BANGLADESH

Parliament may ask Bishwa Sahitya Kendra founder Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed to appear before the House for explaining his 'objectionable' remarks against members of parliament and ministers.

Presiding officer Prof Ali Ashraf said Abu Sayeed must tender an unconditional apology for his remarks.

He also urged MPs for issuing notice for hampering their special rights.

Prof Ashraf, who was presiding in the absence of Speaker Abdul Hamid and Deputy Speaker Shawkat Ali, made the observation during the time allocated for unscheduled discussions.

Sayeed, at a discussion arranged by the Transparency International, Bangladesh on Saturday, had said that MPs and Ministers act like thieves and dacoits and breach oath.

Independent lawmaker Fazlul Karim initiated the debate over the statement in the House. Jatiya Party lawmaker Mujubul Haque Chunnu and Awami League's presidium committee member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim followed and castigated Sayeed.

Terming the MPs' statements 'appropriate', Ali Ashraf said the country belongs to the people and "they have elected us".

"The speech does not speak well. We can call him to parliament. We have to set an example. He has to apologise unconditionally. Nobody has the right to undermine parliament," he said.

"Undermining parliament is a bad augury. We have to take action against this," the presiding officer said adding that such instances are blots on democracy.

In his statement, without naming Sayeed, Fazlul, said, "An intellectual has made an irresponsible comment at a discussion organised by the Transparency International Bangladesh. His statement is regrettable."

Urging the parliament to concentrate whether action can be taken against Sayeed, he said, "This kind of statement will not be good for democracy."

Chunnu said, "He (Fazlul) has not mentioned the name. It was Prof Abu Sayeed ... Politicians have done great things for the country."

"Politicians have made sacrifices for the sake of the country. Intellectuals can only give a advices. He has dishonoured the electorate," he added.

Selim was the man to speak on the issue last.

He said, "This is an attack on parliament and democracy. Intellectuals have become the conscience of the nation. But we can't find them when the country needs them."

"What do they do? From where do they spend so much money? I want to ask the finance minister, what is their source of money? They organise one or two seminars every week. How do they manage to own such expensive cars?" he went on.

Selim continued, "They become mad if an elected government stays in power. They get respectable positions during the tenure of an unelected government. What was their role after the 1/11? Don't we know that? You (Syeed) had not uttered a single word when businessmen, students and teachers were arrested after 1/11."

"Transparency International, Bangladesh looks for corruption in the ministries ... who are they?"

Police on Sunday withdrew two Officers-in-Charge on charge of negligence of duty as Parliament's Whip Sheikh Abdul Wohab was assaulted in the district.

Jessore Superintendent of Police (SP) Kamrul Ahsan told bdnews24.com that Abhaynagar's OC Ahsan Habib and Monirampur's OC Mohammad Soyer Uddin were sent to the office of Khulna Deputy Inspector General.

Wohab, also the ruling Awami League's Jessore-6 MP, was assaulted on Saturday morning when he went to visit the TRM project related to river management at Abhaynagar's Bilkapalia area, his electoral constituency.

Several others including six police officials and Abhaynagar Upazila Chairman Abdul Malek were also injured in the attack. At least 11 vehicles, including one of police, were vandalised and torched.

Jessore Additional SP Jakir Hossain told bdnews24.com that allegations of police's negligence during the attack will be investigated.

Wohab, however, told : "Police acted like spectators watching us when we were attacked."

He said Assistant SP Abul Kalam Azad and OCs of Abhaynagar and Monirampur police were also present at the scene. "They did not even protect me even when I asked for help."

Wohab will speak at a news conference at 8pm Sunday at the Jessore Circuit House on the attack.

Journalist Kamrul Islam, who was travelling with the Whip, on Saturday had told bdnews24.com that some unknown assailants launched the attack.

He added that it was suspected that a particular quarter opposing the TRM project might have carried out the attack.

A readymade garment factory caught fire in Jorun area in Gazipur resulting in huge losses.

Senior Station Officer of Gazipur Fire Service Abu Zafar Ahmed told bdnews24.com that Islam Garments Fashion caught fire around 7:45pm on Saturday.

He said fire-fighting units rushed to the spot from Gazipur, Savar EPZ and Kaliakair and doused the flames after two and a half hours' effort around 11pm.

Zafar said they thought an electric short-circuit had caused the fire but said none was injured in the accident.

Director of Islam Garments Shaker Ahmed said the fire originated at the cutting section on the third floor around 7:45pm. The flames quickly spread to nearby rooms.

He said the fire had gutted a large number of readymade garments, clothes and destroyed several machines of the factory. The director claimed the estimated loss was nearly around Tk 40 million.

Zafar, however, could not say anything about losses.

The brother of grocer Mohammad Mamun Bhuiyan, who was killed after he was snatched from police custody, has alleged that one of the accused in the murder case has threatened to kill him too.

Nazmul Hossain Bhuiyan told bdnews24.com: "One of the accused on Mamun's murder case, former member of Moktarpur Union Parishad Hakim Faraji has threatened several times to kill me."

He also expressed frustration over police's failure to catch the main perpetrators even after four days into the killing.

Mamun, 30, son of Hossain Ali of Baragaon, was arrested on charges of alleged robbery and extortion on May 29 from the union's Baragaon Bazar. Police, however, said local people had snatched him from their custody and killed him.

His body was found at Ramchandrapur village under Muktarpur Union Parishad around 2:30am on Wednesday.

However, Mamun's family alleged that the Muktarpur Union Parishad Chairman Shariful Islam Toron's people killed him in collusion with police over old rivalry.

Nazmul had filed the murder case on Thursday night at the Kaliganj Police Station against 19 people, of whom nine Toron and former UP member Faraji were named.

Police later arrested Toron's elder brother Mohammad Kawsar Sarker, 35, Mohammad Iran Sarker, 30, village police members Shyamal Sarker, 35, and Srinibash Mandal, 30, in connection with the murder.

Asked why other accused were not arrested, Kaliganj police's Officer-in-Charge Enayet Uddin told bdnews24.com: "We are continuing raids to catch the other accused. But Nazmul hasn't told us anything about the threats to him."

Railway East Zone General Manager Yususf Ali Mridha and Omar Faruq Talukder, sacked APS to former Railway Minister Suranjit Sengupta and three others on Sunday submitted their wealth statements to the Anti-Corruption Commission.

All five including Mridha's wife Yasmin Nargis Zakia, Dhaka zone Railway Police's Commandant Enamul Haque and his wife Rahat Ara Haque submitted individual statements on their movable and immovable assets to ACC Secretary Faizur Rahman Chowdhury.

On May 14, the ACC had asked them to provide their wealth statements as its primary investigation found that they had property beyond their known income.

On Apr 10, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel reportedly detained Faruq, Mridha and Haque while they were moving in a car allegedly with unaccounted-for Tk 7 million cash at the gate of BGB headquarters.

Mridha and Enamul were suspended following the incident while Faruq was fired. Suranjit, who became a Minister of the newly-craved Ministry of Railways, stepped down accepting responsibility for the scandal. However, he was retained in the Cabinet, but relieved of his portfolio.

The Ministry's own investigation cleared Suranjit, Mridha and Haque of 'wrongdoings'.

The corruption watchdog is probing the incident separately and had already cross examined the trio on Apr 18.

Twenty-five pro-BNP lawyers including Dhaka Ainjibi Samity President Mohammad Borhan Uddin on Sunday secured bail from Dhaka's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court in a case that accuses them of creating chaos and vandalism at court premises.

Additional CMM Saidul Islam granted interim bail to them, until June 19, after their earlier bail granted by the High Court expired the same day.

The judge also accepted the charge-sheet against them at the same hearing of the case filed under the Speedy Trial Act.

At the hearing, state counsel Additional Public Prosecutor Shah Alam told the court, "They are lawyers just like us. We don't have any problem with their bail. But it must be ensured that this kind of chaotic incidents will not take place on the court premises again."

On May 22, the defendants created chaos by smashing window glasses and doors at the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court and throwing a black flag at the Metropolitan Judicial Magistrate's Court when a hearing was going on.

Kotwali Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Mokbul Hossain had filed the case later that night against more than 70 people for the incidents. Twenty-nine people were named as accused in the case.

Kotwali police SI Mohammad Azizul Haque submitted the charge-sheet on Thursday afternoon at the CMM court against the 25 lawyers.

The lawyers were protesting the court's rejection to the bail plea of BNP leader and leader of the pro-BNP lawyers Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon in a case over violence during an opposition-enforced countrywide general strike on Apr 29.

The High Court on May 24 had granted the main opposition-backed lawyers 10-day anticipatory bails after they regretted their actions at several courts in Dhaka and pleaded for bail.

Earlier, they had applied for pre-arrest bail at the High Court after the incident. But the court asked them to file bail pleas afresh expressing regret.

On Apr 29, a vehicle was torched near the Prime Minister's Office allegedly by the pickets and two bombs exploded at the Secretariat area during the shutdown.

The top BNP leaders including Acting Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir are now in jail in the two cases filed by the police.

A senior BNP leader on Saturday warned the police officials who filed cases against senior opposition leaders saying 'steps against them would be taken once the party goes to power'.

"Once BNP goes to power, steps will be taken against those 'enthusiastic' police officers who are favouring the government and have filed the false cases against the opposition leaders and activists," BNP standing committee member M K Anwar said at a human-chain programme in front of the National Press Club in the city.

The BNP leader is also accused in a case filed under the Speedy Trial Act over violence during a shutdown in the capital. He came out of jail last week on bail.

Anwar said, "The government has already withdrawn 7,500 cases against their party activists and now filing cases against the opposition one after another."

Saying the cases against the BNP leaders were 'groundless', Anwar said, "The unsuccessful government resorted to false cases and torture to repress the opposition."

"But the agitation cannot be stopped by filing cases," he added.

He reiterated his party's long-standing demand to reinstate the caretaker government provision, which was annulled through the 15th Amendment to the Constitution last year.

The first war-crimes tribunal of Bangladesh has granted in part the defence prayer that three prosecution witnesses against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee be recalled.

A member of International Crimes Tribunal-1, Judge A K M Zaheer Ahmed gave the order on Sunday noting the arguments of both the defence and prosecution.

The tribunal, set up to try crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, has indicted Jamaat executive council member Sayedee on 20 counts of war crimes including murder, rape, loot and arson.

Sayedee's defence had prayed that the court allow it to recall three witnesses in light of new evidence submitted by the case investigator, ASP Mohammad Helaluddin, who is currently being cross-examined.

Judge Zaheer Ahmed's order noted that the new information had not come to light when the first prosecution witness Mahbubul Alam Howladar and sixth witness Manik Poshari were deposed and cross-examined.

As defence counsel Mizanul Islam had argued, it was only after the 28th witness, that is when the investigation officer submitted television reports as exhibits, that the new information emerged.

The judge noted that the tribunal could also take note of the facts but decided against taking such a risk since the allegations were of an international nature and decided to allow the defence to recall those two witnesses.

Reasoning against prosecutor Syed Haider Ali's arguments that it would delay the proceedings, the judge noted that the defence had already listed three questions for Howladar and 13 for Poshari. He said in his order that these questions would not cause a delay.

As regards the second witness Ruhul Amin Nabin, the defence said there had been new evidence contradicting his claim of having graduated from Dhaka University. According to Mizanul Islam, official records show that Nabin was expelled during examinations.

But Judge Ahmed said recalling Nabin would not be allowed since the new evidence was "in no way related" to Sayedee's case.

The judge then ordered the investigator to produce the two witnesses and directed the defence to bear the expenses.

Subsequently, cross-examination of the investigation officer resumed for the 17th day. Mizanul Islam continued to ask questions about exhibits submitted by the prosecution.

It is expected to resume after the lunch recess when the court will hear a review application of its decision to receive as evidence the statements of 15 witnesses that the prosecution could not produce before the court without undue delay or expenditure.

First case to trial

Sayedee's is the first case to proceed to the trial stage at ICT 1. 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 indicted Azam on May 13.

Jamaat chief 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.

Former BNP lawmaker and minister Abdul Alim is the only one out bail. With formal charges pressed against him, Alim saw his defence place his discharge petition on Monday. Further arguments followed on Wednesday. The hearing has been adjourned till May 14.

The Awami League on Sunday said it had no information on the opposition's July 10 deadline about the caretaker government issue, but insisted that all political parties will join the next general election.

Opposition BNP chief Khaleda Zia at a Dhaka rally on Mar 12 set the deadline for the government to reinstate caretaker government system before the 2014 parliamentary election and said otherwise, it will announce fresh agitation programmes on June 11.

Awami League's General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam told journalists after opening an upazilla governance project in Dhaka that they had no information about that deadline.

"So I cannot comment on it," Syed Ashraf, also the Local Government and Rural Development Minister, said. "But we believe there will be an acceptable solution after dialogue, which is a continuous process."

The opposition has been demanding a return of the caretaker government system from last year when the provision was invalidated by the court.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on more than one occasion has asserted that the next elections would be held under her government, but the opposition leaders said they also know how to push the ruling coalition to accept the demand and revive the caretaker system to oversee the parliamentary polls.

A confident Awami League general secretary said they were 'certain' that all parities will take part in the next election.

"The Constitution is our guiding factor. There will be dialogues (following the Constitution), there will be decisions, there will be elections and all will participate in the election where people will give their mandate on the next government."

"We are certain."

Syed Ashraf said people might see the process of the 'dialogue is not going on right track'.

"Initially (for a dialogue) everyone disagrees, but finally all agrees," he said in an apparent gesture that the government is going to stick to its gun on the caretaker issue.

Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission Ghulam Rahman has urged the media to identify the multi-level marketing (MLM) companies that are cheating people out of their millions.

"Please publish reports in the media against the MLM companies that are deceiving the people exploiting their belief. We'll take steps against all of them," he said while talking to journalists at his office on Wednesday.

Regarding Destiny-2000 Limited, an MLM company, he said a large number of people are involved with it but a few cunning people are looting the assets of the people.

"Some people are looting and laundering money in the name of MLM to rob general people and it should be prevented."

The anti-graft body on Wednesday quizzed three more officials about the reported fraudulence and irregularities by Destiny and its 37 associate organisations.

They are its directors Sajjad Hossain, Mezbah Uddin Swapan and Irfan Ahmed Sani.

Earlier on Apr 4, the ACC started the investigation into the irregularities of Destiny.

Several newspapers recently published reports on the company's alleged involvement in several irregularities, including illegal banking and collecting money from people through cheating.

On May 14, a Dhaka court issued a warrant of arrest for Destiny-2000 Chairman, Boishakhi Media Limited Managing Director and two other officials after businessman MNH Bulu, a shareholder of Boishakhi Media, filed a case against them.

On Apr 1, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce Ministry decided to request the Finance Minister and the Bangladesh Bank Governor for action against Destiny-2000 and such other MLM companies.

A Bangladesh Bank inquiry recently found proof of illegal banking by Destiny Multipurpose Co-operative Society, a sister concern of Destiny-2000.

The National Board of Revenue froze five bank accounts, including that of Destiny Chairman Mohammad Rafiqul Amin, on Apr 25.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has questioned the necessity of forming a probe commission to look into Grameen Bank's activities since its birth.

In a statement, Yunus on Wednesday said he was afraid that the bank's future would be at stake if the government exerted more influence on the bank.

"I believe without doubt that Grameen Bank's future will be endangered if the government reinforces its role in the bank affairs by changing its legal structure," he said in the statement.

"Has Grameen Bank done any major misdeed that needed (the government) to initiate this probe?" he asked. "I am saddened at hearing the news."

The government on May 16 formed the commission to review the ownership of Grameen Bank and 54 related social businesses that Yunus still heads, 14 months after Yunus was removed as its Managing Director.

The Bank and Financial Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance in a circular announced the institution of the panel under 'The Commission of Inquiry Act, 1956' .

The committee will look into changing the structure of the profitable network of ventures that include Grameen Bank's stakes in Bangladesh's biggest mobile-phone company Grameenphone and recommend ways to ensure good governance, transparency and accountability of the microcredit NGO and how to bring it within the reach of state regulatory agencies.

The commission will identify the institutional strengths, weaknesses and constraints in the Grameen Bank's operation and review the purposes, legal status and operations of the institutions, companies and enterprises established by it.

The commission will also comment on the microcredit NGO's ownership and composition of its Board of Directors specifying qualifications for such membership. It will report to the government in three months.

Yunus added: "I am now enormously worried about the possibility of Grameen Bank being put under government control. I fear even to anticipate the course that Grameen Bank will take if it is made a government institution."

In the wake of several incidents of police attack on journalists, senior BNP leader Moudud Ahmed said on Wednesday the government lost control over the law enforcers.

"The State Minister for Home has asked journalists to stay away from police. Such remarks after the brutal behaviour of police prove that the government has no control over them," said Moudud, a BNP Standing Committee Member. "They (government) have failed to run the country."

State Minister for Home Shamsul Hoque Tuku on Tuesday suggested journalists to keep safe distance from police when they are on duty to avoid any tussle with them.

"Many untoward incidents can be avoided if newsmen keep themselves away from police when they are on duty in a chaotic place," he said.

Moudud reacted over the remarks while placing wreaths on BNP founder Ziaur Rahman's grave at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar to mark his 31st death anniversary.

The BNP and its associate organisations, led by Chairperson Khaleda Zia, placed wreaths on the grave in the morning.

Moudud said Awami League did not believe in democracy.

"It was Ziaur Rahman who returned the country to the path of democracy from one-party rule in 1975," he said.

"Our leader Khaleda Zia gave democracy an institutional shape through the 12th Amendment of the Constitution. But the government has violated the people's right to vote by annulling the caretaker government system through the 15th Amendment," he added.

Moudud also reminded that Khaleda would announce fresh agitations from a rally in Dhaka on June 11 if the demand for restoring an election time caretaker government is not met by the June 10 deadline.

Asked what type of demonstration could be announced, Moudud said, "The programmes are yet to be finalised. It will be decided on June 9 or 10."

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 has reprimanded the Daily Sangram's reporter covering the tribunal for publishing report having 'false' and 'misleading' information about a witness.

Day's proceedings of the first International Crimes Tribunal on Wednesday began with the head of the three-strong tribunal, Justice Nizamul Huq, feeling 'sorry' over twisted facts in the news report.

The tribunal expressed disappointment over the news report after prosecution counsel Zead-Al Malum brought it to its attention.

On May 29, the Daily Sangram carried a news report titled "Witness Sheeru Bengali himself stands accused in cases of forgery, fraud and misappropriation."

"What does the headline mean? What do you want to convey by this sentence?" asked Justice Huq as he talked to Shahidul Islam, reporter of the Daily Sangram, a Jamaat-e-Islami mouthpiece.

Shahidul stood speechless as the justice continued reading parts of the report after the headline.

"The witness No. 3 is a fake freedom fighter," Justice Huq read out from the report as he termed the statement 'a dangerous statement to make'."

He wondered from where the reporter had received the information when neither the defence nor the prosecution had to say anything like this.

"Does a newspaper have the authority to deliver such a verdict?" Justice Huq asked. He also ordered the reporter of the newspaper to publish a corrigendum on the 'facts' given in the report.

Sirajul Islam alias Sheeru Bengali, is the third witness in the case filed against BNP lawmaker Salauddin Quader Chowhdury, who is facing charges on 23 counts of the crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

During the defence's cross-examination on May 28, Sheeru Bengali had said that he did not have a freedom fighter's certificate.

"Having no certificate does not mean a fake freedom fighter," said Justice Huq, who also urged cooperation from the media in holding a smooth trial.

Until the lunch recess, Mizanul Islam, defence counsel of Delwar Hossain Sayedee, continued with cross-examination of the investigation officer in the case for the 14th straight day on Wednesday.

The cross-examination will resume on Thursday at the tribunal formed to try genocide and other crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.

On Apr 26, in its first conviction for contempt of court, the tribunal sentenced the Daily Sangram editor-publisher and its Feni correspondent to a token prison term and fined them Tk 5,000 each.

The conviction followed publication of a report on Apr 2 in the newspaper covering an event in which certain lawyers of Feni Bar Association had stated that the tribunal was partisan.

The Home Minister on Wednesday sprung to the defence of the under-fire police force, claiming its behaviour is 'far better' now than before.

Shahara Khatun said reforms were underway to make the force 'pro-people'.

She made the comment only a day after police were accused of sexually assaulted a young woman and beating journalists at the Judges' Court premises in Dhaka.

"There are 141,000 police personnel in the country. I would not say all are good (well behaved). But we are working to make them pro-people," Sahara said.

She gestured to her right leg and said, "Police are now far better than before. My right leg is broken. Such incident also took place [in police action in the past]."

The government will take measures if there was any 'wrongdoings' in the police force, Shahara said.

"I was a political activist on the streets and have been pursuing politics since the Pakistani regime. We took action in the last three and a half years whenever there were wrongdoings in the police. Action will also be taken in future."

She dodged a 'yes' or 'no' answer to a question as to whether the media was the rival of police and government.

"People rush to police in incidents of burglary and robbery, but police don't torture them then."

She further claimed that the government took immediate measures in the incidents of police negligence and inaction.

Responding to a media query about the repression on the journalists by police on the court premises in old Dhaka, Shahara said the government took action soon after the incident. "Investigation is underway and measures will be taken [against those found responsible]."

Police on Tuesday withdrew two Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs) over allegations of sexually harassing a woman at the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court premises.

After a heated verbal exchange, the policemen dragged the young woman to the 'Police Club' on the court premises and sexually assaulted her, according to the lawyers who witnessed the incident.

As the Court Correspondents rushed there on information to have statement from police, they attacked three journalists and two lawyers.

Amid severe criticism, police withdrew ASIs ANuruzzaman Sarker and Amir Afzal Biplob in the evening. Police also formed a panel to investigate the incident.

Last week, police beat up three photojournalists of the daily Prothom Alo, snatched their cameras and cell phones and swore at them while they were taking photos of demonstrations by polytechnic students in Agargaon.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police after primary investigations closed Shahidul Islam, Assistant Commissioner (AC) of Tejgaon zone, and suspended nine policemen.

State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku at a discussion on Tuesday advised journalists to keep a "safe distance" from police while gathering news.

"Journalist can avoid such unwanted incidents if they collect news or take photos by keeping a safe distance from police," he advised.

Home Minister Shahara Khatun on Wednesday claimed that the media twisted the remarks of her deputy.

Earlier, Shahara attended an inter-ministerial meeting on reduction of extortion in the transport sector.

Jahidul Islam Sourav, one of the three arrested on Tuesday over an attack on bdnews24.com journalists, claims himself to be a member of Juba League, youth front of the ruling Awami League.

He also admitted attacking the journalists and office staff of bdnews24.com on Monday night which left two journalists and one staff of the country's first internet-based newspaper seriously injured.

However, Awami Juba League General Secretary Mirza Azam has denied Sourav's claim. "His claim is false," Azam said.

The other two arrestees – Mir Hossain and Ilias Master Sumon – have, however, denied any connection with the incident.

Police presented the trio in front of the press on Tuesday afternoon at the Detective Branch headquarters of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police where Sourav admitted his involvement in the attack.

On Monday night, unidentified assailants stabbed bdnews24.com Sub-Editor Newaz Mohammad Rifaat, Correspondent Salahuddin Wahed Pritom and office staff Ruhul Amin with sharp weapons during an attack which left them with serious injuries.

Police detained the trio from different localities in Mohakhali in separate raids since Monday night until Tuesday afternoon.

DB Additional Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman told reporters, "Sourav was arrested in the morning from his residence in Mohakhali. We also have the names of those who were involved in the attack."

Home Minister Shahara Khatun on Monday night, while visiting the injured at the United Hospital, had said the attackers, whichever political party they are from, would not be spared.

Sourav told reporters that he is a member of the 'Ga unit' of Juba League. He is a Degree first-year student at Titumir College.

However, Mirza Azam told bdnews24.com, "According to the Constitution of Juba League, there is no such organisational infrastructure as 'Ga unit'."

Sourav said that police arrested him from his house at 69/2 at Sakaria Mosque lane at Mohakhali.

Although the injured – Rifaat, Pritom and Ruhul Amin – bore wounds from sharp-edged weapons, Sourav claimed that no one was stabbed during the clash.

Asked if they were not stabbed then where did stabbing injuries come from, Sourav said, "I don't know about any stabbing."

He also named three of his 'seniors' – Imran, Yakub and Saddam – involved in the attack.

He said two of them works at a private electronic products manufacturing firm, but could not give their designations at the firm.

Asked to name other members of the Juba League 'Ga unit', Sourav refrained from answering. But he said, "One of the seniors took my knife."

He made this disclosure right after claiming that the journalists were not stabbed.

Describing the sequence of events leading to the attack, he said, "I was on my bicycle. There was some stuff on the footpath in front of the bdnews24.com's office building."

"As I asked the bdnews24.com staff to remove their stuff, one of them said, 'this is footpath, not road'. I had a heated argument with them. After that I called and informed my seniors about the incident."

Ruhul Amin of bdnews24.com was the man with whom Sourav had the argument in front of the building while keeping an eye on the office stuff kept outside to be shifted to the new location of the office.

On hearing shrieks of Ruhul Amin, journalists from the office had rushed to his aid and captured the assailant and informed police.

Angered at this, some more accomplices of the assailant from nearby areas, armed with sharp-edged weapons, swooped on the journalists.

Sourav claimed that he was captured and beaten up. After a while, his 'seniors' arrived on the scene, after which the attack took a new turn, culminating into stabbing of the journalists.

Meanwhile, speaking with the media, arrestee Ilias Master Sumon said, "I don't know anything about the incident. I've been framed."

The third arrestee, Mir Hossain, also pleaded innocence and denied any involvement in the attack.

DB ADC Masudur Rahman told reporters that police were investigating the reasons of the attack and whether any quarter was to benefit from the incident.

Earlier in the day, bdnews24.com's Human Resources Officer Shahidul Islam filed a case at the Banani Police Station against 15-20 unidentified people over the attack. Police said the trio was shown arrested in the case.

Injured Rifaat, Pritom and Ruhul Amin are still undergoing treatment at the United Hospital at Gulshan. However, doctors have already declared them out of danger.

Meanwhile, journalists across the country have demonstrated and held protest programmes against the attack.

The government will give Tk 200,000 compensation to each of the families of 10 Bangladeshi workers who died due to suffocation during a fire in Bahrain on Sunday.

The decision on giving compensation was taken at an emergency meeting of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Welfare Board on Tuesday, expatriates' welfare minister Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain told reporters at his Secretariat office.

Besides the financial assistance, the governing will also bear all the expenses of bringing back the bodies from Bahraini capital Manama.

The minister said that the government would try to realise compensation from the companies for which the ill-fated workers worked since they all travelled to Bahrain on legitimate work visas. "We're discussing the matter with the authorities concerned of Bahrain."

The bodies would be brought home from Bahrain by a Gulf Airlines flight since there is no flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines in Bahrain, he said.

Ten Bangladeshi workers died due to suffocation as a fire broke out at a makeshift labour accommodation in East Riffa area, some 30 kilometres from Manama, early on Sunday. The fire originated from an electric short circuit.

Nine of the 10 workers hailed from Comilla and one from Chandpur.

Responding to a query, Mosharraf said autopsy would be conducted after the bodies are brought home if their family members want that.

First Secretary of Bangladesh High Commission in Bahrain Mohammad Ibrahim said on Monday that after the post-mortem examinations, the Bahrain government said that the Bangladeshis had died in their sleep from carbon monoxide poisoning created from the smoke.

Earlier, Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa ordered an urgent investigation into the tragedy and directed the ministries of interior, labour, and municipalities and urban planning affairs to look into the causes and ensure that such incidents do not recur.

Prince Khalifa offered his condolences to the bereaved families and instructed the authorities concerned to send back the bodies to Bangladesh soon.

Bolts of lightning killed four people, including two of a family, in Nababganj of Dinajpur district on Wednesday.

Nababganj Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Jahidul Islam told  that the incidents occurred around 8am.

Asiya Begum, 37, and her neighbour Abdul Gafur's eight-year-old son Naimul Islam of Boalmari village under Binodnagar Union Parishad were killed on the compound of Gafur's house, the SI said.

Another thunderbolt hit a house at Chamunda village under Joypur Union Parishad, killing Razia Begum, 40, and her brother Atikul Islam, 35, who were inside the house, he added.

The driver of a microbus and all 11 passengers, nine of them are relatives, died when it collided head on with a speeding bus in Keraniganj near the capital early Wednesday.

Police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said the accident took place at Rajendrapur area around 6am.

South Keraniganj Police Station's Officer-in-Charge Sakhawat Hossain told bdnews24.com that the bus of Sakura Paribahan was on its way to Dhaka when the collision occurred with the microbus that was heading toward Mawa for Shariatpur.

RAB-10 official Mohammad Kashem told bdnews24.com that they recovered bodies of 10 people from the spot and two others, critically injured, died while being taken to the Mitford Hospital in Dhaka.

Nine passengers of the microbus were family members and relatives of Zakir Sarder, the Chairman of Arshinagar Union Parishad, the police official said.

They were on their way to Shariatpur to enjoy the summer vacation at Zakir's house, he said.

The deceased were identified as Zakir's wife 'Baby', 47, their daughter 'Lubab', 12, his sister 'Neena', 47, her son 'Babu', 21, Zakir's sister 'Razina', 33, her husband South East Bank official 'Lenin', 38, their son 'Yaas', 8, and daughter 'Ishra', 2, Zakir's niece 'Tazria', 12, and housemaids 'Khushi' and 'Moni', and the driver Sohel Rana.

Zakir's cousin Khokan Sarder told reporters at the hospital that Zakir's three sisters lived in Indira Road and used to spend the summer holiday at Zakir's house in Shariatpur every year.

The hospital's emergency ward doctor Masudur Rahman told bdnews24.com that three passengers of the bus injured in the accident took first aid and left the hospital.

The vitamin 'A' plus campaign will be observed on Saturday across Bangladesh.

At least 22 million children aged between 6 months and 5 years will receive life-saving vitamin A doses while over 19 million children between 2 and 5 years of age will receive an additional de-worming tablet.

Briefing journalists at the Secretariat, Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque said health workers and volunteers from 140,000 sites –health centres, schools, and bus, lunch and train stations –will distribute those doses.

Bangladesh has been conducting vitamin A campaign since 1974 as vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness and increases the risk of diseases like measles and diarrhoea, a major cause of childhood deaths.

According to government estimates, vitamin A doses save the lives of more than 30,000 children annually in Bangladesh, while reducing illness in tens of thousands more.

Because of the campaign, night blindness— also a sign of severe malnutrition among children—has declined significantly from 3.7 percent two decades ago to 0.04 percent at present, a 2009 survey shows.

"Our target is to bring it (night blindness) to zero level," the minister said, adding 'red' colour vitamin A capsule will be given to the children between 1 and 5 years of age while children between 6 and 11 months will receive 'blue' coloured capsule.

During the campaign, he said, volunteers will also spread messages of benefits of exclusive breastfeeding until six months into the birth of a child that can cut 13 percent deaths of children under 5.

As worm infection causes blood loss and retards children's growth, a de-worming tablet has been included in the campaign in 2004.

Bangladesh conducts two vitamin A supplementation campaigns each year, with the next one likely in October.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) received the viscera report of the second autopsy of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi on Tuesday.

"We got the report on Tuesday morning. It will help us in the investigation," RAB spokesperson M Suhayel told bdnews24.com.

He, however, declined comment on what was in the report.

After the second post mortem of Sagar and Runi on Apr 26, Qazi Gholam Mokhlesur Rahman, the doctor who conducted it, said many parts could not be checked properly as the bodies of the journalists, killed on Feb 11, decomposed.

Maasranga Television News Editor Sagar and ATN Bangla Senior Reporter Runi had been killed in their own flat at Rajabazar. Runi's brother filed a case with the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station against some unidentified people.

As police failed to make any progress in the investigation, the High Court questioned their skills and ordered transfer of the case to RAB.

RAB appealed to the court to redo the post mortem.

Police on Tuesday arrested three people in connection with an attack on bdnews24.com journalists on Monday.

All the arrestees -- Jahidul Islam Sourov, 20, 'Hossain', and 'Ilias' -- are residents of the capital's Mohakhali area, DMP's Additional Deputy Commissioner for Media and Community Service Masudur Rahaman told bdnews24.com.

Banani police detained them from different areas in Mohakhali in separate raids since morning, he said.

Officer-in-Charge of Banani Police Station Mamun-ur-Rashid said bdnews24.com's Human Resources Officer Shahidul Islam filed a case against 15-20 unidentified people over the attack.

"We have accepted the case. The investigation is underway," he said.

On Monday night, unidentified assailants stabbed bdnews24.com Sub-Editor Newaz Mohammad Rifaat and Correspondent Salahuddin Wahed Pritom with sharp weapons. Several others, including office staff Ruhul Amin, suffered injuries in the attack apparently by a group of local goons.

They are being treated at the United Hospital at Gulshan.

Journalists across the country have condemned the attack and demonstrated demanding arrest of the attackers.

Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) has proposed launching a simpler quota system arguing it is not possible to select eligible candidates fairly under the current quota system.

According to the annual report of the PSC for 2011 presented in Parliament on Sunday, the implementation of the current policy regarding the quota system is 'very much complex, difficult and requires (too) much time'.

"It is almost impossible to select eligible candidates following a 100 percent perfect way for the complexity in the current quota system. It is warranted to simplify the current quota system to select candidates through BCS (Bangladesh Civil Service) examination.

"Otherwise, it is not possible to be free from the complexities to implement the current quota system," the report said.

It proposed appointment of candidates in quotas for freedom fighters, women and small ethnic groups by categorising them nationally. "The complexity will increase if they are appointed on the basis of districts, divisions or size of population."

"Such posts can be distributed among the candidates in line with the merit list," the report said.

PSC Chairman A T Ahmedul Haque Chowdhury told , "Whatever is in the district quota, it should not create any hindrance."

"In many cases, candidates from other quotas get fewer appointments through this [district] quota. As a result, we face problems to meet the conditions of the quota system."

"It becomes difficult to select eligible candidates," he added.

In the current quota system, freedom fighters' sons, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters get 30 percent, women 10 percent, small ethnic groups five percent and those under district quota get 10 percent jobs in the civil service.

Of the 6,455 people appointed through the 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th BCS examinations, 1,145 were appointed from freedom fighters' quota, 897 from women's quota, 61 from small ethnic groups' quota and 960 from districts' quota, the report said.

The PSC also proposed increasing the age limit of candidates of the posts of assistant professor, associate professor and professor of government colleges.

"Most of the eligible teachers of the government colleges cannot apply for the posts due to the age limit," the report said.

30 percent women in past five BCS

According to the PSC report, 10,581 people were appointed through the past five BCS examinations (26th to 30th BCS).

Of them, 70.05 percent are male and the rest female.

A total of 703 or 66.13 percent male and 360 or 33.87 percent female were appointed through the 26th BCS, 2,417 or 74.62 percent male and 822 or 25.38 percent through the 27th BCS, 1,520 or 69.41 percent male and 670 or 30.59 female through the 28th BCS, 1.232 or 71.54 percent male and 490 or 28.46 percent female through the 29th BCS, and 1,623 or 68.57 percent male and 744 or 31.43 percent female through the 30th BCS.

Ten Bangladeshi workers died of suffocation from heavy smoke as a fire broke out at their rented house in Bahrain early Sunday.

Muhammad Ibrahim, Bangladesh’s first secretary (labour) in Bahrain, confirmed the deaths.

All the victims are from Comilla, he added.

Of them, one is identified as Syed Ahmed, son of one Abdul Jalil of Sadar upazila in the district.

The fire originated from an electric short circuit at 4:00am at a house in Rifa, 30 kilometres off the capital Manama, where the victims used to live, Ibrahim said.All the 10 died on the spot as billowing smoke engulfed their residence, he added.iremen rushed to the scene after having information from the neighbours of the deceased.The firemen had to break the wall to enter their house, and by that time the workers died of suffocation, Ibrahim added.

There was little arrangement for ventilation in that house,” he said. Labour department has already checked the fingerprints of the deceased and found that they entered Bahrain legally.The bodies were kept at a local hospital in Rifa.

The High Court on Monday ordered authorities to send detained BNP leader Sadeque Hossain Khoka to the BIRDEM Hospital and asked them why he should not get regular bail.

The bench of Justices Salma Masud Chowdhury and F R M Nazmul Ahsan issued the order and the rule after hearing a bail petition of BNP Vice Chairman Khoka.

Dhaka district's Deputy Commissioner was given a week to respond.

Barrister Moudud Ahmed argued for the former Dhaka Mayor at the hearing. Additional Attorney General M K Rahman and Deputy Attorney General Khandker Diliruzzaman stood for the state.

"The court ordered the jail authorities to immediately send him (Khoka) to the BIRDEM Hospital and issued a rule on his bail. It also asked for submission of a new petition if the doctors at the BIRDEM Hospital advise transferring him to another hospital," Moudud said.

The same bench granted temporary bail to five opposition MPs on Sunday and issued a rule asking why the opposition leaders who appealed for bail should not get regular bail.

A total of 42 leaders of the BNP, its allies and their associate organisations had been sent to jail in a case over torching a bus in front of the Prime Minister's Office during a shutdown on Apr 29.

Thirty-five senior leaders of the 18-Party Alliance, arrested in the case, appealed to the High Court against the May 23 rejection of their bail by a Sessions Judges' Court. The arrested leaders include BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Those who got interim bail from the High Court on Sunday are BNP MPs M K Anwar, Mahbub Uddin Khokan and Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie, and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) MP Oli Ahmed and Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) MP Andaleeve Rahman Partho.

The court also said on Sunday that it would hear the petition of Khoka on Monday.

Tejgaon zone Assistant Commissioner of Police Shahidul Islam, closed to the police headquarters for assaulting three journalists on Saturday, has now been put under suspension.

Inspector General of Police Hassan Mahmud Khandker confirmed  about the suspension of Shahidul hours after another top police official said Shahidul had been reinstated to active duty.

The move came amidst protests and agitation by journalists demanding arrest of the policemen involved in the beating and awarding exemplary punishment to them.

Earlier in the day, Additional Inspector General (AIG) Shahidul Haque told  "Shahidul Islam, who was closed off to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police headquarters after withdrawal, has been transferred to Rangamati's Betbunia."

On Saturday, some police personnel, including Islam, assaulted three photo journalists of Bengali daily Prothom Alo, who were taking photos of students of Dhaka Mohila Polytechnic Institute during their demonstration at Agargaon.

After a preliminary inquiry on the very day of mishap, authorities withdrew Islam to the police headquarters and suspended nine others. They also formed a probe committee manned by DMP Joint Commissioner Shahabuddin Qureshi and asked for a report on the incident in seven days.

Leaders of various journalists' unions demanded arrest of the police officers involved in the incident and exemplary punishment from an agitation in front of the National Press Club on Sunday.

Five opposition MPs secured six weeks' bail from the High Court in an arson attack case on Sunday, hours before the budget session of Parliament was to begin.

The bench of Justices Salma Masud Chowdhury and F R M Nazmul Ahsan also issued a rule asking the government why all the accused opposition leaders who appealed for bail should not get regular bail.

The government was given seven days to respond to the rule.

Those who got bail are BNP MPs M K Anwar, Mahbub Uddin Khokan and Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie, and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) MP Oli Ahmed and Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) MP Andaleeve Rahman Partho.

They had been sent to jail in one of the cases filed under the Speedy Trial Act over torching of a vehicle during a shutdown on Apr 29.

Khandker Mahbub Hossain, former President of Supreme Court Bar Association and Advisor to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, argued for the petitioners while Additional Attorney General M K Rahman stood for the state.

M K Rahman said the court granted bail for six weeks. Mahbub Hossain, however, said the bail was for six months, not six weeks.

Earlier in the day, counsels of the opposition leaders appealed against the May 23 order of the Metropolitan Sessions Judges' Court that rejected bail pleas of the arrested 18-Party opposition alliance leaders.

The BNP had enforced the Apr 29 general strike in protest against the disappearance of one of its organising secretaries M Ilias Ali. Tejgaon police had filed a case under the Speedy Trial Act against the opposition leaders over the incident.

Thirty-three top opposition leaders, including BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee Member Anwar, Students Affairs Secretary Annie, Liberal Democratic Party President Oli, and Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) Chairman Partho, had been sent to jail on May 17 following an order by a Dhaka metropolitan speedy trial magistrate after they surrendered in line with a previous High Court order.

BNP Joint Secretary-General Mahbub Uddin Khokan had been granted anticipatory bail until May 21 but he was arrested after the bail expired.

Another BNP Joint Secretary-General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and leader Kamrazzuman Ratan had been arrested earlier.

The other detained leaders include BNP Vice Chairman Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Standing Committee Members Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, A S M Hannan Shah, Mirza Abbas and Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Joint Secretary-General Aman Ullah Aman, Organising Secretary Fazlul Haque Milon and International Affairs Secretary Nazim Uddin Alam.

Jatiya Ganatantrik Party President Shafiul Alam Prodhan and NPP Chairman Sheikh Shawkat Hossain Nilu had also been sent to jail in the same case.

BNP lawmaker Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, standing war crimes trial at the International Crimes Tribunal-1, on Thursday called the second witness in his case a 'Beadab' (impudent) person.

Salauddin, facing charges on 23 counts of crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, shouted at the witness, Mohammad Salimullah, when the witness tried to make a statement minutes before the defence completed his cross-examination.

"Saqa (abbreviated form of Salauddin Quader used widely in the media) Chowdhury…" said Salimullah trying to make a statement that invited Salauddin's wrath just before the court went into lunch recess.

After the recess, the third witness in the case, Sirajul Islam Prokash, gave his deposition for about two hours until 4pm.

Earlier, day's proceedings at the ICT-1, formed to try crimes against humanity during the Liberation War, had barely started when defence counsel Ahsanul Haq Hena made a complaint against the  reporter covering the ICT-1 over a news report published on May 23.

"Mr. Emran (the reporter) should be reprimanded," Hena appealed to the tribunal, adding, "I pray for an action against this man."

The defence counsel provided the court copies of the report titled "Good's Hill was Al-Shams headquarters."

"'On many occasions, I have seen him (the witness) talking to beautiful girls and taking them to unknown destinations holding their hands,' said Ahsanul Haq in one of his 'unprofessional remarks' as a counsel'," was the line the counsel was objecting to.

Hena was specifically objected to the use of word 'unprofessional'. Until the court ended its day's proceedings, Hena appealed for action against the reporter at least thrice.

Justice Nizamul Huq, chief of the three-member tribunal, said, "Though the reporter thinks your behaviour was unprofessional, he should not have used the word. This is unprofessional."

In a general message to the journalists, the justice urged all to be cautious about the words they use while reporting the trial proceedings.

"...Don't hurt anybody. You say the same thing, but say it in a soothing language" was the advice of the justice to the reporters in general.

"How they (journalists) will make maal (money) if they don't write in this fashion? They (journalists) earn money even from police," Salauddin quipped at this stage.

Minutes before the tribunal sat after the lunch recess, sitting in the dock Salauddin said, "Journalists can't even spell ethics, let alone maintaining ethical standards in their reporting. How can you (Hena) expect journalists to comprehend what ethics stands for when even judges don't know what it is all about?"

Hena argued that the media could not report all that was said in the court. According to him, news reporting should be limited to the recorded proceedings.

The Defence counsel continued for several minutes as the tribunal tried to pacify him. He took some time and began cross-examining the second witness for the third consecutive day when he lost his temper yet again.

It was time again for Justice Huq to intervene: "You cannot make gestures that could hurt the witness."

"Didn't he hurt me?" came the question from Hena in response to the remark of the justice.

On Wednesday, during the cross-examination, Hena lost his temper repeatedly as Salimullah, in reply to a question said that his (Hena) father Advocate Zahurul Haq was the convener of Cox's Bazar chapter of the Peace Committee, a platform floated during the Liberation War to collaborate with the Pakistani army.

"Mr Hena, You should control your anger and temper," the tribunal chief cautioned Hena once again on Thursday.

"I am a human being, not a cow," replied the defence counsel.

"A human being should know what is good for him," said the justice.

At one stage of cross-examination, Hena described the witness as a 'completely frustrated man'. The tribunal refused to record the statement, and he went by the decision.

During Salimullah's cross-examination, Hena, who also hails from Chittagong as the accused and the witness, went on shooting teasing posers at the witness, prompting the prosecution to raise objections repeatedly.

"There is no legal basis to torture a witness in the name of cross-examination. They (the defence) are doing this in a planned way. They are doing so not only for the sake of this case, but to send a message across that if someone becomes a witness, s/he will be questioned in this very fashion for several days," prosecutor Zead-Al-Malum had objected under a similar situation on Wednesday.

The deposition of the third witness will continue on Sunday.

The International Crimes Tribunal–1 is scheduled to announce its verdict on Monday on whether Jamaat-e-Islami chief Matiur Rahman Nizami would be indicted for crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.

ICT-1, trying crimes of 1971 Liberation War, on May 3 set May 28 for delivering its decision on Nizami's indictment.

Tribunal chief Mohammad Nizamul Huq had fixed the date after Nizami's counsel Abdur Razzaq concluded his argument moving a discharge petition against the prosecution's move seeking Nizami's indictment.

The prosecution has brought 15 charges against Nizami including crimes against humanity and genocide covering murder, rape, arson and loot.

However, the absence of a specific charge against Nizami for allegedly masterminding the execution of intellectuals of Bangladesh days before the Pakistan Army surrendered on Dec 16 1971, became more conspicuous as the defence counsel did not have to utter a single word in that regard as he refuted every charge against his client.

Nizami is widely alleged to have been instrumental in masterminding and executing a plan that would cripple the potentials of a newborn country substantially.

Razzaq had argued in support of the discharge petition that president of the Islami Chhatra Sangha, the Jamaat's student wing, Nizami believed in Pakistan and its sovereignty. "He was a Pakistani, 100 percent."