said he would appeal the verdict.

Anowara was present in the court when the judgement was delivered on Wednesday but her husband has jumped bail.

Media reports in May 2006 said that Anowara claimed to be the mother of seven children of similar age. The incident had created a public sensation that time. Allegations had it that the couple kept these children for trafficking.

The couple claimed the 14 children that used to live in their home were their own.

According to media reports, Anisur's wife had undergone permanent birth control measures five years back. If the birth certificate information was true then Anowara had given birth to three of the children within an eight month period.

Advocate Elena Khan, then executive director of Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights (BSEHR), filed a general diary with Badda Police Station against the couple. Later on Feb 6, 2007, the court accepted the complaint as a case as media and rights activists continued to press for it.

According to case details, seven of the 14 children of the couple were very young. Discrepancy surfaced as their information varied from time to time and it emerged that the children were not theirs.

The couple's past deeds made it clear that they illegally collected these children from various hospitals, clinics or from the guardians for trafficking.

On Nov 10, 2006 investigation officer of the case, detective Humayun Kabir submitted the final report to the court.

He sought discharge of the accused from the case, saying the incident surfaced merely because of "misinformation". But when the case's plaintiff objected to the report, the court decided to continue with the case.

According to case details, Jannatul Mariam Nazifa, one of the children, died.

Nafiza, Jannatul Nafiza Rahman, Jannatul Tanisa Rahman , Ayman Rahman Anis, Nafes Akan Anis, Anas Akhand Asin and Diyan Rahman currently stay at the Jatiya Mahila Ainjibi Samity's safe home 'Proshanti' at Agargaon.

The coast guards on Tuesday seized the cargo vessel responsible for the recent Munshiganj ferry capsize that claimed lives of around 150 people.

Bangladesh Coast Guard officials said 'MV City-1' cargo ship was seized around 12pm from the Meghna River at Chandpur Sadar's Rajrajeshwar area.

Assistant sub-inspector of Chandpur Police Station Mohammad Salauddin said eight of the cargo's crewmen were handed over to police.

At least 147 people died when passenger carrier Shariatpur-1 collided with the cargo vessel on the night of Mar 13 and capsized with more than 250 passengers on board.

The committee that investigated the accident held the cargo vessel responsible for the accident. MV City-1 was on its way to Dhaka from Shariatpur on the fateful night.

Commander of Chandpur Station Coast Guard lieutenant Mohammad Zahurul Haque and director of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Emdadul Haque told bdnews24.com that 12 sailors were on board the cargo ship when it was seized.

The vessel had no goods and was on its way to Chittagong from Dhaka, they said.

According to the information given out by the detained crew, one Fazlur Rahman owns the vessel. He stays at Dhaka's Gendaria area, they said.

The detainees are – master Shahidul Islam, 54, pilot Amir Hossain, 42, crew Rafiqul Islam, 35, 'Zafar', 27, 'Shahid', 25, Babul Hossain, 28, 'Niyamat', 19, Sanowar Hossain, 32, 'Yousuf', 19, 'Nuruzzaman', 28, Mobarak Ali, 22 and Monir Hossain, 32.

The High Court has ordered the Inspector General of Police Hassan Mahmood Khandker to hand over responsibility of probing the murders of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi to the Rapid Action Battalion.

The bench of justices A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Jahangir Hossain gave the order on Wednesday after Detective Branch officials admitted that they have failed to make any progress in murder investigation.

Maasranga Television news editor Sagar and ATN Bangla senior reporter Runi were killed on Feb 11 at their rented apartment in the city's West Rajabazar.

A case was filed against unidentified miscreants with the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station over the incident. The DB police have been investigating the case.

After the Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) filed a writ petition on Feb 28 as there had been no visible progress in the investigation, the High Court issued a rule upon the government to explain why it should not be directed to find out the motive of the killing and to arrest the killers.

The court also directed the police to submit the progress report of the investigation into the case before it. Two progress reports were submitted to the office of the deputy attorney general by the DB police and the inspector general of police (IGP) on Mar 21 and Mar 22 respectively.

Deputy attorney general A B M Altaf Hossain placed the report before the court on Tuesday. The court after seeing the report said that no progress was there and summoned deputy commissioner Monirul Islam and investigation officer of the case Rabiul Alam to appear before the court on Wednesday.

Bangladesh are through to their first ever Asia Cup final after beating Sri Lanka by five wickets in Tuesday's cricket match.

News reports say storms with heavy rains and strong winds have killed at least 17 people and injured dozens more in Bangladesh.

Dhaka's Prothom Alo and Janakantha newspapers say Friday's storms damaged mud-and-straw huts and felled trees in 10 of the country's 64 districts.

The reports say most of the deaths occurred from lightning. Some victims were buried under their collapsed houses.

Official confirmation of the reports was not immediately available.

Rainstorms are common in Bangladesh, a tropical delta nation of 160 million people.

An allegation of making up 'fake plaintiff' has surfaced to withdraw a case filed on charges of fraud against four people including Destiny Multipurpose Co-operative Society chairman and Kutub Bagh Darbar Sharif's 'Pir'.

The issue of the 'fake plaintiff' in the case came to light on Sunday when two lawyers for the plaintiff contradicted his location and pleas in the court of magistrate Mohammad Hasibul Haque of Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court.

Haque, after hearing plea of both lawyers, ordered Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police to check the voter ID cards of the two people who claimed themselves as plaintiffs. Police will have to submit their findings on May 15.

The court also ordered the Ramna Police Station officer-in-charge to make sure that first plaintiff Syed Shariful Haque Chishti is produced before the court on Tuesday.

One of the plaintiffs' lawyers, Amirul Islam, in his plea, said, "After filing the case on Mar 13, Syed Shariful Haque Chishti has gone missing. And now, the accused in the case are trying to withdraw the case by presenting a fake plaintiff."

Islam claimed, "The fake plaintiff's name is Shariful Islam, son of late Wasim Uddin. But Chishti is the real plaintiff, son of late Syed Nasirul Haque Chishti."

The lawyer also urged the court to protect the 'real' plaintiff and take measures against the 'fake' one.

Meanwhile, Shariful Chishti's lawyer Mohammad Golam Sarwar in a plea submitted on Mar 28 to withdraw the case said the case was filed following a misunderstanding between the plaintiff and the accused. But now, the plaintiff does not want to continue with the case as they have reached an understanding, he said.

The judge ordered to quash the case following his plea.

But Amirul on Sunday raised the allegation of creating a 'fake' plaintiff to drop the case.

Kutub Bagh Darbar Sharif's Pir Mohammad Jakir Shah's former 'Khadem' Shariful Haque Chishti filed the case at the Dhaka CMM's Court on Mar 13 accusing Jakir Shah, Destiny Multi-purpose Co-operative Society Limited chairman Amin, one Kabir Hossain and Ismail Hossain Babu.

Magistrate Hasibul Haque had ordered the accused to be present in court on Apr 15 after the hearing that day.

According to the case details, the accused confined Chishti inside the Kutub Bagh Darbar Sharif and forced him to sign some stamped blank cartridge papers on Apr 13 last year.

Later, he came to know that some pieces of land he owned at his paternal home were sold to Destiny Co-operative Society chairman Amin by Pir Jakir Shah for Tk 16.5 crore.

When Chishti went to him to talk about it, the accused had threatened to kill him, the case details said.

The High Court on Monday ordered authorities to suspend the process of the 33rd Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) preliminary test for three weeks and asked why the circular should not be declared illegal.

Following a writ petition filed on Sunday by 20 candidates who applied online but did not get admit cards, the bench of justices Farid Ahmed and Sheikh Hassan Arif issued the orders.

"According to the High Court order, all sorts of activities of the 33rd BCS will remain halted for three weeks," petitioners' lawyer A K M Fayez told bdnews24.com.

"The court wanted to know why the BCS circular with the condition of online application only should not be declared illegal," he said.

The court also asked why the Public Service Commission (PSC) would not be given directives to allow the applicants, who did not get their admit cards, to sit the test slated for June 1.

The court ordered the PSC chairman, Cabinet secretary, PSC's examination controller and Teletalk chairman to respond in one week.

"We told the court that the deprived applicants are at no fault. They applied in proper time. They cannot be deprived for the problem in Teletalk server. They did not get recourse even after appealing to the PSC chairman," Fayez said.

"In line with law, applications with the process to fill up online forms do not give everyone equal opportunity, which is contradictory to Section 29 of the constitution. The Section says everyone will have to be given equal opportunity in appointments," he added.

On Feb 29, the PSC published the circular for the test to fill up 4,206 vacant posts.

Amidst threat by applicants who did not get admit cards to move the High Court, the PSC had announced on Apr 10 that the 33rd BCS preliminary test will be held on June 1.

According to the PSC, 183,627 applicants have applied online from Mar 8 to Apr 7 for the 33rd BCS. This is first time BCS candidates have submitted applications online. The fee for the test was Tk 500.

State-owned mobile-phone operator Teletalk was assigned the task to collect the money submitted by candidates using its SMS service.

Teletalk said money of some 13,500 candidates could not be deposited as the pressure on the server was at its peak in the last two days as 50,000 candidates applied on those days.

The PSC argued that those who failed to submit the fee will not be allowed to take the test as 'the commission had alerted them about the pressure on the server by the end of the deadline to submit applications'.

Hours before the PSC announcement to hold the preliminary test, eight to 10 aspirants who had failed to get admit cards even after filling up online forms at a media conference threatened to move the High Court if they were not allowed chance to sit the test.

Apart from Fayez, lawyers Mostafizur Rahman and Parvin Hannan stood for the petitioners while assistant attorney general Samarendra Nath Biswas stood for the government.

Opposition leader and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia has returned home after undergoing a medical treatment at Singapore's National University Hospital.

A Singapore Airline flight carrying her touched the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport just before 11pm.

Khaleda's press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan said the opposition leader underwent a full medical check-up in Singapore.

"She (Khaleda) is fine now," he added.

Top party leaders including acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Barrister Jamir Uddin Sarker, Nazrul Islam Khan, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Aman Ullah Aman, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Fazlul Haque Milon and Juba Dal president Moazzem Hossain Alal, among others, received her at the airport.

She had left Dhaka for Singapore to undergo a medical check-up on Apr 9.

Taking 'full responsibility' for the recent cash scandal involving one of his personal aides, railway minister Suranjit Sengupta stood down on Monday.

Suranjit, who took over the newly-craved ministry barely five months back, made the announcement at a press briefing at the capital's Rail Bhaban after days of drama and suspense.

He met prime minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganabhaban Sunday night, first time since the scandal surfaced.

"Even though I was not linked to the incident, I am resigning to strengthen democracy," he told the press conference.

The resignation letter will be sent to the prime minister later, the ruling Awami League's advisory council member told reporters.

He came under pressure after his assistant personal secretary (APS) Omar Faruq Talukder was detained by the Border Guard Bangladesh personnel in the early hours of Apr 10 with unaccounted-for Tk 7 million in the car carrying Faruq and two top railway officials.

The officials are Railway Division (east zone) Yusuf Ali Mridha and Government Railway Police (GRP) (Dhaka zone) commandant Enamul Haque.

Mridha and Enamul were temporarily suspended and Faruq was fired on Sunday.

The ministry has asked the Bangladesh Bank to freeze Faruq and his wife Marzia Farhana's bank accounts and to investigate their banking transactions.

Opposition BNP has been claiming that the minister is also linked to the scandal and called for his resignation. But, Suranjit had rejected the demand saying, "The opposition hasn't given me the post ... I won't leave the post on their demand."

But after he met party president Hasina on Sunday night at Ganabhaban, rumours were rife that he was going to step down. The gossips grew when he was absent in the regular Cabinet meeting on Monday morning.

Though his briefing was supposed to begin at 12pm, Suranjit arrived at Rail Bhaban after 12:30pm and came to the conference room a 1:45pm with railway director general Abu Taher and railway secretary Fazle Kabir after spending some time at his chamber.

"I won't say much today. I won't take any questions and won't answer any either," he said at the beginning of the 20-minute briefing.

He said, "The incident is fully my responsibility, it is neither my party's nor the government's. I met the prime minister last Sunday for about an hour after she returned home. I expressed my desire to her to resign and she agreed."

Explaining the situation, he said, "A new debate has risen over the incident of Apr 10. People are saying many things. As my APS and two railway officials were linked to the incident, this is a responsibility of my ministry."

A very depressed Suranjit, who has been in politics for over 50 years, told the media call, "Everyone has been benefitted in many ways in 40 years of independence of Bangladesh. But I'm feeling sad to say this that no one made sacrifices in those years."

"I'm facing a difficult test at the end of my life," he added.

Protesting his innocence, he said, "Most of the people barring some intellectuals and a couple of people in my party have asked me whether the investigation would be free of influence if I am in office. I have to take responsibility for this incident to strengthen democracy. Though I'm not linked, I've decided to resign."

However, he put this resignation 'just a break' in his journey in Bangladesh's politics.

"I'll prove my innocence and will be back in politics in a transparent manner," Suranjit said.

After the press briefing, Suranjit held his last meeting with top railway officials at Rail Bhaban's conference room on the sixth floor. He urged the officials to keep up the good work achieved in the last several months.

Suranjit then left the Rail Bhaban around 3pm in a black jeep.

Suranjit, who has been MP in most parliaments formed since independence, took oath as the railway minister on Nov 28 last year. This is the first time Suranjit became a minister. During Awami League's last tenure, he was Hasina's parliament affairs advisor.

He joined Awami League in the early 1990s. He was a member of the country's first committee to constitute the charter and co-chairman of the special committee on the 15th Amendment to the Constitution.

Suranjit was also the head of the parliamentary standing committee on the law, justice and parliamentary affairs ministry until recently.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today reiterated her government's tough stance against terrorism and militancy and vowed that it (government) would never

compromise on this question.

She also called for united global efforts to curb the menaces as the terrorists and militants have no boundary.

The Prime Minister expressed the resolve when Canada's Special Envoy on Commonwealth Membership Renewal Senator Hugh Segal paid a courtesy call on her at her

office here this morning.

After the meeting, Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad briefed reporters.

Sheikh Hasina informed the envoy that her government contained terrorism and militancy with an iron hand in the last three years. In this connection, she mentioned the

massive terrorist activities including the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally in Dhaka and series bomb explosions at 500 places across the country

simultaneously during the rule of the previous BNP-Jamaat alliance government.

The Prime Minister said incumbent President Zillur Rahman's wife Ivy Rahman, former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria, MP, and Ahsan Ullah Master,MP, were brutally

killed in the terrorist attacks during the period.

She also said her government is working tirelessly to further
strengthen the democratic system including the Election Commission and ensure human rights of the people.

"No country could achieve its desired goal without continuation of democracy and ensuring the human rights of the people," she added.

She mentioned that all elections, including 12 Jatiya Sangsad by-polls, city corporation, upazila, municipality and union council, staged under the present government, were

held in a free, fair and neutral manner with the spontaneous participation of all.

"No single allegation was raised about the polls from any corner," she added.

About bringing back of the convicted killer of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Maj (retd) Noor Chowdhury, who is residing in Canada, the Prime

Minister said Canada should return him (Noor Chowdhury) to Bangladesh to face justice.

In response, the envoy told the Prime Minister that he would convey her message on the issue to the appropriate authorities of the Canadian government.

Segal highly appreciated the dynamic and visionary leadership of Sheikh Hasina and the successes Bangladesh achieved in the last three years under her leadership. They

also held a detailed discussion on the preparation of the next Commonwealth Summit to be held in Sri Lanka.

Issues relating to the trial of war criminals, climate change, food security and poverty alleviation also came up prominently for discussion.

Ambassador-At-Large M Ziauddin, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Sheikh M Wahid Uz Zaman, PMO Secretary Molla Waheeduzzaman, Press Secretary Abul Kalam

Azad and Canadian High Commissioner in Dhaka Heather Cruden were present.

Railway Minister Suranjit Sengupta today said he fired his assistant private secretary (APS) and ordered suspension of two railway officials and the

department's ongoing recruitment process as investigations were underway into the last week's midnight cash scandal.

Speaking at an unscheduled press briefing at his office, for the second time in three days, Sengupta also reiterated his earlier stance about the possible resignation saying, he would not hesitant to quit if investigations found his involvement in the scam.

"I told you earlier, it is not a big thing for a politician to earn a position and it is also to quit it," he said.

He said he fired his APS Omar Faruq as "I have the power to sack my APS" while the ministry suspended railway general manager Yusuf Ali Mridha and divisional commandant of its security force Enamul Huq on the basis of their statements before an investigation committee.

Sengupta said the trio would face departmental and judicial cases to be filed under the Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules 1985 while officials familiar with the situation said Mridha and Haque were asked not leave Dhaka until further orders.

The development came hours after Mridha and Haque appeared before an investigation committee of the ministry as summoned for their statements while Faruq apparently preferred to ignore the summon as he did not appear for the committee headed by a joint secretary.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Bank officials said they were set to issue a directive asking all commercial banks to freeze Faruq's bank accounts and examine the accounts of the two others.

In a related development Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) today said it launched an investigation into the Monday night's scandal and the alleged "recruitment trade" in the railway ministry.

According to earlier reports Sengupta's official aide and the two railway officials were going to the minister's residence at around midnight Monday when their car driver suddenly pulled the vehicle over to the high security Border Guard Bangladesh's (BGB) Pilkhana headquarters where he told the border guards that there was stashes of bribe money inside the car.

An amount said to be as high as Taka 70 lakh with no known source of origin, was reportedly found in their possession but the border guards freed them along with the amount next morning after overnight grilling.

Meanwhile, approached by newsmen as he came out after giving statements before the committee, Mridha said the said amount did not belong to him and he was ready to face investigations of any kind about the allegations.

Sengupta, a veteran parliamentarian and senior leader of ruling Awami League, earlier said he had no link to the said stash of money and feared an organized gang

deliberately was orchestrating a campaign to dislodge him as he spearheads a campaign to uproot "40 years of accumulated anomalies and corruption in the railway".

Celebrated British journalists Sir William Mark Tully and Simon Dring will reminisce on their experiences during Bangladesh's War of Independence at a programme on Monday.

One of the organisers, business leader Annisul Huq told bdnews24.com: "The two foreign journalists will start telling us about their war-time experiences from 7:30pm at Hotel Sonargaon."

Sir Mark Tully was BBC's India correspondent in 1971 and is still one of Britain's favourite broadcasters. During the war, the news media controlled by the then Pakistani junta used to carry out coverage for the military and their affiliates. Mark Tully's coverage of the war on BBC radio was the people's chief source of authentic information.

Covering the Liberation War of Bangladesh was a high point in Sir Mark's career; that he did extensively for the BBC and had the fortune to watch founding father of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from close quarters.

London-based Daily Telegraph's war correspondent Simon Dring was the first person who flashed out to the world the genocide carried out by the Pakistani forces on the Bengalis when Operation Searchlight was launched on the night of Mar 25, 1971.

All foreign correspondents and journalists had already been expelled from Dhaka by the military authorities and Dring was one of three correspondents who at the risk of their lives managed to stay in hiding – the other two being Arnold Zeitlin and Michael Laurent.

On Mar 31, Telegraph published Dring's eyewitness account of Operation Searchlight. Datelined Dhaka it was called "How Dhaka paid for a united Pakistan" and Dring's account of the army's attack on Dhaka University was horrifying and shocking but vivid and factual.

Business groups Mohammadi Group and Ha-Meem Group of current FBCCI president A K Azad, are sponsoring the programme titled 'Smriti 71'.

Sector commander and former army chief retired Maj Gen K M Shafiullah would be joining the two journalists in reflecting on the tumultuous days.

"We have invited all MPs, cabinet members, journalists and businessmen," Annisul Huq of Mohammadi Group said.

None without invite will be allowed, added the former FBCCI chief.

The programme, however, will be broadcast live on Desh Television and can be watched also on bdnews24.com.

Toufique Imrose Khalidi, editor-in-chief of the Bangladesh's first Internet newspaper, will moderate the programme.

Anyone can send their queries to the guests to this email address – smriti71@bdnews24.com

A previous attempt to bring the duo together to hear their stories was cancelled due to Sir Mark's illness.

Sir Mark, who reported the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the Bhopal gas tragedy and the destruction of the Babri Mosque by Hindu fanatics at Ayodhya, was awarded one of India's highest honours, the Padma Bhushan.

He will meet prime minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganabhaban before the programme.