Politics
No problem with student politics, concern is control of one student body: Gayeshwar
BNP senior leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy on Monday (April 01, 2024) said student politics on the university campuses is not the problem, the concern is over the control of a single student organision on the campuses.
“Buet authorities will take decision whether they will allow student politics on the campus or not. Because of that (Abrar Fahad killing) the Buet authorities had banned student politics on the campus, they will see whether such situation is still continuing or not and take decision accordingly,” he said.
He said these while talking to reports after visiting injured BNP Natore district unit’s join convener Dewan Shahin at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU). Dewan Shahin recently got seriously injured in an attack allegedly by some Awami League men.
Gayeshwar, a BNP standing committee member, said the situation at Jahangirnagar University is worse where Bangladesh Chhatra League secretary Manik had celebrated ‘rape century’. “It was stigma for the nation. But AL considers this shame as ornaments.”
Read more: Student politics could be returning to Buet, VC indicates
They are behaving recklessly with the support of the administration, he alleged.
He said ruling Awami Legue (AL) is staying in power unleashing atrocities and by using muscle power against oppositions.
In the last 15 years Natore BNP leaders have been facing inhuman torture by AL men. “Despite oppression the leaders and activists did not leave BNP. The scenario of torture on BNP men across the Bangladesh is same to Natore,” he said.
Terming AL as an isolated political party, Gayeshwar said without terrorist activities they (AL) could not survive in politics.
Read more: BCL no longer hiding its intention to rule BUET campus
“In this situation we have to raise our voice and get ready to give reply to their brutality,”he said.
Responding to a question from reporters, the BNP leader said the government is waiting to hear the death news of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
“I guess sweetmeat will be distributed at Gano Bhaban once they hear her death news.”
“We have nothing to expect from this government. But what they are doing with the BNP Chairperson will be considered as a planned murder,” he said.
Read more: Following legal reversal of ban, general students and BCL respond with differing visions for Buet’s future
Student politics could be returning to Buet, VC indicates
In view of the High Court's statement that “There is no obstacle to student politics in Bangladesh University of Engineering (Buet), Vice-Chancellor Dr. Satya Prasad Majumdar today (April 01, 2024) gave a clear indication that student politics might be returning to Buet campus.
Speaking to the media at his office today, the Buet VC said, “We have to accept what the High Court says. Court order must be obeyed. To implement this, we have to go through some process.”
HC wants to know why ban on politics in Buet shouldn't be declared illegal; stays decision
The Vice-Chancellor said that in order to maintain discipline on the campus, students, teachers and the administration have to reach a mutual decision, and for this to happen, discussion is necessary.
“We will look into the matter based on discussion among teachers, students and the administration,” the Buet VC added.
Read more: Following legal reversal of ban, general students and BCL respond with differing visions for Buet’s future
HC wants to know why ban on politics in Buet shouldn't be declared illegal; stays decision
The High Court on Monday stayed the decision of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) authorities restricting politics on the campus.The HC bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman and Justice KM Zahid Sarwar passed the order after hearing a petition filed by Imtiaz Rahim Rabbi, also a Buet student and a leader of Chhatra League, whose hall allotment was cancelled recently amid students’ protest against the gathering of some BCL leaders on the campus defying ban.
BCL no longer hiding its intention to rule BUET campusThe HC also issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the decision of Buet authorities banning politics on the campus, taken in 2019, should not be declared illegal.Secretary to the Home Ministry, Buet Vice-Chancellor and its registrar were made respondents to the rule.Senior Advocate Shaha Manjurul Haque stood for the petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Samrendra Nath Biswas and assistant attorney general Abul Kalam Khan Daud represented the state.Advocate Manjurul said with this order there is no bar to continue student politics on the campus.On October 7, 2019, Abrar Fahad, a second-year student of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, was beaten to death by a group of Chhatra League (BCL) activists at the university's Sher-e-Bangla Hall in the early hours.On October 11, same year, Buet authorities banned student politics on the campus. It also issued a notification in this regard.
Don’t want BUET to become a breeding ground for negative political activities and militancy: QuaderOn July 19 2023, the Buet authorities again issued a notice prohibiting students and teachers from participation in politics on the campus. They issued the notice following media reports about the names of the members of BCL Central Committee where some students of Buet also got some posts in the committee.On Thursday night , some BCL leaders including the president Saddam Hossain entered the campus, sparking anger among general students.The staged demonstrations the following day protesting bid to revive political activities of BCL. They also held a press conference in front of Buet Shaheed Mianr on that day and continued their demonstration till Friday evening after taking position in front of the office of Directorate of Student Welfare on the campus.Later, the authorities concerned cancelled the hall allocation of Imtiaz who allegedly played a vital role in facilitating the entry of the BCL men.
A probe body was formed in this connection and it was asked to submit its report within April 8.
Fakhrul, Khasru may walk out of jail this afternoon
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee Member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury are anticipated to be released from Keraniganj Central Jail following their lawyers' efforts to withdraw the production warrants against them in all cases.
Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Advocate Masud Ahmed Talukdar, representing the BNP leaders, have initiated the legal process for the withdrawal of the production warrants. This comes after both leaders obtained bail in all cases, as confirmed by Sairul Kabir Khan, a member of the BNP chairperson's media wing, to UNB.
“The necessary legal steps are being taken following the provision that allows for the withdrawal of production warrants issued for the leaders to be presented in court while incarcerated,” the lawyers stated.
Read: Fakhrul, Khasru secure bail; no bar to walk out of jail
Work on withdrawing the production warrants has already begun, with expectations that if completed by noon today, the BNP leaders could be released. The documentation related to the withdrawal is hoped to be finalized by Thursday evening.
Advocate Masud mentioned that 13 production warrants had been issued against Fakhrul, highlighting the legal hurdles faced. However, Advocate Syed Joynal Abedin assured that there are no obstacles to their release as bail has been secured in all cases.
The context for the anticipated release follows a Dhaka court's decision on Wednesday to grant bail to both Fakhrul and Khasru in connection with a case filed over the vandalism of the Chief Justice's residence during a BNP rally on October 28 last year. The Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judges Court's acting judge, Faisal Atiq Bin Quader, approved the bail upon reviewing their petition.
Read: Usurping power AL govt showing arrogance: Rizvi
The case was filed by the police on October 29, accusing 59 BNP leaders and activists, including Fakhrul and Khasru, of vandalism and assault during the rally. In total, 11 cases were filed against Fakhrul and 10 against Khasru related to violence surrounding the rally. Fakhrul was detained on October 29, and Khasru on November 3, both from their residences in Gulshan.
BNP stuck in quicksand of wrong politics: Quader
Terming BNP a major political party till now, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Monday said they are inactive now and made mistakes.
"They (BNP) are actually stuck in the quicksand of wrong politics," he said.
The minister made these remarks while talking to journalists at the Secretariat this afternoon.
15 BNP men died in police custody 'for lack of care or torture': Rizvi
Regarding BNP's leaflet distribution programme, he said the BNP's politics is going deep into the ditch. "Before it was on the edge of the ditch but now it is going deep into the ditch," he added.
When asked about BNP's 15 leaders and activists dead in police custody, Obaidul Quader said: "Where and how did they die? Which prison or custody? Throwing stones in the dark will not make it happen."
Regarding Metrorail, Quader said initiatives are underway to reduce the movement frequency of metro rail in view of growing commuters' dependence on its service.
AL business syndicates out to make money hiking commodity prices: BNP
He also said the coach numbers could not be increased due to technical reasons but the steps were taken to run a train every eight minutes while the current frequency is 10 minutes.
Quader, also the Awami League General Secretary, said increasing the number of metro coaches depends on technical matters.
"There is no metro rail in the world with more than 5 compartments but we have already been running with six coaches," he said.
The minister, however, said due to the increased demand, work is going on whether the frequency of the movement of metro rail can be reduced to 8 minutes from 10 minutes.
BNP announces six-day fresh programme beginning Tuesday
About the prices of essentials, the AL general secretary said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already directed the authorities concerned to take effective steps to control the price hike.
"But the market cannot be controlled overnight. Many things depend on the world situation. The government is working by giving priority to public interest," he said.
Whether the size of the cabinet is expanding or not, Quader said the premier can say it but the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Ministry of Culture may have ministers in the future.
He also said that winners from reserved women's seats can become ministers.
Independent candidates Azad, Nixon win Faridpur-3, 4
Two independent candidates from Faridpur -3 and 4 have unofficially elected in the 12th national election held on Sunday.
In Faridpur-3, Industrialist AK Azad won against Shamim Haque, the Awami League candidate for the seat.
Ferdous hits clean sweep in Dhaka-10 as debutant candidate from AL
He got 1,34,098 votes while his nearest rival bagged 75,089 votes.
In Faridpur-4, Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury, popularly known as Nixon Chowdhury, has won the election defeating his strong rival AL-backed candidate Kazi Zafarullah.
Mashrafe secures victory from Narail-2 again
Nixon with the Eagle symbol secured 1,48,035 votes while Zafarullah got 1,24,066 votes.
The AL winners from Faridpur 1 and 2 are Abdur Rahman and Shahadab Akbar Chowdhury respectively.
BNP salutes voters for making its boycott call a success
Faridpur Returning Officer Md Kamrul Ahsan Talukder announced the results around 10pm on Sunday.
He said that the polling in 654 centers of 4 parliamentary constituencies began at 8:00 am and concluded at 4pm without any break.
Ward Councillor fined for breaching electoral code in Sitakunda
A mobile court on Sunday fined Didarul Alam Apello, Ward Councilor of Chattogram's Sitakunda municipality, Tk 5000 for violating the electoral code of conduct.Md Alauddin, assistant commissioner (Land) and executive magistrate of the mobile court, slapped the penalty.According to mobile court sources, he was fined for miking in favour of AL candidate SM Al Mamun in front of the upazila complex, which is a violation of electoral code."No one will be spared for breaching the code of conduct and this kind of operation will continue until the polling day to conduct and complete the election properly,” said Executive Magistrate Mohammad Alauddin.
BNM candidate’s election camp set on fire in Chapainawabganj
The election camp of Bangladesh Nationalist Movement (BNM) candidate under Chapainawabganj-3 constituency was set on fire at Shankarbati in Chapainawabganj municipality area on Friday.
Firearms, bullets recovered from Chapainawabganj border; 1 held: BGB
The miscreants set the election camp of BNM candidate Maulana Abdul Matin on fire around 11:30 pm.
Local people doused the flame soon after, but the banners and pandal were gutted in the fire.
Chapainawabganj farmers reap benefits of bountiful summer onion harvest
Demanding justice, BNM candidate Abdul Matin said rival parties are involved in carrying out the attack to threaten him and his supporters.
Mintu Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said the reason behind the fire could not be known immediately and a process was underway to take legal steps. Saidul Hasan, superintendent of Chapainawabganj Police, visited the spot.
12th JS Election: Mahiya Mahi collects AL nomination form for Chapainawabganj-2
Despite HC order Sylhet-2 independent candidate yet to get symbol
Despite a High Court (HC) order to allocate an electoral symbol to an independent candidate for Sylhet-2 constituency on Sunday, no symbol is yet to be provided to him ahead of the upcoming parliamentary national elections scheduled for January 7.
Muhibur Rahman, who is also Biswanath municipality mayor, staged a sit-in programme at the district returning officer's office demanding allocation of symbol on Thursday. His supporters accompanied him during the protest.
Govt declares Jan 7 as general holiday for 12th national election
At this moment, staff of the returning officer’s office and the demonstrating people got locked into an altercation there.
Later, they left the office upon intervention of the police.
Earlier, the independent candidate alleged that the Election Commission (EC) has been doing this to keep him away from the election to facilitate the Awami League-nominated candidate Shafiqur Rahman Chowdhury.
BNP-Jamaat ask people not to vote as they believe in elections without voting: Law Minister
He said they would continue the legal battle until he gets back the symbol as he is yet to conduct a campaign without it.
However, Sylhet Deputy Commissioner and also Returning Officer Sheikh Russell expressed reluctance to make any comment on this issue.
Without stepping down from the mayoral post, the candidate submitted his nomination paper to the returning officer.
4 supporters of Mashrafe fined for breaching electoral code
But, his nomination was declared invalid by the returning officer during a scrutiny. The EC also cancelled it during an appeal hearing later.
Finally, the candidate moved to the HC while the court ordered the authorities concerned to allow him to join the election race with a symbol.
5 injured as AL supporters attack Faridpur-3 independent candidate’s office
Five people were injured in an attack at Faridpur-3 independent candidate AK Azad’s office, allegedly carried out by supporters of ruling party Awami League-backed candidate on Tuesday.
The attack was carried out in Ward 14 of the municipal area in Mahmoodpur, where Azad has a campaign office.
The injured include Joint Convener Abdul Rahman Jhanak of the election management committee of AK Azad. One of them is in critical condition and has been admitted to Faridpur Medical College Hospital.
Voter turnout will be satisfactory despite intimidation: Quader
Eyewitnesses, including Ashraf Hossain and Paresh Chandra of AK Azad’s committee, said after the day's campaigning had ended, in the evening they were as usual discussing various issues in the office. While they were doing so about 150 to 200 men, led by Councillor Mobarak Khalifa and Atiar Sheikh, attacked the office, chanting slogans.
During this time, they vandalised various office equipment, they said.
AL to announce election manifesto Wednesday
Asked to respond to these allegations, councillor Mobarak Khalifa said, "While our vehicle was passing in front of the election office, supporters of the independent candidate were throwing bricks and tiles at our vehicle, chanting slogans. Later, perhaps some bricks were thrown from behind as well. However, their allegations are not correct."
Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shahidul Islam informed journalists that the police were immediately sent to the scene after receiving the news.
An investigation will be carried out in light of the allegations, he said.
People have no interest in voting in a ‘meaningless’ election: BNP
The two candidates have been going at it since submitting their nominations, with a battle to disqualify each other going all the way to the Supreme Court. Azad was known to covet the AL nomination, for which he had bought the form. But when the party chose Shamim, he jumped on the chance to run as an independent, backing himself to peel away a sizable chunk of the AL vote from the party's candidate with him, as he has been working with the aim of representing the constituency in parliament for over a year.