BANGLADESH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Dhaka Stock Exchange's key index lost 107.20 points around halfway into Monday's trading.

The DGEN reached 4398.84 points or 2.38 percent lower around 12:33pm on the week's second business day.

Shares and mutual funds worth around Tk 899.44 million changed hands so far with prices of 19 issues advancing, 216 declining and 12 remaining unchanged.

Around half an hour into the day's trading, the key index registered an 87.19 points loss when it reached 4418.84 points or 1.93 percent.

The DSE kicked off the week's trading 114.67 points lower, triggering off protest from retail investors. The DGEN closed at 4506.04 points or 2.48 percent down on Sunday.

The premiere bourse's benchmark index had ended the previous week 59.90 points down with a lower turnover of around Tk 1.86 billion. It had lost around 148 points last week.

The government has approved another export-focussed industrial zone, Rangunia Export Processing Zone, in Chittagong.

The approval for Bangladesh's ninth EPZ came from a meeting of the Board of Governors of Bangladesh Private Export Processing Zone Authority (BPEPZA) held at Prime Minister's Office. Its Chairperson Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting on Sunday, her press secretary Abul Kalam Azad told reporters.

Rangunia EPZ is proposed to be located within 50 kilometres of Chittagong on about 400 acres of government fallow land and family-owned land.

Chittagong has two more EPZs – Chittagong EPZ and Korean EPZ.

Azad said the Prime Minister asked the BPEPZA authorities to give final allocation of 500 acres of land for the Korean EPZ for more investment.

Hasina also asked the Korean EPZ authorities to submit a detailed investment plan to the government.

The other EPZs are located in Dhaka, Mongla, Narayanganj (Adamjee), Uttara (Nilphamari), Comilla and Ishwardi.

Commerce Minister G M Qader, Land Minister Rezaul Karim Hira, Environment and Forests Minister Hasan Mahmud, State Minister for Power Enamul Haque and Executive Chairman of Board of Investment S A Samad and Secretaries attended the meeting.

Fire Service and Civil Defence divers on Sunday found two more bodies buried under one of the six stone-laden trucks that fell in a canal at Companyganj in Sylhet when a bridge collapsed on Friday.

The divers spotted the bodies stuck under the truck around 3pm, Companyganj Upazila Nirbahee Officer Mohammad Saiful Islam told bdnews24.com.

"The bodies cannot be recovered as we do not have a crane to lift the truck. We are trying," Fire Service Assistant Director Parimal Kundu said.

According to Sylhet Superintendent of Police (SP) Sakhawat Hossain, the bodies could not be identified.

At least three people died in the accident, including those whose bodies were found on Sunday, 10 others were injured and two more were reported missing. The first body, recovered on Friday night, was identified as Abdul Haque, 40.

The two missing, both from Jaintapur, are truck driver Monir Hossain and his assistant Anwar Mia.

The SP said it was not yet confirm whether the bodies found on Sunday were those of Monir and Anwar.

At least three people were killed and 30 others injured when a passenger bus tumbled and hit a rickshaw in Bagerhat's Morelganj area on Monday.

Officer-in-Charge of Morelganj Police Station Aslam Uddin told  that the incident occurred around 10am at Shadhur Bridge area in Hoglapasha.

The bus driver lost control over his steering while trying to pass by a rickshaw. Subsequently, the bus tumbled and fell on the rickshaw leaving its puller, a passenger and bus driver dead at the scene, the OC said.

Police identified the deceased rickshaw puller as 'Joynal', 50, and the passenger as Dinesh Mandal but could not immediately confirm identity of the bus driver.

The police official said the injured 30 bus passengers were rushed to Pirojpur Sadar Hospital.

The Cabinet on Monday endorsed the draft of a law on formation of a sustainable and renewable energy development authority with the power to sign agreements and take loans.

The draft of 'Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority Act 2012' was approved at a regular Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Cabinet Secretary Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told journalists after the meeting that a body would be formed based on the act to encourage the use of sustainable and renewable energy. The panel will comprise chairman and five members.

He said the Act will be placed as a 'Finance Bill'.

The body will be authorised to sign agreements with anyone and borrow money, he said.

The government has moved to renovate 26 units of 15 old power plants in a frantic effort to feed more power against an increasing demand nearly three and a half years after taking office.

Chairman of Power Development Board, A S M Alamgir Kabir, says they hope to produce around 1,609 megawatts from these plants if things go according to plan.

Experts say had the government earlier initiated repairs of these up to 25-year-old plants, the ongoing power crisis could have been less.

The PDB chief said they are going for the repairs as the power supply has improved.

According to him, the mending of one unit is underway and of the rest will begin in September this year and will end by December 2014.

Units being repaired

Among the gas-fueled power plants, four units of gas-based Ghorashal steam turbine, three units of Haripur gas turbine, one unit of Chittagong (Raujan) steam turbine, one unit of Shikalbaha steam turbine, three units of Fenchuganj combined cycle gas turbines, one unit of Sylhet gas turbine and one of Baghabari gas turbine will be repaired.

Among furnace oil-based power stations, two units of Khulna steam turbine and two of diesel-run Barisal gas turbine, three of Bheramara gas turbine, one of Rangpur gas turbine and another one of Syedpur gas turbine will be refurbished.

Apart from them, three units of the Karnafuli power plant will be mended.

Energy expert Prof M Shamsul Alam, a teacher at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, told bdnews24.com: "The government was advised to repair these plants soon after it came to power. But, they were busy [setting up] rental, quick rental and new power plants."

"This is the proof that this sector is being handled with wrong plans," he said.

He believes power crisis would have been eased by now had the repair work of one or two of these units started then.

However, according to the account given by Enamul Huq Khan, the State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, in Parliament on Sunday at present the daily power shortage was 1,000MW which is 1,000MW less than the previous year.

Energy expert Prof Ezaz Hossain, who teaches at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, said in order to improve the power situation the old stations had to be repaired along with regular maintenance of the ones running.

He told bdnews24.com that many of the existing power stations are losing their capacity for the lack of regular maintenance and inspection.

According to the information presented to Parliament, the daily demand of power stand at 6,600 MW against a daily production of up to 5,600 MW.

The International Crimes Tribunal will decide on Tuesday about the bail plea by Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali, who was arrested on Sunday on charges of crimes against humanity during the 1971 War of Independence.

The first war crimes tribunal's head judge, Mohammad Nizamul Huq, set the date after hearing the arguments for granting bail by defence lawyer Abdur Razzaque and the counter by prosecutor Zead-Al-Malum on Monday.

The Jamaat executive council member, who was being held at the tribunal's jail, was produced before the judges during the hearing.

The plea was initially filed by Mir Quasem Ali's lawyers when he was produced at court on Sunday evening following his arrest. However, the tribunal rejected to hear the plea saying no further hearing would be held on the day. It also ordered Mir Quasem Ali to be jailed, pending further proceedings, and scheduled the hearing for Monday.

Police arrested Mir Quasem Ali, also head of Diganta Media Corporation, from Naya Diganta newspaper office on Sunday afternoon, within an hour and a half of an arrest warrant issued by the tribunal.

He is also an Islami Bank director, a member of Ibn Sina Trust, and director of non-governmental organisation Rabita al-Alam al-Islami.

The charges against the Jamaat leader include that he was the Chittagong unit commander of Al-Badr, a vigilante outfit mobilised by Jamaat's erstwhile student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha and was third in outfit's command structure.

Such auxiliary forces like the Al-Badr, Al-Shams and Razakar actively engaged with the Pakistan Army to thwart the freedom struggle in 1971.

Crimes against humanity including murder, massacre, rape and loot had allegedly taken place in Chittagong under his watch during the war. There are also allegations that he ordered the massacre and murders at the Razakar camps there.

Mir Quasem Ali, who is from Manikganj's Harirampur, was better known as 'Mintu' to the people of Chittagong during the war. He was part of the Islami Chhatra Sangha during his college days.

He is also one of those who had made the list of the intellectuals to murder them at the fag end of war. The intellectuals were killed on Dec 14, 1971, only two days before the victory.

After independence, Mir Quasem Ali had fled to Saudi Arabia and returned after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family was brutally massacred on Aug 15, 1975.

Two war crimes tribunals are currently dealing with cases involving six Jamaat-e-Islami leaders including former and current party chiefs and main opposition BNP's two leaders on charges of committing crimes against humanity during the war.

The International Crimes Tribunal will decide on Tuesday about the bail plea by Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali, who was arrested on Sunday on charges of crimes against humanity during the 1971 War of Independence.

The first war crimes tribunal's head judge, Mohammad Nizamul Huq, set the date after hearing the arguments for granting bail by defence lawyer Abdur Razzaque and the counter by prosecutor Zead-Al-Malum on Monday.

The Jamaat executive council member, who was being held at the tribunal's jail, was produced before the judges during the hearing.

The plea was initially filed by Mir Quasem Ali's lawyers when he was produced at court on Sunday evening following his arrest. However, the tribunal rejected to hear the plea saying no further hearing would be held on the day. It also ordered Mir Quasem Ali to be jailed, pending further proceedings, and scheduled the hearing for Monday.

Police arrested Mir Quasem Ali, also head of Diganta Media Corporation, from Naya Diganta newspaper office on Sunday afternoon, within an hour and a half of an arrest warrant issued by the tribunal.

He is also an Islami Bank director, a member of Ibn Sina Trust, and director of non-governmental organisation Rabita al-Alam al-Islami.

The charges against the Jamaat leader include that he was the Chittagong unit commander of Al-Badr, a vigilante outfit mobilised by Jamaat's erstwhile student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha and was third in outfit's command structure.

Such auxiliary forces like the Al-Badr, Al-Shams and Razakar actively engaged with the Pakistan Army to thwart the freedom struggle in 1971.

Crimes against humanity including murder, massacre, rape and loot had allegedly taken place in Chittagong under his watch during the war. There are also allegations that he ordered the massacre and murders at the Razakar camps there.

Mir Quasem Ali, who is from Manikganj's Harirampur, was better known as 'Mintu' to the people of Chittagong during the war. He was part of the Islami Chhatra Sangha during his college days.

He is also one of those who had made the list of the intellectuals to murder them at the fag end of war. The intellectuals were killed on Dec 14, 1971, only two days before the victory.

After independence, Mir Quasem Ali had fled to Saudi Arabia and returned after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family was brutally massacred on Aug 15, 1975.

Two war crimes tribunals are currently dealing with cases involving six Jamaat-e-Islami leaders including former and current party chiefs and main opposition BNP's two leaders on charges of committing crimes against humanity during the war.

Opposition leader Khaleda Zia has reached the venue of the 18-Party Alliance rally where she is expected to announce fresh anti-government agitation programme.

The BNP chief reached the rally venue in front of the BNP headquarters at Naya Paltan a few minutes after 4pm. Amid raucous applause she took the stage in a off-white saree, waiving at them.

On Mar 12, the former Prime Minister had given the government a 90-day ultimatum to restore caretaker government system, which expired on Sunday.

Khaleda had already had a meeting with her senior party advisors and leaders of the alliance where she is believed to have set fresh programmes.

The rally, being presided over by the BNP's Dhaka metropolitan unit Member Secretary Abdus Salam, kicked off around 2:30pm.

Jamaat-e-Islam's acting chief Maqbul Ahmed and Liberal Democratic Party President Oli Ahmed are sitting beside Khaleda. Other leaders of the 18-Party Alliance are also onstage.

Chief Whip of the Opposition in Parliament Zainul Abdin Farroque is moderating the rally.

The opposition is staging the rally while 30 of its top leaders are behind bars including BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Opposition chief Khaleda Zia on Monday gave the government time until Eid-ul-Fitr to reinstate the provision for caretaker government or face tougher agitation.

The BNP chaiperson issued the fresh deadline at the 18-Party Alliance's rally after the opposition's June 10 ultimatum expired on Sunday.

Adressing the gathering, the leader of BNP that leads the coalition said they were not considering fresh agitation programmes, for now, so as to spare people of avoidable sufferings ahead of Ramadan.

Khaleda, who was widely expected to come up with tougher agitation programme with many of her coalition's senior leaders still in jail, announced mild protest programmes in the months of Jun and July instead.

However, programmes like countrywide shutdown and laying of siege would be announced after Eid-ul-Fitr, she announced from the rally held in front of the party's Naya Paltan headquarters on Monday.

People were expecting the opposition to go for tougher agitation as the three-month deadline BNP had given the government for reinstating the non-party caretaker government system expired on Sunday without evoking any response from the government.

On Mar 12, from a similar public rally, Khaleda had threatened that the opposition would not have any alternatives but to go for tougher movement if their demand was not met by June 10.

The situation wornsened – adding fuel to the public apprehension of violent political standoff – as the government instead of considering the demand, went tough on the opposition leaders, throwing many of them behind the bar.

"I want to tell the government, accept the demand of the non-party caretaker government ... Resolve the problem through dialogue this time. I hope the government will be wiser this time ... Otherwise, tougher agitation like countrywide shutdown will be announced after Eid-ul-Fitr," Khaleda warned at the rally.

Opposition leaders including BNP's Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and its Dhaka metropolitan unit's President Sadeq Hossain Khoka are still inside jail even after securing bails from the court.

The protest programmes announced for the next two months are rallies on Jun 17 and 24, and July 1 and 15. The rallies will be organised across the country to press the government to meet their demands including cancellation of false cases against opposition leaders and their release.

The rallies will also protest what the opposition termed an 'anti-people budget' and demand 'return' of party leader M Ilias Ali, bringing killers of journalists duo Sagar-Runi and Saudi diplomat to justice, and reining in prices of essentials, fertilisers, agriculture products and power.

Besides, rallies will also be held at all metros and district towns on July 8 protesting corruption and gas-power-water crisis, and memorandum will be submitted to deputy commissioners.

Earlier, from a rally at Naya Paltan on Sept 27, the opposition leader had announced road march programme towards Sylhet, Chapainababganj, Khulna and Chittagong to drum up public support to their demands.

After ending the road-march programme at Chittagong on Dec 9, the opposition had announced another programme titled "Dhaka Cholo".

The High Court on Monday ordered authorities to remove all commercial establishments from Dhanmondi residential area.

However, the order would not be applicable to commercial establishments at Mirpur Road, Sat Masjid Road, Road-2 and Road-27.

The High Court bench of justices Nayeem Haider and Farid Ahmed, after hearing a public interest petition, also ordered approptiate authorities to issue notices before clearing the establishments.

The petitioner's lawyer Manzil Morshed said the clearing drive would have to be launched following the rules of Rajuk, by giving the owners notice and enough time for relocating their businesses.

All the 11 branches of Maple Leaf International School will get three years to relocate their campuses from the area, but until then the school authorities will have to introduce a system by employing people to contain traffic congestion in adjacent areas, said Morshed quoting the court order.

President of Dhanmondi Kalyan Samity Prof AFM Masud and Secretary MA Matin filed the petition on Feb 1, 2011.

Deputy Attorney General Mokhlesur Rahman said, "The court has ordered for evicting unauthorised commercial establishments from Dhanmondi residential area. The court also asked Maple Leaf International School to bring all of its 11 branches into one campus."

"The court also said that prior permission have to be taken from appropriate authorities before establishing any businesses there in the future," Rahman added.

Public Works Secretary, Environment Secretary, Dhaka City Corporation, District Commissioner of Dhaka, Executive Engineer of Power Development Board at Dhanmondi, authorised Rajuk officer of the area and Officer-in-Charge of Dhanmondi police station have been asked to execute the order.

Earlier, when the petition was filed last year, the High Court issued rule asking why eviction of commercial establishments should not be ordered to protect characteristics of a residential area.

The court then also embargoed allowing any new commercial establishment in the area for six months.

Two leaders of the opposition BNP, sent to jail in cases over violence during a general strike, were released on Monday night on bail.

"Following the court's order, BNP Organising Secretary Fazlul Haque Milon was released at 9:10pm from Dhaka Central Jail and Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas was released at 9:30pm from BIRDEM hospital," Jailer Mahbubul Islam told bdnews24.com.

They were released on Monday night though the High Court had granted them bail on Thursday.

Mirza Abbas's Personal Assistant Sohel told bdnews24.com that Abbas would stay in the hospital for the night. "He will go home in the morning [Tuesday]."

Two crude bombs had exploded inside the Secretariat and a bus was torched in front of the Prime Minister's Office in the capital on Apr 29 during an opposition-sponsored countrywide dawn-to-dusk shutdown called to protest alleged abduction of BNP leader M Ilias Ali, one of the BNP organising secretaries.

Shahbagh and Tejgaon police had lodged two separate cases against a number of opposition leaders and activists alleging their involvement.

The opposition leaders accused of exploding bombs at the Secretariat secured anticipatory bail from the High Court on May 14 until submission of chargesheet in the case, but they were denied bail and sent to jail in the vehicle-torching case on May 16.

Later, 35 senior opposition leaders including Mirza Abbas and Fazlul Haque Milon got bail from the High Court in the arson case.

After the investigation officer submitted the chargesheet in the blasts case on May 31, the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court of Dhaka fixed July 26 to give a decision on whether it would accept the charges.

Some BNP leaders including party's Acting Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is in Kashimpur Jail.

On May 26, the High Court had granted six weeks' interim bail to five 18-Party Alliance MPs accused in the same case.

After the High Court on June 7 granted bail to Fakhrul and 28 other leaders in the arson case, the prosecution had warrants issued against them that requires jail authorities to produce them before the court in the bomb blasts case.

Lawyers for the opposition leaders on Sunday moved court for withdrawal of warrants to produce them before court in the case. Several petitions were pressed in the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's court.

Senior Special Metropolitan Tribunal's Judge Mohammed Akhteruzzaman will hold further hearing on the appeals on Thursday.

Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam on Monday advised party MPs to act politely with the people of their constituencies.

"You have to change your attitude. You don't get votes with bad attitude. Don't point fingers while talking. Don't wave pistols to our activists. Don't send them to jail," the LGRD minister in the current Awami League-led alliance government told the MPs.

"You must remember that we are her because of our party activists," he reminded.

Ashraf's remarks came at a meeting of the Awami League Parliamentary Party, presided by Prime Minister and party chief Sheikh Hasina, at parliament building on Monday, some MPs told bdnews24.com.

There are allegations against several Awami League MPs of acting recklessly and showing bad attitude in their constituencies.

A recent incident saw MP Giasuddin of Gafargaon constituency in Mymensingh opening fire from his pistol in public.

Syed Ashraf said, "Only development work doesn't get vote. You need to go to the people and communicate with them."

Several MPs, declining to be named, said that Hasina had also suggested them to increase communication with their electorates.

They said that the party chief also advised them to clear all misunderstandings among the leaders and activists of the party and coordinate with each other.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday urged researchers to put more emphasis on functional research for Bangladesh's socio-economic development.

"It would be unwise to carry out research only for the sake of research. It has to be meaningful," she said while inaugurating the Designated Reference Institute for Chemical Measurements (DRICM).

"Researches will have to be carried with the goal of the country's socio-economic development," Hasina added.

The Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) set up the lone international standards chemical measurement institute on its Dhanmondi campus in Dhaka.

The Prime Minister said the nation needed practical research so that innovations were available and the common people could use it.

"We need befitting and sustainable research so that innovations are available and the common people can adopt them so that it helps boost agricultural and industrial production; so that maximum productivity, area and quality of services are increased; highest application of local resources and capabilities is ensured," she said.

Hasina said the newly installed facility will test foods, beverages and medicines. This institute will give prescription for quality control of the industries.

In this age of globalisation, she said, it was necessary to maintain quality to remain competitive. "The entrepreneurs will get necessary quality control assistance from this institute."

She called on the scientists, researchers, teachers, students to come forward to ensure highest productivity in the industrial and service sectors by utilising information and technology.

She paid tribute to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman saying he had set up the BCSIR in 1973 for scientific research and innovating suitable technology for industrial sector. He had also gathered top scientists.

The Prime Minister cited various innovations of the BCSIR. The arsenic detection and removal kit, formalin detection kit, biogas plants and modified fuel efficient ovens developed by the institute have been a hit with the people. "These innovations are assisting in uplifting standards of the people's lives."

She also urged all to ulitise environment friendly technology in combating global warming and climate change risks and emphasised research in this sector.

"Our aim is to build a hunger and poverty free, rich, peaceful, modern science and technology-based Bangladesh within 2021. Through it we will build the Golden Bengal as envisioned by the Father of the Nation."

To reach that goal, she said, scientists, researchers, peasants, entrepreneurs and others will have to work together.

State Minister for Science and Technology Yeafesh Osman presided over the programme.

An influential global rights group has accused India of breaking promises to end killings along the border with Bangladesh.

In a New York-datelined statement, the Human Rights Watch said India should investigate fresh allegations of human rights violation by its Border Security Force along its porous border with Bangladesh and prosecute the responsible.

It said despite assurances to the Bangladesh government and public orders to exercise restraint and end unlawful killings and attacks on suspected smugglers, evidence documented and published by Indian and Bangladeshi nongovernmental organisations suggest that the BSF is once again committing abuses including extrajudicial killings, torture, and ill-treatment of both Indian and Bangladeshi people live along the frontier.

"The Border Security Force has reverted to its previous tactics of unilaterally punishing suspects, defying orders from Delhi issued last year to exercise restraint and protect the right to life," said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director at Human Rights Watch.

"But the central government is also responsible, since it has failed to hold perpetrators accountable. Justice is the best deterrent against further violations," she said.

In December 2010, Human Rights Watch released "Trigger Happy, Excessive Use of Force by Indian Troops at the Bangladesh Border," which documented nearly 1,000 killings by the BSF over the last decade.

In January 2011, the Indian government assured Bangladeshi officials that it would order the BSF to exercise restraint and encourage the use of rubber bullets instead of more lethal ammunition, steps welcomed by Human Rights Watch.

Although BSF attacks decreased significantly over the next year, the new evidence presented suggests that Indian border troops continue to frequently abuse both Bangladeshi citizens and Indian nationals residing in the border area, the statement said.

The recent allegations claim that in order to get around the restrictions on shooting at sight, BSF soldiers have been subjecting suspects to severe beatings and torture, resulting in deaths in custody.

Efforts by local residents and activists to file complaints and secure justice have resulted in threats and intimidation, it said.

The National Human Rights Commission has sought responses when allegations are filed, but without adequate witness protection complainants end up risking further abuse, it said.

The group said large numbers of killings and other abuses have been reported in 2012.

Odhikar, a Dhaka-based human rights group, has documented as many as 13 killings by the BSF since January 2012.

Kolkata-based group Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), has documented five other killings during the same time period, based on statements from witnesses and families of victims.

The government has withdrawn an officer-in-charge of the Terokhada Police Station in Khulna district for allegedly molesting a housewife.

The action was taken against OC Mamun-or-Rashid on finding the allegation against him true after a preliminary investigation. He has been attached to the Khulna Police Line, Superintendent of Police (SP) Tanvir Haider Chowdhury told bdnews24.com on Sunday.

Another sub-inspector of the police station, Shafiqul Islam, has been appointed in place of Mamun.

SP Chowdhury said that Mamun molested the housewife of Kushala village of Terokhada upazila on Wednesday when she went to the police station to lodge a general diary.

Additional SP Imamur Rashid investigated into the incident.

Arrest Warrant Against ASP

Judge Mohammad Sadiqul Islam of the First Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal of Dhaka has issued an arrest warrant against Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Barisal Abul Kalam Azad in a case filed against him by his wife Anwar-e Taslima for torturing her demanding dowry.

Counsel of the plaintiff Advocate Raihan Morshed told bdnews24.com that the court also issued arrest warrants against the ASP and three of his relatives in the case since they did not appear before it in compliance with its previous order.

The court framed charges against the accused on Sunday and fixed July 10 to record the deposition.

According to the case details, Taslima and Azad got married in Oct 2010 following a relationship through social networking site facebook.

Taslima in her case claimed that her family paid Tk 800,000 to Azad in two phases after their marriage. Later, he demanded an additional Tk 200,000 on Oct 8 last year.

But as her family refused to pay the amount, Azad tried to kill her by pouring a toilet cleaner in her mouth.

Violent clashes between police and protesters have left at least 10 law enforcers injured during a blockade programme in the city.

The United People's Democratic Front (UPDF)-backed Democratic Youth Forum (DYF) started the bloackade from 8am on Sunday to protest obstruction to their earlier programme to besiege the Parbatya Chattagram Land Dispute Resolution Commission office.

Police fired 20 rounds of rubber bullets and teargas shells to calm the situation after the clash erupted in Swanirbhar area in Khagrachari around 10am.

At least 10 police personnel were injued when the angry protesters swooped on them at one stage of the clash.

Four of the injured cops – Sub-inspector Obaidur Rahman, and constables Mohammad Jashim, Arafat and Mamum Mia – have been rushed to the Zila Sadar Hospital.

Soon after the Swanirbhar area had turned into a battle field, a team of Rapid Action Battalion-7 rushed to the spot to calm the situation.

"The situation is under control now," Khagrachharhi Assistant Superintendent of Police Kanon Debnath told .

Additional armed police has also been deployed at the site to avoid any further trouble.

Although DYF had announced to enforce a 33-hour blockade in the morning, the programme was later limited to 21 hours.

In a statement, forum's central president Natun Kumar Chakma said, "The government is conspiringly using the commission's Chariman Khademul Islam Chowdhury to throw tribal people out of their their own lands."

"The government is trying to foil the agitation by using RAB," he added.

A 'sorry' Speaker Abdul Hamid, on Sunday said 'un-parliamentary' remarks of the MPs criticising Bishwa Sahitya Kendra founder Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed will be deleted from proceedings.

He also criticised the news reports based on which the MPs had harshly criticised the noted litterateur on June 3 for making 'objectionable' remarks about the lawmakers and ministers.

"Some national dailies have shown a very irresponsible attitude by publishing such reports without checking the facts," Hamid said in a ruling in the beginning of the session.

Prof Ali Ashraf MP, who was presiding the session on June 3 in absence of the Speaker and his deputy Shawkat Ali, had asked Prof Sayeed to tender an unconditional apology for his alleged remarks made at a discussion organised by the Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) on June 2.

His call came after several MPs including ruling Awami League's Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Jatiya Party's Mujibul Haque Chunnu and independent MP Fazlul Azim criticised Sayeed citing Bengali daily Inqilab's report that he commented that 'MPs and ministers act like thieves and dacoits and breach oath'.

But Sayeed, later on the same night, termed the contempt of Parliament allegation 'completely baseless' and 'false' and said he would not apologise for remarks which he never made.

On the following day, TIB had sent a copy of his speech and a video footage of his address at the programme to Speaker Hamid.

The Speaker on Sunday said, "I read his speech's copy and watched the CD. I came to the conclusion that his speech and the report published on the newspaper are totally different."

He said the report was the root of the unexpected event.

"Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed is a respected personality of the country. The un-parliamentarian remarks made in the unscheduled discussion [in Parliament] will be expunged."

He also asked the news media to be more careful about news reports.

Police prevented on Sunday launches headed for Dhaka from Barisal apparently to prevent people from joining an opposition rally, saying there was a chance of a cyclone.

But neither the weather office, nor the Barisal Launch Terminal authorities had any information of the inclement weather.

Police in the evening asked passenger ferries at the Barisal terminal to anchor in the mid-river.

Kotwali Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Shaheduzzaman said, "Scheduled launch trips to the capital have been cancelled due to disastrous weather."

Launch communications on other routes will remain uninterrupted, he added.

The incident coincided with the one that took place ahead of opposition BNP's rally on Mar 12, when launch and bus communications with Dhaka from across the country were suspended allegedly by authorities.

The BNP and its allies are preparing for a rally at Naya Paltan on Monday and a senior opposition leader announced that they were expecting 1.5 million people in attendance.

Senior observer at Barisal Met Office Pranab Kumar Roy told bdnews24.com, "The weather is normal today. There is no cautionary signal in effect."

Assistant Boat Officer of Barisal Launch Terminal Bashir Ali said, "We don't have any instructions. Police have cancelled all the scheduled trips to the capital."

Terming the government 'fascist', opposition BNP has alleged that the government is once again conspiring to obstruct Monday's rally of the 18-Party Alliance.

Police had detained over 100 opposition leaders and activists across the country ahead of the rally to be addressed by Chairperson Khaleda Zia, party's Assistant Office Secretary Abdul Latif Jony said in a statement issued on Sunday evening.

"The fascist Awami League government is going ahead with its conspiracy to obstruct people from joining the June 11 rally like it did ahead of the Mar 12 rally," he said.

Police continued to obstruct opposition activists by setting up check-posts at entry points of Dhaka city and harassed them in the name of searching hotels in the capital, he said.

A list of detained leaders and activists of the party had also been attached with the statement.

"This is an incomplete list, as we are still receiving news of detentions across the country," it said.

According to the list, the detainees include over 25 opposition leaders of Dhaka, 28 of Khulna and 26 of Gazipur.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Sunday allowed the opposition BNP to hold its rally in the capital on Monday outlining 11 conditions to be adhered to during the programme.

BNP's Assistant Office Secretary Abdul Latif Jony received a letter signed by DMP Deputy Commissioner (Headquarters) Habibur Rahman around 8pm on Sunday.

The conditions include limiting the use of loudspeakers in the rally area from Fakirapool Crossing to Nightingale Crossing and its duration to three-and-a-half hours.

The letter also specified that the rally stage should not be used for any purpose other than making political speeches, and acts that could go against the law and public interest would not be allowed.

The DMP also mandated that the rally stage could not be set up on the main road, people could throng the rally venue only two hours prior to its start and the rally must end by 5:30pm.

The conditions also include that people cannot gather in any open place before or after the time permitted for holding the rally, and traffic cannot be hampered and people's movement cannot be obstructed outside the area fixed for the rally.

The main opposition led 18-party opposition alliance is set to hold the rally at 2pm on Monday in front of the party's Naya Paltan headquarters.

The law-enforcers had specified similar conditions for opposition's Mar 12 rally at the same venue.

The Bangladesh Restaurant Owners' Association on Saturday declared all restaurants smoke-free in a move to ensure clean environment for public health.

The announcement is seen as a 'boost' for the anti-tobacco campaign as they said the proposed hike in tobacco taxes in the proposed 2012-13 budget could not meet their demand of 'higher' tobacco taxation.

"Today we declare all of our restaurants smoke-free," Kamar Uddin Ahmed Khokon, President of the association announced at the National Press Club.

He said they would ensure that the decision was followed in all of around 55,000 restaurants in the country.

Anti-tobacco activists hailed the announcement, but they said there would be challenge to implement it as the existing 2005 tobacco control act did not include restaurants in its public place definition.

However, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Muhammad Faruk Khan said he would issue an ordinance within a month in this regard.

"I can assure you that within a month restaurants will be declared public place through an ordinance," he said while speaking at the function.

With at least 43 percent adults consume tobacco, World Health Organisation estimates, 57,000 people die and more than 350,000 suffer due to tobacco related illness in Bangladesh.

Experts suggested the government to ensure smoke-free environment following the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC) that Bangladesh ratified as study showed passive smoking also kills.

"When the government is not doing it, we are trying to do something," Restaurant Owners' Association President Khokon said as he believed smoke-free restaurants would also help their business.

"If customers are not allowed to smoke inside (restaurants), they will not stay for long time. We will get opportunity to serve more customers," he argued.

Secretary General of the association M Rezaul Karim Sarker Robin told bdnews24.com that they had already formulated a strategy with the help of Dhaka Ahsania Mission to implement the decision.

A 'smoke free' sign would be placed inside the restaurants while managers would be instructed to ensure it.

"Owners have been requested to visit and monitor their restaurants," Robin said.

Hailing the move, Coordinator of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids in Bangladesh Taifur Rahman said if restaurants were identified as public place in the law the implementation would be easy.

"It has been proposed in the revised (draft) act," he added.

The Restaurant Owners' Association officials also believed that once identified as public place, they would be able to strictly enforce the decision.

Economists estimated the medical cost of tobacco consumption was twice the revenue the government earns from the industries.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith's hope for a 7.2 percent GDP growth and pegging the inflation rate at 7.2 percent in the new fiscal year will be very tough to achieve, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) observes.

The private research organisation made the observation while presenting its analysis of the budget for the 2012-2013 on Friday at a press briefing at the capital's BRAC Centre Inn.

CPD's Distinguished Fellow Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya said, "Though the inflation rate on food is decreasing but inflation on a point-to-point basis is still over 9 percent while the average inflation rate is more than 10 percent."

"The budget indicates that the prices of fuel and power may be increased in future. Then the prices of food products will escalate the inflation rate. Then it will become very tough to curb the inflation," he said.

He said, "The measures needed to achieve the goal of this budget are not in clearly outlined in the Finance Minister's proposal. Administrative revolution is necessary to implement this budget."

About the proposed facility in the budget to whiten 'black money', Dr Bhattacharya said, "CPD has always been vocal against the facility. This system will discourage the real taxpayers."

The new budget proposes to expand the facility for whitening 'black money' with a 10 percent penalty without any bars on where that money has to be invested. The Finance Bill states that untaxed money will be allowed to be legalised in case of undisclosed income.

"The Finance Minister did not say anything about this issue in his budget speech. A change in the Finance Bill has provided the backdoor for the facility. We are still protesting the facility of whitening black money," Bhattacharya said.

The CPD also protested the budget's proposal to increase minimum income tax to Tk 3,000 from Tk 2,000.

Bhattacharya said, "We had suggested increasing the tax-free income level from Tk 180,000 to Tk 200,000 in the budget. But we are surprised that the Minister did not consider our suggestion. But increasing the minimum tax to Tk 3,000 was the real surprise."

"It's against social justice since inflation is going up gradually. This decision brings the people with lower income under income tax."

He, however, did not think the deficit of Tk 520 billion is too big a figure to be worried about. "In numbers, the deficit can look like a very big one. But it's not big considering that it is 5 percent of GDP."

"What we are actually worried about is the bank borrowing."

"The budget proposes to borrow Tk 338.84 billion from domestic sources, of which Tk 230 billion will be borrowed from banks. This may reduce the rate of loan flow to the private sector as well as hamper the investment sector," the former Executive Director said.

Foreign funding included, the proposed budget has a deficit of Tk 460.24 billion and the shortfall is Tk 520.68 billion excluding foreign funds.

To meet the shortfall, the government plans to borrow Tk 338.84 billion from domestic sources, including Tk 230 billion from banks. The government also plans to get Tk 74 billion from savings certificates.

"The Finance Minister earlier had said a portion of the subsidy of the current fiscal will be transferred to the next fiscal year's budget. But he did not say anything about it."

Bhattacharya said the budget also did not mention the total size of subsidy.

The CPD was critical of the drop in the budgetary allocation for the agriculture sector and increase in the power and energy sector. Bhattacharya maintained that equality should be followed in budgetary allocation for all the sectors.

"Discrimination should not be created between urban and rural areas."

He said the prices of urea and Muriate of Potash (MOP) fertilisers would have to be increased if subsidies were not increased in the farm sector. "As a result, the production costs will go up and prices of food products will also increase. Inflation will edge up as a rule."

The CPD Distinguished Fellow also expressed his concern over the implementation of Tk 550 billion ADP. "The expenditure of the current year has to be increased by one and a half times to execute the ADP."

About the proposal to impose a flat 1.20 percent tax at source on all kinds of exports from the upcoming fiscal abolishing the existing tax slabs of 0.60 percent and 0.70 percent, he said that a negative scenario was created in the export sector in the last few months.

"I think that it was not proper to raise the tax rate to a large extent at this moment."

He remarked that the funding for the social security programmes was not enough.

"Though many organisations like the Pay Commission, Regulatory Commission etc. were thought to be made effective in the next budget, it didn't come true. Non-implementation of the PPP is also regretful."

The economist said the government signed a loan agreement with the IMF just a year ahead of the next general election.

"For this reason, the government has to cut the amount of subsidies. On the other hand, it has to raise taxes. So, this budget can be called 'mysterious'."

Wasfia Nazreen, the second Bangladeshi woman to conquer world's tallest peak Mount Everest, has dedicated her feat to the women's rights activists of the country.

"This is not only my achievement. I could not have done it without the support of the people of my country," she told reporters after her plane landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital at 1:25pm on Saturday.

"I'm dedicating my victory to those associated with women's rights movement."

Following her arrival in the country, Wasfia visited and paid her respect to the martyred intellectuals of 1971 Liberation war at the memorial erected in their memory at the capital's Rayer Bazar.

On May 26, the 29-year-old mountaineer reached the 8,850-meter high (29,035 ft) summit of Mount Everest from the southern side at 6:26am (Nepal time) with Ngima Girmen Sherpa and Da Kusang Sherpa.

From the top of the world, she said she had dedicated the feat to the resilience of the women in Bangladesh.

Wasfia is the fourth Bangladeshi mountaineer to hoist Bangladesh's flag on the top of Everest just a week after Nishat Mazumder did it as the first Bangladeshi woman.

Asked whether she ever thought of retreating after facing fearsome obstacles on her journey to the peak of Everest, Wasfia told reporters, "I never thought of retreating. But yes, there were times when I thought I would die."

"An avalanche had totally covered Camp-3 just a while after we left the place for Camp-4. We would have died if we were still there," she said while sharing some of her experience.

Also one of the Sherpa had saved her life once as she slipped from the track, Wasfia added.

Expressing her feelings about the moment when she achieved the feat, Wasfia said, "It was 6:25am (Nepal time) and sun was rising when I set my foot on the peak. I could see the summit of the 8,481-metre high (27,825 ft) Mountain Makalu from there."

"I could look at it from top. It's plainly impossible to express the beauty in words."

Wasfia, a rights activist, writer and development practitioner, said she wants to promote the women freedom fighter who fought bravely for Bangladesh's independence in 1971.

"We have failed to give proper respect to them yet after 40 years of independence. I want to tell the world about them from the highest peaks of all the continents," she said.

As Bangladesh turned 40 last year, Wasfia ventured into climbing the seven summits, the highest mountains in each of the seven continents through the 'Bangladesh on Seven Summits' campaign in July 2011.

As part of this effort, last year she climbed the 5895-metre-high Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa in October and near-seven kilometre high Mount Aconcagua in Argentina in December, the second highest of the Seven summits.

She also called on the country's young generation to quit any practice of corruption and dirty political view in order to work for the betterment of the country.

Wasfia announced that she would open a mountaineering training centre for women in the country for practical training. "I hope the centre will be launched in 2013. Initially, 50 women will be included in the training programme."

She congratulated Nishat Mazumder, the first Bangladeshi women to conquer Mount Everest. "When she ascended to the Everest summit, I was at Camp-3. This is a matter of pride to have two Bangladeshi women to conquer Mount Everest in one week."

Nishat scaled Everest's summit on May 19 from the northern side of the mountain in Nepal with M A Mohit, the second Bangladeshi to have conquered the Everest.

Earlier on May 24, 2010 Musa Ibrahim became the first Bangladeshi to scale the summit.

Mohit is the first Bangladeshi to scale the mountain twice. He first scaled the mountain peak on May 21 last year.

The government has strongly protested two articles appearing recently in The Economist and expressed its doubts over the intention of the writers.

"We feel very sad to see a gradual deterioration of quality and objectivity in the articles appearing in your well-reputed magazine over the past few years, particularly with respect to Bangladesh," said a rejoinder of the foreign ministry issued on Saturday.

The London-based magazine published two articles - "Politics in Bangladesh: Banged about: The prime minister sets the country on a dangerous path" and "Bangladesh's toxic politics: Hello, Delhi: It is up to India to try to stop Sheikh Hasina ruining Bangladesh" – in its May 26 issue.

The rejoinder said the two articles not only reflected a high level of ignorance of the reporter(s) about today's Bangladesh but were also full of misinformation and inaccurate conclusions.

"The Economist, in these articles, also shows utter disrespect towards the people of Bangladesh as far as their capability and ingenuity to address national issues is concerned, and nakedly invites foreign intervention!"

One of the reports said Bangladesh had 170 million poor Muslim, reacting to which the foreign ministry rejoinder urged the weekly to check facts before publishing stories in the future.

"We urge your reporters to study the demographics of Bangladesh for future reporting," it said.

The rejoinder, quoting several well-known international personalities including US President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, said Bangladesh had made significant progress in the recent times.

President Obama has told Sheikh Hasina last year in New York: "…You and your government are doing an excellent job in empowering women and in countering terrorism."

The rejoinder stated that the articles on Bangladesh's domestic politics seemed to be favouring return of an undemocratic rule in the country.

"Accusing the government of murder and attack on activists and journalists — without providing a thread of proof — is a malicious act and a demonstration of truly poor journalism by The Economist," the foreign ministry protested.

Three students, all from Mirpur in Dhaka, drowned on Friday in the ditch of the Madhabkunda waterfall in Moulvibazar.

The deceased were identified as Shahriar Ahmed, a 10th grader of Mirpur Bangla School and College, 'Munna', a ninth grader of Baitul Mamur Madrasa and 'Ashik', an HSC examinee from the Mirpur Commerce College.

They drowned around 1pm and divers from Sylhet recovered the bodies around 5:45pm, Baralekha Police Station Sub-Inspector Masudur Rahman said.

They were in a team of eight students from several institutes in Mirpur. Seven of them went to take a bath in the ditch as another one was sick, Munna's classmate Omar Hannan Rifat, who was in the team, too, told 
Witnesses said the trio drowned as they crossed a danger line marked with a rope.

The BNP has announced to hold its June 11 rally in front of its party headquarters as the authorities were yet to approve a venue for the opposition's pre-announced programme.

The party's Standing Committee member Tariqul Islam announced the opposition decision at a press briefing on Saturday. He said that they have not yet got permission for a venue and use microphones for the rally from the police and other relevant authorities.

"We'd like to request the government to grant permission for the rally promptly," he said adding "otherwise, we are determined to hold the Jun 11 rally in front of our party headquarters at Naya Paltan."

Earlier from a Mar 12 rally in Dhaka, the BNP chief Khaleda Zia had given the government a 90-day ultimatum to restore the caretaker government system, which the Awami League-led coalition government annulled through the 15th amendment of the Constitution last year.

BNP chief had warned of announcing 'tougher agitation programmes from a rally in the capital on Jun 11 if her party's demands were not met by Jun 10.

The BNP chief is expected to announce fresh agitation programmes from Monday's rally. Khaleda had already held meetings with leaders of the 18-Party Alliance on Thursday and discussed the issue.

The BNP-led alliance had sought permission from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police on May 24 to hold the rally either at Paltan Grounds or Manik Mia Avenue or in front of the BNP headquarters at the Naya Paltan in the city.

The Jatiya Krira Parishad has already said that no rally can be held at the Paltan Grounds. There were no words regarding the other two venues the BNP has applied for.

Tariqul Islam, a former minister during the BNP-led government, on Saturday alleged that a delegation of the party, comprising of the Opposition Chief Whip in Parliament Zainul Abdin Farroque, MPs Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee and Abul Khair Bhuiyan, and Dhaka Metropolitan BNP unit Member Secretary Abdus Salam, could not meet the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner though they had waited for long on Thursday and Saturday.

"The officials there did not show least courtesy to the BNP delegation which is regrettable," he said.

The BNP leader alleged that the government was trying to thwart the rally. "BNP's rally will take place on Monday no matter whatever the obstacle is," Tariqul said.

He added that if there were any attempts to thwart the rally, the government would have to take the responsibility for 'unpleasant incidents'.

Tariqul also came down hard on police for not yet permitting to use microphones for the rally. He hoped that the number of people taking part in Monday's rally would be greater than the Mar 12 rally.

Terming Justice A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury an 'arrogant' man, senior jurist Barrister Rafique-ul Huq has said that 'Khoda' (God) has sent the High Court judge to trial.

"None can escape Khoda's justice, or else why our Justice Manik (Justice Chowdhury's nickname) is facing danger?" Huq told a programme in Dhaka on Saturday.

"Justice Manik drove steam roller over all of us. He was too arrogant. Khoda doesn't like an arrogant, swollen-headed man," he added.

Ruling MPs have been demanding removal of Justice Chowdhury since he censured parliament Speaker Abdul Hamid for his remarks criticising a verdict on the ownership of a piece of land. The speaker, however, is yet to react over the issue.

"The judiciary and the parliament are in a dispute over the issue," Rafique said and suggested settling the issue at the earliest. "Don't let it be an issue among the masses and in the media."

"So many appointments [of judges] in past few years have been politically influenced. It is difficult to get honest judgment from them. Such problems will end if qualified people are appointed," he said.

"Judges will have to grow beyond partisanship," he observed at the programme organised by the Reporters' Mukto Chinta Forum.

Barrister Rafique is the convenor of a citizen's rights organization, Nagarik Andolan. He has been in focus for his political comments on political issues.

Even though the senior 18-Party Alliance leaders including BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir had secured bail in an arson attack case, chances of their release have remained uncertain as a chargesheet in a bomb explosion case has been submitted.

The Public Prosecutor involving the case has already sought a decision from a court to produce the alliance leaders in the Secretariat bomb explosion case. They will have to wait for their release until a decision regarding the petition comes.

BNP says the government has resorted to the tactic of "production warrant" to delay the release of the leaders despite securing bail from the High Court.

Production warrant is an order issued by a trial court to produce a person before the court in connection with criminal proceedings pending against the accused.

The new twist has come amid concerns that the country's politics could become more confrontational in the coming weeks as the government has refused to a June-10 deadline for restoring the caretaker government system.

BNP Chairperson Kahleda Zia is expected to announce fresh protest programmes from a rally planned for Monday in front of the party's Naya Paltan headquarters.

The defendants' lawyers have said they will move the court on Sunday to withdraw the petition filed by the Public Prosecutor.

A lawyer of the alliance leaders, Zoynal Abedin Mesbah, told bdnews24.com that he along with senior lawyers will go to the Dhaka Senior Special Tribunal and will seek an order to withdraw the petition seeking warrant to produce the accused in the court.

The lawyers representing the state, however, said the accused would have to file fresh bail prayers as their bail duration in the bomb explosion case has expired. They will have to stay behind bars if they fail to secure bail afresh.

Mesbah also said the accused would not get freedom until the petition is withdrawn.

A lawyer representing the state at a trial court, Abdullah Abu, told bdnews24.com that the alliance leaders had secured bail in the Secretariat bomb explosion case filed at Shahbagh Police Station until police submitted chargesheet in the case.

"They (alliance leaders) will have to seek bail anew as the chargesheet has been submitted," he said.

A High Court bench of Justices Salma Masud Chowdhury and F R M Nazmul Ahsan granted bail on Thursday to 30 leaders of the BNP-led 18-Party Alliance in a vehicle torching case during an opposition-sponsored countrywide shutdown on Apr 29.

Meanwhile, the Investigation Officer of the Secretariat bomb explosion case submitted chargesheet on May 31 against 29 leaders of the opposition alliance. A hearing is scheduled to take place on July 26.

On Apr 29, during the opposition-sponsored countrywide shutdown protesting against the 'forced disappearance' of one of BNP's Organising Secretaries, two crude bombs were hurled at the Secretariat and a vehicle was torched near the Prime Minister's Office.

Police filed two cases with Shahbagh and Tejgaon police over the incidents accusing 29 leaders of the alliance for the bomb explosion and 45 for the arson attack incident.

Ilias Ali, also the Sylhet unit BNP chief, has been missing since Apr 17.