Law-&-Order
Charge hearing in graft case against Tarique, Zubaida on Thursday
A Dhaka court on Sunday set April 13 for hearing on charge framing against BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman in a graft case filed against them for acquiring wealth beyond their known sources of income and concealing information in their affidavits.
Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special judge Md Asaduzzaman fixed the fresh date.
On March 29, Advocate Masud Ahmed Talukder appealed for the hearing and the court fixed today (April 9).
Earlier, on November 01, 2022, a Dhaka court issued arrest warrants for Tarique and Dr Zubaida in the graft case.
The court also ordered to give notice in the newspaper to appear before the court on January 19.
On June 26, the High court ordered the judicial court to dispose of the case as soon as possible.
The HC also rejected the couple’s writ petitions, challenging the corruption case against them.
As both of them remain fugitives, the court rejected the writ petitions – saying these are not acceptable.
The court also withdrew the stay order on the trial proceedings of the case filed against them.
On September 26, 2007, ACC lodged a complaint with Kafrul police against Tarique Rahman, Zubaida and her mother Iqbal Mand Banu for amassing illegal wealth worth Tk 4.81 crore and concealing the information.
In the same year, the High Court issued a rule suspending the trial proceedings in the case after hearing a petition filed by Zubaida.
In 2008, a charge sheet was filed against three people.
The HC rejected the rule in 2017 and asked her to surrender before the court within eight weeks.
Sagar-Runi murder case: Submission of probe report deferred for 97th time
A Dhaka court on Sunday fixed May 22 for submission of the probe report in the murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi.
With this, the deadline for submission of probe report in the case deferred for the 97th time.
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) was supposed to submit the report today but as it failed to submit the report Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rashidul Alam fixed the new date for submitting it.
On March 2, 2021, RAB submitted a progress report in Sagar-Runi murder case in affidavit form to the Attorney General’s Office.
According to the report, two unidentified people were involved in the murder.
Maasranga Television News Editor Sagar Sarowar and his wife ATN Bangla senior reporter Meherun Runi were found dead at their rented apartment in the city’s West Rajabazar area on 11 February 2012.
Nousher Ali Roman, brother of Runi, filed a case with Sher-e-Banglanagar Police Station on the following day.
Police arrested Tanvir in connection with the murder case on October 1, 2012. Later, he secured bail in 2014.
Law enforcers have so far arrested eight people, including Tanvir, in connection with the murder case.
The seven other suspects are Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Mia, Abu Syed, Mintu alias Baggira Mintu alias Masum Mintu, Quamrul Hasan alias Arun, security guard Enam Ahmed alias Humayun Kabir and Palash Rudra Pal.
Rana Plaza owner Rana’s bail order stayed
The Appellate Division on Sunday stayed a High Court (HC) order until May 8 that granted bail to Sohel Rana, the owner of the ill-fated Rana Plaza that collapsed in 2013 leaving 1,138 RMG workers dead, in a murder case over the deadly incident in Savar.
Chamber Judge Justice Md Abu Zafor Siddique passed the order after hearing a petition submitted by the state seeking a stay order in this regard.
Deputy Attorney General Sarwar Hossain and Assistant Attorney General Saiful Islam represented the state while former Food Minister Advocate Kamrul Islam stood for the accused.
On that day (May 8), the regular bench of the Appellate Division will hold a hearing upon a petition to be submitted by the state, Assistant Attorney General Saiful said.
Earlier on April 6, a High Court bench granted bail to Rana in the case.
The HC bench of Justice Akram Hossain Chowdhury and Justice Shahed Nuruddin granted bail to Rana declaring the HC rule in this regard valid.
Advocate-on-record Sufia Khatun, on behalf of the state, filed a petition seeking a stay on the Rana’s bail order on Sunday.
On April 24, 2013, Rana Plaza, an illegally-constructed building in Savar which housed five garment factories, came down crashing, killing 1,138 people and injuring over 2,000 others.
Read more: Rana Plaza Collapse: HC grants bail to prime accused Rana
Trial in the murder case filed over Rana Plaza collapse began officially on January 31, 2022 by recording statements of the witnesses.
On July 18, 2016, Dhaka District and Session Court Judge SM Kuddus Zaman framed charges against the accused and passed an order to begin the trial.
But it got barred as most of the accused appealed to the higher court challenging legality of the order.
On January 31 last year, after clearing the appeals, District and Sessions Court Judge AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan recorded the statement of plaintiff, then Sub-Inspector of Savar police station Wali Ashraf.
Over the tragic incident then SI of Savar police station Wali Ashraf filed a murder case accusing the owner and others of dereliction and negligence in building construction.
On June 1, 2015, Assistant Superintendent of Crime Investigation Department (CID) of police Bijoy Krishna Kar submitted charge sheet in the case against 41 people including the building owner Sohel Rana.
A total of 594 people were made witnesses in this case.
Clash between two groups leaves 1 dead, 25 wounded in Habiganj
A man was killed and 25 were wounded in a clash between two groups, allegedly over establishing supremacy, in Baniachong upazila of Habiganj yesterday evening.
Police have so far detained six people in connection with the incident. A tense situation has been prevailing in the area since yesterday.
The deceased was identified as Jahangir Miah, 45, while identities of the injured could not be known immediately.
Police and locals said there had long been a dispute between former union parishad member Azam Ali and Kachham Ali of Kushiyartala village under the upazila over establishing dominance.
People of both groups locked into an altercation over income earned from properties when arbitration was going on at the village on Saturday afternoon, they said.
Read more: Panchagarh clash leaves 2 killed and at least 50 hurt
At one stage, the groups attacked each other with locally made lethal weapons, leaving Jahangir dead on the spot and 25 injured. They are now undergoing treatment at Habiganj Sadar Adhunik Hospital.
Jahangir belonged to the Kachham Ali group, locals said.
Ajoy Chandra Dev, officer-in-charge of Baniachong Police Station, confirmed the death, saying that police fired 20 rounds of bullets and used 2 rounds of tear gas to bring the situation under control.
Six people were detained from the spot after the incident while members of law enforcing agencies have been patrolling the area to ward off any violent incident further, he said.
The body was sent to the Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy, the OC said, adding that no case has so far been lodged in this connection.
4 held over mindless assault on cop in Barishal
Four people including a Chhatra League leader of Agailjhara Upazila Unit of Barishal district have been detained over beating up a policeman on Saturday evening.
The detainees are Zakir Paik, general secretary of Upazila Chhatra League, Monir Paik, Zahirul Haque Paik and Zia Paik.
They are accused of assaulting injured police constable Bhudev Biswas.
The incident took place in front of BHP Academy of the upazila at around 7 pm, said Golam Sarwar, officer in charge of Agailjhara Police Station.
OC Golam Sarwar said, constable Bhudev was returning to the police station after his duty, when his motorcycle hit Zakir Paik's leg in the crowd in front of BHP Academy.
Later, Zakir Paik along with others beat him even after coming to know his identity. Locals rescued the policeman and admitted him to the Upazila Health Complex.
A case will be filed against the detainees, assured the OC.
Man arrested with gold bars worth Tk 85 lakh in Jashore
Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested a man with 2 gold bars worth around Tk 85 lakh in Jashore along the India border on Saturday.
The arrestee was identified as Md Saidul Islam, 25, son of Md Abdul Halim of Panchbhulot village in Sharsha of the district.
According to a media release signed by Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Tanveer Rahman, captain at Khulna Battalion (21 BGB), said tipped-off they came to know that a consignment of gold would be smuggled to India from Bangladesh through Panchbhulot border.
A BGB team detained him when he was heading towards the border by a three-wheeler, it said, adding that the gold bars weighing around one kilogram were recovered from his possession later.
The market price of the seized gold bars is estimated at Tk 85,00,000 lakh, it added.
2 militants’ escape from Dhaka court: Wife of a militant arrested
The wife of one of the two convicted militants who fled Dhaka court with the help of other militants has been arrested from Narayanganj.
The arrestee is Shikha, wife of Md Abu Siddique Sohel alias Sakib alias Sajid alias Shahab.
Tipped off, a team of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) conducted a drive in the area and arrested Sikha from Narayanganj on Friday night.
Details about the arrest will be disclosed through a media briefing.
Read more: 2 militants who escaped from Dhaka court will be arrested any time soon: DB Chief
Two militants- Md Abu Siddique Sohel alias Sakib alias Sajid alias Shahab and Moinul Hasan Shamim alias Samir alias Sifat alias Imran- were sentence to death in publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan murder case.
They managed to escape Dhaka court premises with the help of some other militants after using pepper spray on policemen on November 20, 2022.
They are members of the banned militant outfit Ansar al-Islam.
Left-leaning student bodies demand abolition of DSA
Left-leaning student bodies staged a protest rally under the banner of Chhatra Jonotar Somabesh, demanding the abolition of the Digital Security Act.
The rally was organized in front of the national museum at Shahabag around 4.30 pm where activists from different units of Chhatra Union and other left leaning organisations took part.
Their other demands are to ensure Justice for Sultana Jesmin, who died under the custody of RAB which the protesters labelled an extrajudicial killing', to free all those who were arrested under DSA, and not to enact the Data Protection Act (DPA), which is in the pipeline.
Abu Sayed Khan said, "This act was made to ensure safety but it took out people's safety and freedom of thought and expression."
"Criticising corruption of the authority is our constitutional right but this act appeared as an obstacle to speak out about corruption even," he added
"The Liberation War is our history, but it has different perspectives. There must be different opinions. But this act stops people from thinking freely which is a big obstacle to doing quality research on the war. There is no way for us to get rid of this law except by abolishing it," he furthermore said.
Anu Muhammad, former professor of economics department of Jahangirnagar University, said: "Laws are made to ensure security but now laws are being formulated to endanger the security of the people violating the principles of our constitution."
"DSA is a law where there are some sections which are formulated to give impunity to the criminals and sue the dissenters," he added.
Marking this government as illegal, he said, "We are demanding abolition of DSA but it hardly matters because this government does not need any law to do anything. We already know about many cases in which law enforcement agencies arrested the alleged first and hours later they filed case. On the other hand there are many cases of extrajudicial killing where government Executive people illegally whom they considered as their thread."
Tanzimuddin Khan, professor of international relations department at the University of Dhaka, said, "Our country is definitely an independent country but our people are not independent. Awami government talking about Smart Bangladesh but a 200 years-old law (Official Secrets act, 1823) still functioning in our country which have all the colonial characters and which is still an obstacle of free and investigative journalism."
"We have observed that some actors came to road demanding the cancelation of licence of a newspaper. But we know who they are in disguise, they are none but the people of government and they want nominations in the next election," he added.
"Today, we came here to have our rights back. We want to live a independent life, we want to express our views and thoughts freely. We have to stand together against all irregularities of the government," he added.
The protests against DSA, DPA and extrajudicial killings, thematic cartoons, and mass signature campaigns were taken during the sessions.
Barber arrested for forging signatures, seals of Home Minister and PMO’s Principal Secretary in Panchagarh
Police arrested a barber on charge of making forging signatures and seals of Home Minister Asaduazzaman Khan and Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Mohammad Tofazzel Hossain Miah in Sadar upazila of the district on Thursday.
SM Sirajul Huda, superintendent of police (SP) of the district, disclosed this at a press conference at his office around 10:30pm on Thursday.
The arrestee is Mozammel Hoque, 48, son of late Faizul Hoque of Hafizabad union under the Sadar upazila and a barber by profession.
The police superintendent said the accused sought intervention from the offices of Prime Minister and Home Ministry over a land dispute and torching his houses by forging signatures and seals of the minister concerned and the principal secretary of the PMO.
Later, directives were given to the district’s Deputy Commissioner and SP to take actions in this regard, he said.
Suspecting the signatures and seals, the authorities verified the issue with the ministry and PMO and found it as fake, the police officer said.
Two separate cases were filed against the barber at the local police station, he said, adding that the accused was arrested on Thursday.
He said drives are on to nab others of the fraud gang.
The arrestee will be produced before a Panchagarh court with a plea for remand Friday, SP Sirajul added.
Additional SP (Sadar Circle) Rakibul Islam, Additional SP (Crimes investigation) Kanak Kumar, Panchagarh Sadar Police Station’s Officer-in-charge Abdul Latif Miah and Panchagarh Press Club President Sajjadur Rahman among others were present at the press conference.
3 suspected arms suppliers to ARSA held in Cox’s Bazar
Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained three alleged arms suppliers to members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) from Chakaria upazila of Cox's Bazar on Thursday.
The detainees are Moktar Ahmed, 52, Abdur Rahim, 40 and Md Enamul Haque, 38. They are residents of Maheshkhali and Chakaria upazilas. "Tipped off, a team of RAB conducted a drive in the Boro Bheula Lal Bridge area this morning and detained them," said Lieutenant Colonel Saiful Islam Sumon, commanding officer of RAB-15.
During the drive, the law enforcers also recovered three single-barreled and one double-barreled guns and Tk 1,05,700 from their possession.
Among them, Moktar is the prime arms supplier to ARSA, RAB officer Saiful added.
During the primary interrogation, the detainees confessed that they had been running illegal arms businesses in Maheshkhali and Chakaria upazilas area for a long time and supplying arms to various terrorist groups, including members of ARSA in Rohingya camps.
The process of handing them over to Chakaria police station was underway, he said.