The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Gouripur

The crime rate of some dishonest marriage registrars in Gouripur upazila of Mymensingh district is rising day by day.

The people of this upazila demand, a person who commits a crime must be punished by law. Besides there are some fake marriage registrars in this upazila. They are deceiving people identifying themselves either as marriage registrars or as assistants to the marriage registrars who were appointed by the Government.

Everybody knows that there is a law in Bangladesh, which forbids the marriage of a girl before the age of eighteen, nevertheless the majority of the girls in some rural areas of Gouripur upazila are married of before that age by some false marriage registrars. It is a punishable offence. Such fake marriage registrars commit some crime which has been mentioned by these to points. Number one. They do not pay money the government that they earn by registering marriages. Nubmer two : They can earn more evil money than real marriage registrars. Number three : They are involved in getting registered to the school- going students who do not attain physical and mental maturity Number Four : They have become more responsible when a school- going married girl becomes pregnant earlier and also falls victim to death due to early marriage. Number Five: They are also responsible for helping to create the growth of over population in Bangladesh as the teen-aged girls become mothers earlier. Number Six : They collect marriage register books at any cost from the government printing press without informing the government authority or from some dishonest kazis in the society. Number seven : At the time of marriage, the people do not know which books are legal or illegal and which Kazi is real or fake and who are assistants to the dishonest Kazis. They do not know that they are being deceived by the fake Kazi. Number Eight: They are conceived of as helpers of some dishonest Kazis and these dishonest Kazis get some evil money from them by giving in return Kaji's signature on their register books.

According to information, a fake Kazi was identified as Md Shafiqul Islam, son of late Habibur Rahman of Muhisharan village under Gouripur upazila in Mymensingh district.

Besides, on a source of information Md. Shafiqul Islam used to collect forged marriage registrar books from Nurul Bahar, who works as book- binder in the Government Printing Press. Nurul Bahar's village home is at Bairati near Govindapur Bazar of this upazila.

Shafiqul Islam may be good at forging his master's signature in order to deceive people. Every fake marriage register has a master who is appointed as marriage registrar, a dishonest man ; who guides them, and who earns evil money by using them.

Md. Shafiqul Islam told this correspondent he used to register marriages before, he completed five register books. He denied he fake marriage registrar. Besides, he is working as a marriage registrar's assistant under Kazi Feroz Ahmed who is appointed as a marriage registrar in Ward Nos.1, 2, 3 of Gouripur Pourashava and who is also a teacher of Shalihar Dakail Madrasah at village Shalihar.

Shafiqul added that he was a marriage registrar assistant under Kazi Abdul Bari, who has been appointed as marriage registrar of Achintapur union and who is also a teacher of Nurul Amin Khan High School in the town of Gouripur.

After twenty minutes of questioning the suspect, Md Shafiqul Islam confessed his crime for collecting forged register books. He also confessed that he had coillected some forged marriage register books from Nurul Bahar, a book binder.

When asked, Kazi Feroj Ahmed denied appointing his assistants in some areas of Gouripur upazila. He said, "A Kazi can appoint an assistant for the office as he is doing two jobs". In reply to the demands made by Md Shafiqul Islam, Kazi Feroj said "His demands are wrong and illegal. Md Shafiqul Islam is not his assistant and never will be." He added that a fake assistant named Abdus Sattar earns evil money showing his name. "A Kazi can borrow register books from another Kazi or Kazis' Samity after the completion of the registers books which are given by the government, said Kazi Feroj. He told this correspondent," Kazi Abdul Bari may have four assistants for the marriage registration in some areasa of Achintapur union".

When asked, Kazi Abdul Bari denied appointing four assistants for marriage purposes. He has appointed a man named Abdus Sattar for information. Md Shafiqul Islam, Abul Mansur, Abdul Huq, Nurul Islam, Nazrul Islam are not his assistants. They are fake marriage registrars in their respective areas. They are cheating the government and deceiving the people. They are also helping the illiterate people for the early marriage to earn evil money.

He added that he had never accepted any child marriage registration in his life. He can not accept the mentioned law and argument made by Kazi Feruj Ahmed.

About two months ago, a group of people led by A.K.M. Ehsanul Huq, UNO of Gopuripur upazila foiled an attempt to solemnise a child marriage at Nutun Bazar of Gouripur town.

A preparation was going on to solemnise an early marriage of primary school going student named Chameli at midnight. On information, the UNO with the group of people and some newsmen reached the spot at 11.30 PM and prevented the organisers from the early marriage. This news was published in different newspapers. However, some people said, after some days this girl named Chameli was married to the same bridegroom recently and their marriage was registered by the fake marriage registrar but the neighbours denied it.

Pointing to the fake Kazi and dishonest Kazi, a talk show on "Early Marriage" was jointly arranged by ACECC Association and ACECC English Language Club. Bangladesh can achieve a remarkable progress in checking the use of marriage register books and materials. The country also can reduce early marriages, the growth of over- population, fake marriage registrars, prejudicial acts, premature death of married girls, taking many children within or at the age 30 of a married woman, dowry system, etc. by reforming the marriage registration system.

Female Ward members or ward commissioners can certify the girls before their marriage. If they are fit, they will be given marriage certificates to marry within one year which was discussed in the talk show.

However, people demanded fake marriage registrars like Md Shafiqul Islam must be arrested on charge of forged marriage registration thus deceiving the people as early as possible.

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Public Health Engineering Department of Barisal lodged a criminal case against 30 contractor firms for realising bills worth about taka 2 core without sinking tube wells during 1996-2001.

Md. Yunus Ali, Executive Engineer of Barisal PHED, lodged this case with Barisal Kotwali model police station on Saturday.

Police and PHED sources said the case was lodged after Syed Yunus alias Tube well Yunus, arrested gang leader of those corrupted contractors, revealed important facts about this crime during interrogation from last Sunday to Thursday under remand of another cheating case.

Earlier departmental actions including suspensions, dismissals were taken against 11 Engineers of PHED in this connection after the matter was reported in media, but mysteriously no legal action was taken against those corrupted contractors.

Yunus was arrested by RAB from Dhaka on October 25 and besides this case also accused in more four cases including three cases for misappropriating 25 core taka loans of Rupali Bank.

Police prayed for more seven days remand against Yunus for interrogation and the magistrate fixed the date for hearing of this prayer on next week.

In the meantime close aides and associates of Yunus started filing case against him to save their own skin.

Abul Ala Moududi, an associate of Tube well Yunus and owner of Messer's Abul Ala Moududi and Munira Mosaic and Sanitary firms of the city, lodged a case on Friday under Sections 420 and 406 of Penal Codes. In that case four including tube well Yunus, Yusuf and Mamun,two of his brothers and Abdus Sattar, the then Executive Engineer of Barisal PHED were accused for defalcation of bills worth Tk.33.17 lakhs against the materials supplied and works done by those firms.

KSA delegation visits flood-affected areas in Sirajganj

SIRAJGANJ, Nov 8: The visiting delegation of Saudi Arabia today (Tuesday) visited different flood-ravaged areas of the district. The delegation, led by Director General of the Directorate of Public Expenditure of Saudi Arabia's Finance Ministry Mohammad Bin Abdur Rahman Al-Muqailib, attended a meeting of local government officials on post-flood relief and rehabilitation at the Circuit House in the morning. Deputy Commissioner of the district Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil presided over the meeting. The delegation members visited different areas damaged by flood at hard point of the Jamuna River and distributed relief among the flood-affected people, reports UNB.

Rabi crop farming facing setback in Kishoreganj due to fertiliser crisis

KISHOREGANJ, Nov 8: Rabi crop cultivation in the district is facing a serious setback due to acute crisis of fertiliser. Fertiliser dealers informed that the crisis was created as the production in Chittagong SSP fertiliser Factory was suspended few days ago. Taking advantage of the situation, a section of dishonest traders flooded adulterated SSP fertiliser at local markets and were making brisk business by selling these with higher price, local farmers alleged. They said only dealers having licenses are authorised to sell urea, but the dishonest traders are illegally selling the agri-input at higher price. At present, a 50-kg bag of SSP fertiliser is being sold at Tk 1,000-Tk 1,100 against its original price at Tk 425 while a 50-kg bag of urea fertiliser at Tk 330 instead of Tk 300. According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), this year, boro paddy has been cultivated on 1.80 lakh hectares of land while rabi crop on 12,000 hectares in the district. "But, the agriculture office could not allocate SSP fertiliser here due to production suspension in Chittagong fertiliser Factory," said an official of the local Agriculture Office. The government allocated some 60,127 mts of urea and 1,028 mts of TSP, against its demand of 12,724 mts, for the district in the current rabi season, reports UNB.

Housewife receives acid burn injuries

JAMALPUR, Nov 8: A housewife suffered serious burn injuries as her brother in-law allegedly threw acid on her at Bashchara village in Sadar Upazila early Monday. Police said Abdul Haque threw acid on his elder brother's wife Sheuli Begum, 35, when she came out of her room responding to the call of nature at about 1 AM following a family feud. She was later admitted to the district General Hospital. A case was filed with the police, reports UNB.

BLRI official held

SAVAR, Nov 8: An official of Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) was arrested from his BLRI quarters under Ashulia thana here Monday night on charge of throwing acid on his former wife. Police arrested Scientific Officer of BLRI Al-Mamoon, 35, at about 11:30 PM following a case filed against him with Ashulia thana. According to the case, Mamoon threw acid on his divorced wife Mahmuda Akhter, 29, on Sunday. She was admitted to local hospital with serious burn injuries. Mamoon has recently divorced his wife following a family feud, reports UNB.

Fertiliser, liquor seized

SUNAMGANJ, Nov 8: Army and BDR in separate drives on Sunday night seized huge fertiliser and liquor from Jagannathpur and Bishwambharpur Upazilas. A team of army personnel recovered 330 bags of fertiliser from the possession of Ajharuddin, Mawlana Amirul Islam and Hakim Suja Mia at village Sayedpur in Jagannathpur Upazila. In another drive, BDR 17 rifles battalion recovered 92 bottles of Indian liquor from Chinakandi village in Bishwambharpur Upazila. The seized liquors were deposited with local Narcotics Control Office. Separate cases have been filed with respective police stations, reports UNB.