Law-&-Order
High Court asks why DMP authority to ban rallies not illegal
The High Court (HC) today (October 30, 2022) issued a rule, asking why the provision empowering the police commissioner to ban rallies or meetings in the Dhaka metropolitan area should not be declared illegal and unconstitutional.
The HC bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo passed the order following a writ petition.
Four people, including the law ministry secretary, home ministry secretary, and Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner were made respondents to the rule.
Read more: HC issues rule on ethics code for news media
Advocate Abdul Momen Chowdhury appeared for the writ petitioner in the court. Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Deputy Attorney General Arobinda Kumar Roy represented the state.
On October 20, Supreme Court lawyers Abdul Momen Chowdhury and KM Zabir, Chandpur Bar Association lawyer Selim Akbar, and two individuals Shah Nuruzzaman and Mohammad Yasin filed the writ petition challenging Section 29 of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance 1976.
Section 29 states that the police commissioner may prohibit any public gathering or procession whenever needed and for the period that he/she considers necessary through written order for the maintenance of peace or public safety. But no such prohibition shall remain in force for more than 30 days without permission of the government.
Read More: BNP rally begins defying transport strike in Rangpur
Lawyer Abdul Momen Chowdhury said Section 29 of the ordinance conflicts with Article 37 of the constitution and goes against fundamental rights.
Meanwhile, the state counsels said public gatherings are not always prohibited by police, except when there is any possibility of chaos. If two political parties call rallies at the same venue, there might be chaos.
Bangladesh-Myanmar border guards meeting underway
A flag meeting between members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Myanmar’s Border Guard Police (BGP) is underway over the prevailing unrest along the border at Teknaf upazila in Cox’s Bazar on Sunday morning.
Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Mohammad Iftekhar, commanding officer of BGB-2 Battalion, is leading the Bangladesh side while Police Lieutenant Colonel Ye Wai Soe, Commanding Officer, No (1) Border Guard Police Branch, the Myanmar side, Shariful Islam, public relations officer of the BGB headquarters told UNB.
Read more: Bangladesh Army asks Myanmar Army to be cautious during operations at common border
They would discuss the issues related to the border security and prevailing tension, Lieutenant Colonel Khalid said on Saturday.
“You have learned what incidents have happened, we will discuss issues, which have triggered tension among our people living along the border,” he said.
On September 16, a Rohingya boy was killed and five others injured as a mortar shell fired by the Myanmar army exploded at a Rohingya Camp located at the Zero Point of the border.
On the same day, another Bangladeshi young man was seriously injured in a landmine explosion along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border at Naikhongchhari upazila in Bandarban.
Read more: Locals in dread as firing inside Myanmar rocks Naikhongchhari
Local people said it was the Myanmar army that had planted mines the area. One exploded near the Tombru border.
In the face of continuous gunfire and mortar shelling inside Myanmar close to the Bangladesh border local authorities evacuated 30 families from Dochari and Ghumdhum unions at Naikhongchhari on October 23.
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently summoned Myanmar envoy to Dhaka several times and formally protested against the move by the Buddhist-majority nation’s military.
Female garment worker gang raped in Netrokona, 3 arrested
A 25-year-old female worker of a garment factory was gang raped while she was going to attend a wedding ceremony in Kalmakanda upazila of Netrokona early Friday.
Police arrested three people -Md Apel Mia, 30, Md Rony Mia, 30 and Hanif Mia, 30, in this connection.
Abdul Ahad Khan, officer-in-charge of Kalmakanda police station, said they arrested the trio after an FIR was lodged by the victim.
Read more: Girl from Netrakona gang-raped inside bogie at Kamalapur station
The victim, who works in a garment factory in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh, hailed from Bhola district, he said.
The woman got off a bus in Paboi Intersection to attend the wedding ceremony of younger sister of her friend at Kutigaon village in the upazila around 1am, the OC said.
As she didn’t know the place, she sought help from some local people who later took her to an isolated place where she was raped, the police officer said.
‘Failing to save home’, woman attempts suicide in front of Press Club
A 35-year old woman tried to set herself on fire in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka today, reportedly after failing to save her ancestral home. Her three children were with her at the time.
The woman was from Rupganj area in Narayanganj.
Abdul Momin, a sub-inspector of Shahbagh Police Station, said police rescued the woman and the children and admitted them to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
Read: Rangpur man attempts ‘suicide’ after ‘killing’ pregnant wife, 2 kids
The woman was frustrated after failing to get justice — in regards to saving her home — from the local authorities, he quoted her.
Minor girl murdered after rape in Chattogram, accused arrested
Police finally arrested the alleged rapist in the sensational seven-year-old Marjahan Haque Barsa murder case and unveiled its mystery.
The arrestee was identified as Lakkan Das, 30, son of Feloram Das of the ward No 3 in Lohagara upazila of Chattogram.
Md Mustafizur Rahman, deputy commissioner (south zone) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) disclosed these at a press conference at Kotwali police station on Friday.
He said the accused, who was an employee of a grocery shop in the port city’s Jamal Khan area, used to offer chocolate and chips to the girl when the latter came out of her house.
Lokkhan took Marjahan to a godown of the shop alluring her to give Tk 100 and raped her there, resulting in a huge bleeding, the DC said adding that the victim came out of her house to buy chips on last Tuesday.
As she didn’t return home over the day, her elder sister lodged an FIR at the local police station in this regard, he informed.
The victim, who was a first-grader of Kusum Kumari Girls’ High School in the city and daughter of Abdul Haque, used to live with her family.
Read: Schoolgirl rape-murder: Accused Roni makes confessional statement
Observing critical condition of the victim, the accused strangled her to death and dumped the body wrapped by a sack in a drain, the police officer said.
Locals spotted a sack in the drain beside Sikdar Hotel in the Jamal Khan area while a bad odour was spreading from the sack on Thursday, he said.
On information, police recovered the body put in a bag of Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) from the spot later; he said adding that they conducted drive to identify the killer centring the TCB bag.
After scrutinising the CCTV footages collected from the area and verifying other documents, law enforcers arrested the accused from the shop early Friday.
The accused was shown arrested after the FIR was turned into a case, he added.
Assaulting girl for attire at Narsingdi rail station: SC upholds bail for Shila
The Appellate Division of Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the bail granted to a 60-year-old woman by the High Court who faces charges of assaulting a young girl for wearing jeans and a crop-top at Narsingdi railway station.
A bench of five justices led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique passed the order during a hearing on a petition filed by the state side, seeking stay of the bail granted to accused Marzia Aktar alias Shila.
Lawyer Jahirul Islam Mukul and Mohammad Ahsan represented the defendant’s side during the hearing while Assistant Attorney General Mohammad Saiful Alam represented the state.
With the decision there is no more barrier to free Shila on bail, said Lawyer Jahirul Islam Mukul.
On August 16, the High Court granted bail to Shila.
On May 18, Shila, a matchmaker from Narsingdi, made distasteful comments at a young girl and two boys who were waiting for a train at the Narsingdi Railway Station with other passengers during early hours.
The girl was wearing a crop-top and jeans and the boys were also wearing jeans and t-shirts.
At one point the woman locked in an altercation with them and some local people started beating the two young men and harassed the girl, said the station master.
The girl had to take shelter in the station master’s office room to save herself.
The matter sparked debates and outcry among netizens after video footage of the incident went viral on social media and several news media reported it.
Rapid Action Battalion arrested Shila on May 30 after police lodged a case in this regard under Prevention of Women and Child Repression Act at Bhairab railway police station.
Five suspected members of new militant outfit Jama'atul Ansar held
Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit, a specilized police unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), arrested five suspected members of newly formed militant outfit Jama'atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya from Demra of the capital on Wednesday.
The arrestees were identified as Md Abdullah, 22, Md Tajul Islam, 33, Md Ziauddin, 37, Md Habibullah, 19 and Md Mahmudul Hasan, 18.
Separatist armed group in the Chattogram Hill Tracts Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) has been providing training to the members of the new militant outfit in remote areas, Chief of the CTTC and Additional Commissioner of the DMP Asaduzzaman said while briefing reporters at the DMP Media Centre in the city on Thursday.
Three mobile phone sets and a 12-page document were also seized during the drive, he added.
The CTTC chief said that the CTTC started a shadow investigation when there was a nationwide stir regarding the disappearance of seven youths from Comilla district recently. On the basis of intelligence information, Abrarul Haque, who left his Comilla residence for the purpose of Hijrat, was arrested from the capital's Moghbazar area on September 13 last.
Based on information given by Abrarul Haque, Dr Shakir bin Wali was arrested from Hajipara area of Rampura in the capital, the CTTC chief said.
During interrogation, Dr Shakir bin Wali revealed that he is the head of the dawa department of the militant organization. He used to give treatment to the militants if they fell sick during military training in the hills.
Doctor Shakir bin Wali stayed in the hill camp for over a month.
Along with Shamin Mahfuz, Tamal, Ranveer, Raqib and Dr Shakir bin Wali used to travel to the training camp and supervise the whole thing.
The CTTC chief said that the main purpose of this organization is to form a huge militant group through collecting members for militancy, collection of money, providing armed military training and purchasing modern weapons. They have collected 70-80 youths as members of their organisation since 2021, he added.
ACC won’t renew Shakib’s contract as goodwill ambassador over ‘controversy’
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) will not consider cricketer Shakib Al Hasan as its goodwill ambassador.
“Although he is still the goodwill ambassador as per contract, the contract will not be renewed. He will not be part of the upcoming International Anti-Corruption Day programs,” Commissioner of the investigation department of ACC, Mozammel Haque, said today.
Read more:The times Shakib Al Hasan found himself in controversies
Haque was speaking to media.
According to the rules, ACC still has a contract with him. But Shakib Al Hasan is now considered “controversial” on various issues. ACC does not want to associate itself with any controversial person, Haque said.
Read more:Shakib’s company involved in share manipulation, DSE investigation finds
All-rounder Shakib was made the goodwill ambassador of the anti-corruption watchdog to campaign against corruption in Bangladesh. ACC made the announcement on February 11, 2018.
164 Swecchasebak Dal activists sued over clash with police, 14 held
A case has been filed against 14 named and 150 anonymous activists of the BNP’s volunteer wing Swecchasebak Dal for clashing with police and obstructing them from performing their duties in Chattogram.
Saddam Hossain, sub-inspector of Kotwali police station, filed the case with the police station on Wednesday night.
Of the accused, 14 including Chattogram South district Swecchasebak Dal Convener Monjur Alam Talukder were arrested and they were produced before a court on Thursday, said Zahidul Kabir, officer-in-Charge of kotwali police station.
On Wednesday afternoon Swecchasebak Dal activists and leaders locked in a clash with police after they allegedy obstructed them in holding a rally at stadium at Kazir Dewri area in the city.
Four police members and 20 Swecchasebak Dal activists were reprotedly injured during the clash. Police arrested ten people from the spot after the incident, said police.
Two brothers held with 10 gold bars in Benapole
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) claimed to have apprehended two brothers with 10 gold bars from near Customs House in Benapole on Thursday.
The two have been identified as Milon Hossain, 28, and his younger brother Hiron Mian, 25, son of Shahfiqul Islam of Munshipur village in Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga.
Read: Man held with Tk. 1.8 crore worth gold
Lieutenant Colonel Shahed Minhaj Siddique, commandant of BGB-49, said on a tip-off, their team nabbed the duo from near Customs House around 9am and seized the 10 gold bars weighing around 1.1kg.
A case has been filed against the brothers at Benapole Port police station in this connection, he added.