The High Court (HC) on Wednesday stayed the election to Faridpur municipality scheduled to be held on December 10 this year.

The bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim passed the order after hearing a writ petition.

The HC also issued a rule seeking explanation as to why Election Commission’s (EC) announcement of the election schedule should not be declared illegal as the process of turning the municipality into a city corporation is underway.

The authorities concerned including the Election Commission  have been asked to respond to the rule within four weeks.

Advocate Ruhul Kuddus Kajal stood for the writ petitioner while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin and Nowroj Rasel Chowdhury represented the state.

Md Atiar Rahman, a resident of the municipality, filed the writ petition on November 15.

Also read: Municipal Polls: Distribution of BNP’s nomination papers begins Tuesday

The High Court on Monday issued a rule asking why the bail of Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana in a case filed over illegally amassing wealth should not be cancelled.

At the same time, the bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Ahmed Sohel also stayed Rana’s bail granted by the subordinate court until the rule is resolved.

Md Khurshid Alam represented the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) while Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik stood for the state. Md Alamgir Hossain represented Rana.

Alam said a special judge’s court granted the Rana Plaza owner bail on May 17. After a virtual hearing on an ACC appeal on June 8, the High Court stayed the bail order.

Rana is the owner of Rana Plaza, a multi-storey building which collapsed in April 2013, killing at least 1,134 people, mostly readymade garment workers.

The ACC accused him of amassing Tk 2.54 crore illegally in a case filed with Savar police.

As part of the government directive to strengthen the mobile court operation and enforce laws to ensure use of mask, the local administration in Chandpur has conducted separate drives  and fined 90 people for not wearing masks.

During the drives that started from 3 pm on Sunday till evening in the district town , 90 people were fined Tk 11,250.

Mazedur Rahman, deputy commissioner of the district, said the drives were conducted as per the government directives to tackle the possible second wave of Covid-19.

The local administration started the drive last week and it will continue, said Mazedur adding  “The drive will create awareness among people.”

Two executive magistrates—Imran Mahmud Dalim and Ujjal Hossain- conducted the drives at Ilish Chattar and Palbazar areas of the district town.

Thirteen Ansar members and volunteers also  joined the drives.

Govt directives

On November 16, the government asked the administration to strengthen the mobile court operation and enforce laws to ensure the use of masks, also in the capital, to check the raging Covid-19 pandemic.

“We’ve already asked them [admin] to strengthen the mobile court operation or law enforcement further in different places of the capital. Hope, it’ll start within the next two to three days,” said Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam while briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

The Cabinet issued instructions to take a tougher stance to check the Covid-19 as its infection rate has started increasing slightly, he said.

The directives came as people are largely reluctant about wearing face-masks despite several calls from the government to take precautionary measures in the wake of a fresh surge of the Covid-19 infection rate in many countries across the world during the winter season.

‘No mask no service’

The government in October last introduced ‘No mask no service’ policy in all the government and private offices.

The government has also issued an instruction to all the offices and institutions saying that masks must be used in all institutions, haats, markets, shopping malls, schools, and social and religious gatherings.

PM’s warning

On November 19, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina renewed her warning that the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic in the country is imminent and asked all to mask up.

"I request you all to wear masks and follow other safety rules," she said mentioning the growing Covid-19 cases across the world.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing a meeting of secretaries of the ruling Awami League. The meeting was held at the central office of AL at 23 Bangabandhu Avenue but the Prime Minister joined it virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.

Read Also: Covid surge: Mobile courts to ensure mask use soon

Three cases were filed against ‘Golden Monir’ in connection with the recovery of foreign currencies, firearms and liquor from his Badda residence on Saturday.
 
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) filed the cases — one under Special Powers Act, Arms Act and Narcotics Control Act -- at Badda Police Station on Sunday, said Pervez Islam, officer-in-charge of Badda Police Station.
 
Earlier in the day, Rab handed over Golden Monir, who was arrested from his Badda residence on Saturday, to Badda police.
 
He will be produced before the court today with remand prayer, said the OC.
 
On Saturday, Rab arrested  Monir, locally known as ‘Golden Monir’, along with firearms, drugs and huge foreign currencies from his residence in the capital’s Badda area.

Also Read- ‘Golden Monir’ finally held with ‘arms, drugs’

Foreign currencies of 10 countries worth Tk 9 lakh, around 8kg gold, and cash Tk 1.9 crore were recovered from his possession during the overnight raid.
 
Monir, who was a salesman of a cloth shop in Gausia Market, has 200 plots in his name in Badda, Nikunja, Uttara and Keraniganj, and used a luxurious car worth Tk 3 crore, Rab said.
 
He was also a vicious hundi trader and land broker. Rab said they found his involvement in gold smuggling.
 
Monir’s amassed wealth has a value of approximately Tk 1,050 crore.

The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) says it has arrested four militants, including one top regional leader of banned militant group Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), from a house in Sirajganj’s Shahjadpur upazila.

The surrendered militants are Kiran alias Halim alias Shamim, regional chief of JMB Santhia upazila unit in Pabna; Naimul Islam, 21, of Pabna; Atiar Rahman alias Alam Sainik, 22, and Aminul Islam Shanto, 25, both of Tala upazila in Satkhira.

Rab said they had cordoned off the house in the municipality’s Ukilpara neighbourhood on Friday morning (from 5am) based on information provided by militants arrested the previous day.

Four suspected militants surrendered until 11am, Rab Legal and Media wing chief Lt Col Ashik Billah said, particularly noting that Pabna-Sirajganj regional chief Kiran was among the arrestees.

A gunfight took place between the law enforcers and militants although no one was injured.

The nabbed JMB members are currently being interrogated.

There was a loud explosion in the house in the morning.

A senior Rab official told the media that the house was used as a training centre.

They rented the house identifying themselves as students on November 5 and were hatching a conspiracy including sabotage and militancy, Billah said. 

Rab seized two pistols, a machete, bomb making equipment and books on militancy from the house, he said.

Rab is preparing to file four separate cases: three under the Anti-Terrorism Act, Arms Act, and Explosive Substance Act and another for obstructing government work.

The raid in Sirajganj was conducted based on information provided by JMB Rajshahi region chief Mahmud, who was arrested on Thursday night.

Neighbours said some youths had rented the ground floor of an under-construction building bought by one Khairul Alam.

The house was frequented by many unknown people and some residents of the house were running a shop in the neighbourhood. Some used to sell fried snacks at Alif-Lam-Mim Bhatarmor area, locals said.

Rab said more information would be provided later.

The government launched a massive crackdown on militants after the July 1, 2016 Holey Artisan attack. Overnight raids including holdouts became quite frequent as the government sought to nip the militant wave in the bud, and did so by-and-large successfully in 2016-17.

Successful raids and deaths of top militant leaders managed to bring down militant activities in the country, with no major incident reported in the country since the Holey attacks.   

Also read: Drive at Savar ‘militant den’: Woman held, explosives seized