Law-&-Order
PBI nabs fugitive accused in 7 cases
The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has managed to arrest an absconding accused in seven cases, including murder and drugs-related cases, from the city's Shyampur Rail line area.
The arrestee was identified as Sirajul Islam alias Montu Sheikh, 40, of Faridpur dictrict. He was indicted in a drug case filed at Chowk Bazar Police Station last year for smuggling phensedyl.
According to PBI, the address of Sirajul Islam and another accused Md Salam, provided in the case were wrong, and they appealed for exemption from the case. However, the court directed the PBI to re-investigate the case and arrest the accused on April 1 last year. Salam was arrested on January 25.
Investigating Officer Sub-Inspector Md Ashraful Islam, under the supervision of Special Superintendent of Police Md Jahangir Alam, unit in-charge of PBI Dhaka Metro (North), applied all the usual methods to identify the fugitive accused.
Later, the Investigating Officer made the arrest from Shyampur Rail line area around 4:30pm on Thursday after appointing special source and reviewing the CDMS, collected information about the fugitive accused Sirajul Islam, the release said.
Read: 2 killed in Cumilla road accident
During primary interrogation, the arrestee admitted that he along with two other accused in this case used to trade Phensedyl in different places of the capital after collecting those from border areas of the country.
On February 21 last year, the three accused in the case illegally brought 365 bottles of Indian Phensedyl from Dinajpur to Dhaka for trading. Sensing the presence of members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in Chowk Bazar police station area, he and the accused Salam, 31, fled, but accused Chan Mia was detained by Rab.
There are several drug and murder cases against Sirajul. There were five warrants issued against him and he was even convicted in a case filed in Sirajganj, according to a PBI statement circulated to the press.
He was arrested earlier along with Phensedyl at Ghoraghat in Dinajpur where he provided wrong identity, he said during interrogation.
Sirajul Islam was presented before the court on Friday, it added.
Murder for protesting stalking: 6 get life term in Rajshahi
A Rajshahi court on Thursday sentenced six people to life term imprisonment in a case over hacking a man to death for protesting stalking of his niece.
Rajshahi Speedy Trial Tribunal Judge Anup Kumar Ray pronounced the judgment.
The court also fined the convicts Tk 10,000 each, in default, to suffer one year more imprisonment .
Read: RAB uncovers another case of wrongful imprisonment; absconding convict arrested
The court acquitted 15 other accused in the case .
The lifers are Mintu Ali,35, Md Rana,21, Md Pana,25, Arif Hossain,25, Sharif Hossain,22, from Sultanpur village in Bagha upazila, and Arjed Ali alias Bhola,47, of Moniharpur village in Natore.
On January 14, 2020, Nazmul Hossain was hacked to death at Sultastanpur village for protesting the stalking of his niece.
A murder case was lodged at Bagha police station upon receiving a complaint from Nazmul’s father.
Gang rape of Thakurgaon school girl: 2 arrested
Police have arrested two youths in the case filed over the rape of a 9th grade school girl in Dholarhat of Thakurgaon Sadar.
The arrestees are Ashraful,22, from old Thakurgaon area and Motiur,20, of Chilarong Bashgara area.
Police made the arrests on Wednesday from the old Thakurgaon Bazar area, said Chittaranjan Roy, Officer-in-charge (OC) of Ruhia Police Station.
On Tuesday night the girl was raped allegedly by her boyfriend, Sujan, a 10th grade student of Islamnagar High School and resident of Debiganj village, and 4-5 others including Ashraful and Biplob, according to her statement.
Sujan took her to a poultry farm away from her house where his companions were waiting. Afterwards they left her unconscious near her house at midnight, she said.
Read: RAB uncovers another case of wrongful imprisonment; absconding convict arrested
Her father said that at around 3 am he heard his daughter crying in the yard. He came out of the house and found her bleeding. He also saw several injury marks on her body.
That night, the girl was taken to a local doctor and a union parishad member was informed about the incident, her father said.
On Wednesday noon, the victim's father filed a case against five people at Ruhia police station.
OC Chittaranjan Roy of Ruhia police station said efforts are on to arrest the other accused.
DB to investigate case against BNP leader Fakhrul, 14 others
A Narayanganj court on Thursday directed Detective Branch (DB) of police to investigate a case against 15 people including BNP’s secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir , joint secretary general Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal and 13 others over making derogatory comments on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Narayanganj Senior Judicial Magistrate Kawsar Ahmed accepted the case and directed the district DB police to investigate it.
On December 22, Md Akram Hossain Badal, president of Joybangla Muktijoddha Projonmo League central committee, as a plaintiff appealed to Chief Judicial Magistrate Shamsad Begum’s court for filing a case.
Also read: Filing ‘fictitious’ cases now a regular matter: Fakhrul
Moazzem Hossain Alal was made the main accused in the case.
The other accused in the case are BNP’s Ishraq Hossain, Major Delwar Hossain, Nurul Haque Nuru, Major (Retd) Shahidul Islam Khan, Md Nure Ilias Ripon, M Rahman Masum, Atiqur Rahman Shobuj, Jahangir Alam, Rezaul Karim, Ilias Molla, Zakir Hossain, Sheikh Md Titumir Akash and journalist Ilias Hossain.
Plaintiff’s lawyer Nurul Huda said as a freedom fighter the plaintiff could not bear such comments on the Prime Minister and filed the case against these 15 people.
Also read: Govt conspiring to "kill" Khaleda: Fakhrul
HC grants anticipatory bail to Prof Karzon in DSA case
The High Court on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to Dhaka University professor Sheikh Hafizur Rahman Karzon for eight weeks in a case filed under the Digital Security Act.
A division bench of justices Jahangir Hossain Selim and Md Atoar Rahman passed the order while hearing his bail plea during a virtual hearing and also asked the law professor to surrender before the tribunal hearing the case by this period.
Barrister Omar Farooq appeared for the professor in the court while Deputy Attorney General Sarwar Hossain Bappi represented the state.
Also read: Remove Riaz's father-in-law's 'suicide' video from social media: HC
On July 22 last year, Prof Karzon wrote a post on Facebook that stoked a major controversy, forcing him to subsequently remove the same. He had also apologised for "hurting the religious sentiments of people".
However, on August 1, Amit Bhowmik, the general secretary of the central committee of the Bangladesh Hindu Juba Parishad, filed a case against Prof Karzon under the Digital Security Act alleging that his post had hurt the religious sentiments of people.
Also read:Court accept charges against 'Shishu Bokta' Rafiqul in DSA case
Remove Riaz's father-in-law's 'suicide' video from social media: HC
The High Court on Thursday asked the Home Ministry and the country's telecom regulator to remove the video of actor Riaz Ahmed's father-in-law Abu Mohsin Khan committing suicide from all social media platforms within six hours.
A division bench of justices Farah Mahbub and SM Moniruzzaman also barred all TV channels from airing the video, during a virtual hearing. The court also sought a report on the matter from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission by February 9.
Read: Actor Riaz’s father-in-law commits suicide on Facebook live
The court's direction came in the wake of senior Supreme Court advocate AKM Faiz bringing the matter to its notice this morning.
On Wednesday, actor Riaz's father-in-law Abu Mohsin Khan live-streamed his suicide on Facebook as he shot himself in the head. The businessman talked about his loneliness and several other miseries of his life before pulling the trigger.
Dhanmondi police station officer-in-charge Ikram Ali Mia told the media that Abu Mohsin used his own licensed gun to commit suicide at his residence in Dhaka.
Court accept charges against 'Shishu Bokta' Rafiqul in DSA case
A Dhaka tribunal on Wednesday accepted charges against two people including Rafiqul Islam Madani who is popularly known as Shishu Bokta, in a case filed under the Digital Security Act for delivering ‘anti-state and provocative’ speeches.
The other accused is Mahmudul Hasan Murtuza.
Dhaka Cyber Tribunal Judge Ash Shams Jaglul Hossain took the charges into cognisance.
Read: ‘Shishu Bokta’ Rafiqul indicted in DSA case
The court also fixed February 22 for hearing on charge framing in the case, said the tribunal's counsel Shamim Al Mamun.
After hearing both sides, the court rejected Rafiqul's bail plea, who is currently in jail, and granted permanent bail to Mahmudul.
On January 26, a Dhaka court framed charges against Rafiqul Islam Madani in this case.
RAB members arrested Rafiqul from his home in Netrakona on April 7 last year on charges of making anti-state and provocative remarks and creating chaos.
Read: ‘Shishu Bokta’ Rafiqul sued under DSA; lands in jail
On April 8 last year, a case was filed against Rafiqul under the Digital Security Act at Gachha police station in Gazipur.
Later on April 11 of the year, another case was filed under the Digital Security Act at Basan Police Station in Gazipur.
However, Rafiqul Islam was granted bail by the High Court in a case filed under the Explosive Substances Act at Kotwali Police Station in Mymensingh on September 30.
Earlier, Madadi was arrested on March 25 in 2021 from Motijheel area during a demonstration protesting the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Independence and later he was freed.
Rafiqul, also director of Saoatul Hera Madrasha at Paschim Bilashpur in Netrakona district, reportedly delivered ‘provocative’ speech in a Waj Mahfil at Gachha.
He is also assistant vice president of Jubo Jamiat, a wing of Jamiat-e-Ulama- Islam, of Netrakona.
HC seeks list of chemical warehouses, factories in Old Dhaka
The High Court on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to submit by April 17 a list of buildings that house chemical warehouses, factories and shops in Old Dhaka.
The virtual HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice SM Maniruzaaman passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) in the form of public interest litigation.
Read: Chemical warehouses: Old Dhakaites still living with ticking time bombs
Secretaries to the Ministry of Industries, Ministries of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dhaka South City Corporation's (DSCC) mayor, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) chairman, Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defence, Director General of Department of Explosives were asked to submit the list.
Besides, the court sought progress reports on establishing permanent and temporary Chemical Estates in Munshiganj, Shyampur, and Tongi.
Advocate Syeda Rizwana Hasan appeared for the writ petition while Deputy Attorney General Samarendra Nath Biswas for the state.
Bela, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), the Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD), Ain O Shalish Kendro (ASK), Fatema Akhter and Md Nasir Uddin on behalf of the affected people filed this writ.
The HC also issued a rule asking why 11 agencies concerned will not be declared illegal for failing to take action as per the reports given by the government after various fire incidents and take action against the owners of all illegal chemical warehouses, factories and buildings.
Bela in the press briefing said that 71 people were killed and many others injured in a devastating fire that broke out on February 20, 2019 at Churihatta in Chawkbazar of Old Dhaka.
But no members of the affected families have received compensation yet and are living an inhuman condiiton.
Read: Armanitola chemical warehouse fire: 2 owners held
The rule also asked the government to explain why it should not be directed to compensate and rehabilitate the families of the victims of Churihatta fire within four weeks.
At the same time, the court wanted to know why the authorities concerned will not be directed to implement adequate water supply and hydrant points in Old Dhaka and the recommendations for widening roads there.
30-year-old rapes schoolgirl in Magura, held
A 30-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly raping a schoolgirl in Magura's Sadar upazila.
The arrestee has been identified as Kajal Hossain, 30, son of Altaf Biswas of the upazila.
Monjurul Alam, officer-in-charge of Magura police station, said that Kajal used to tease the girl on her way to school.
Read: Man to die for killing woman after rape in Ctg
"On Saturday night, Kajol barged into the girl's house and raped her. Hearing her screams, neighbours rushed to her house but the accused managed to flee," he said.
On January 30, police arrested Kajal on rape charges. "The girl has already recorded her statement before a judicial magistrate after her medical examination," the OC added.
HC directs to shut illegal brick kilns in Dinajpur, Moulvibazar
The High Court on Monday directed to shut down all the brick kilns operating without any license across Dinajpur and Moulvibazar district within seven days.
The court also directed the Deputy Commissioners of the districts and director of the Environment Department to submit a list of these illegal kilns within the next six weeks in affidavit format.
The bench of Justice JBM Hasan and Fatema Najib passed the order during a hearing on the writ filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB).
READ: HC orders Bagerhat municipal mayor to surrender
The court asked to be informed of the development in this regard within two weeks and issued a rule as to why respondents' inactivity to shut these brick kilns will not be declared illegal.
Lawyer Monjil Morshed presented the petitioner’s side assisted by advocate Sanjay Mandal while Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy appeared for the state.
Advocate Monjil Morshed said according to Brick Manufacturing and Brick Kiln Establishment (Control) (Amendment) Act, 2019, no brick kiln without a license can operate in the country and its owners will be punished for two years in jail for doing so.
READ: Ex-OC Pradeep appeals to HC challenging indictment order in graft case
But the administration did not take any action against the illegal kilns that are operating across Dinajpur and Moulvibazar which are harming the environment and creating health risks, he said.
Following the reports published in different media, HRPB filed the writ petition in public interest, he said.