The New Nation - Internet Edition

Mass awareness to prevent child marriage underscored

BSS, Rangpur

Speakers in a discussion meeting here on Thursday stressed the need for creating mass awareness to make the society free from the curses of child marriage and dowry and preventing child and maternity mortality.

Thengamara Mohila Sobuz Sanggha (TMSS) under the National Nutrition Programme organised the colourful rally and discussion meeting at Begum Rokeya auditorium in the upazila town with its Upazila manager Rouf Uzzaman in the chair.

UNO of Mithapukur upazila AKM Masuduzzaman participated in the rally and the meeting as chief guest while Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Abdur Rashid Akand was present as the special guest.

Bogra Foundation Zonal Coordinator of TMSS Abdur Rouf, Upazila Public Health Officer Madhob Chandra Sarker, Upazila Women's Affairs Officer Seloara Begum, Youth Development Officer Osman Goni and Family Planning Officer Shahadat Hossain addressed the meeting.

Earlier, the colourful rally participated by hundreds of people including marriage registrars, nurses, NGO workers and activists, professionals, public representatives and elite paraded the streets of the upazila town.

Mystery over Unilever employee killing in Barisal unearthed

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Police have unearthed mystery on murder of Sumon Das, alias Kalu, a sales representative of Uniliver agent of Gournadi under Barisal upazila within five days of murder.

Until this report, police arrested two killers and busy with recording statement of three witnesses before Khademul Kayes, additional chief judicial magistrate of Barisal on Tuesday evening.

Towfiq Mahbub Chowdhury, Barisal district police super, Muhammad Ali Biswas, officer in charge, Md. Shafiq, sub inspector and investigation officer of Agoiljhara police station, Md. Al-Amin, Gournadi circle inspector of police, described their success story to the journalists on Tuesday.

They said that police arrested Anwar on Friday, Ruhul on Monday as suspected killers and according to their convenience statement recovered more than 69,802 taka out of 1.7 lakhs taka looted from the victim by the killers, and blood soaked bags, dresses, sharp weapons used in killing and other evidences.

The two arrestees handed over to court and sent to jail after interrogation under remand ended on Tuesday.

Anwar Bakhtiar, a grocery shopkeeper and customer of Uniliver, Ruhul Amin, a construction worker of Paisarhut Bazaar under Agoiljhara upazila, the arrested two in interrogation under remand and Alamin, Hasina Begum and Giasuddin, 3 witnesses and relatives of Anwar in confessional statements, said that Kalu went to supply goods and collect bills at the shop of Anwar on Wednesday evening.

At that time, Anwar became greedy by knowing that Kalu carrying 1.7 lakhs taka cash and he called Kalu at the underground godown for business talk. While Kalu was busy with counting money, Anwar hit on his head with an oil-barrel opener and Kalu died at the spot on Wednesday night. Then with the help of Palash Bakhtiar, brother of Anwar, Ruhul and Sarwar Soru, their neighbors, chopped the dead body, packed it in a sack carried to Paisarhut River bank and drowned the sack by tying bricks with the dead body on early Thursday night, the arrested two killers and witnesses described.

It may be mention chopped and sack packed dead body of Suman Das Kalu, an employee of a local Unilever agent of Torki Badar under Gournadi upazila of Barisal was found in the River Paisarhat at Agailjhara .

Hasan, Sarwar elected president, secy of Panchagarh District Bar Association

A Correspondent

Advocate A Hasan Pradhan and Advocate Mirza Sarwar Hossain were elected President and General Secretary of Panchagarh District Bar Association on 3rd April.

A 12-member Executive Committee of Panchagarh Bar Association was formal at the District and Session Judge Court premises in presence of 80 Advocates. Other elected office-bearers are vice-president Golam Hafiz, Asst. General Secretary Fazlul Haque, Library Secretary Mohsina Begum, Legal Aid Secretary Nazrul Islam, Members Abu Bakar Siddique, Mirza Nazmul Islam Kajol, Abu Hossain and Dipok Chandra Barman.

Assault on DU correspondents condemned

Correspondent, Rajshahi

Rajshahi University (RU) press club demanded punishment of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) and Bangladesh Chhatra League (Bcl) cadres who assaulted tow university correspondent on Dhaka University (DU) campus on (Wednesday).

They took out a rally showing demonstration at 11.30 am from RU press club that marched whole campus and terminated at central library. They held protest meeting in front of central library.

President, general secretary and senior reporters of daily newspapers of RU press club expressed their deep concern over the incident in the meeting.

Businessman missing

Our correspondent, Tangail

Md. Shafiqul Khan, a hundi trader of village Singhoragi under Delduar Police Station, has been missing since March 29 much to the concern of his family members and friends.

Family sources said on getting a phone call from his business partner Arfan of village Shalpa Borodia under the same police station, Shafiqul went out of his house at 7:30 am on the fateful day on a motor cycle to meet his business partner. He reportedly carried Tk two lakh with him for business purpose.He did not return home since then.

A case has been filed with the Deldua Police Station in this connection. The RAB office at Tangail has also been informed of the incident. The members of Shafiqul's family have been passing their days in great anxiety.They are not sure whether he is alive or not.

News briefs

Rapist gets life in Kurigram

Kurigram, Apr 26: A court here on Wednesday sentenced a man to life term imprisonment for violating a madrassah girl. The lifer is Jahangir, 24, son of Shahabul Hossain of Ramratan village in Rajarhat upazila. According to the prosecution, Jahangir raped the teenage girl of nearby Chhinaihat village on March 22, 2002. After examining the eight witnesses and records, District and Sessions Judge Bhabani Prasad Singh handed down the verdict, reports UNB.

3 clinics, diagnostic centre shut down

Satkhira, Apr 26: A mobile court on Wednesday sealed off two clinics and a diagnostic centre in the district town for alleged illegal operation. The court, led by magistrate AKM Azadur Rahman, conducted raids at different clinics and diagnostic centres in Polashpole and Sadar Hospital crossing and sealed off Babla Memorial Hospital, Shimul Memorial Clinic and Khulna Diagnostic Centre for running illegally. The court also realised Tk 18,000 as fine from these establishments, reports UNB.

Gunrunner arrested with arms in C'nawabganj

Chapainawabganj, Apr 26: RAB and police, in separate drives, seized a shutter gun and 340 bottles of phensidyl syrup and arrested a gunrunner in the district on Wednesday night. Acting on a tip-off, members of RAB-5 arrested Mukhlesur, 27, from the premises of Monakosha Humayun Reza High School ground in Shibganj upazila and also recovered a shutter gun from his possession. In another drive, police seized 340 bottles of phensidyl syrup from the house of Jewel at Sheikh Para in Rohanpur pourashava in Gomostapur upazila, reports UNB.

Bombs, bullets recovered in Khulna

Khulna, Apr 26: Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members recovered three bombs and three rounds of bullet from an abandoned godown in Khalishpur area of the town Tuesday night. Acting on a secret information, a team of RAB-6 went to the abandoned godown and recovered the bombs and bullets. But none was arrested in this connection. The seized bombs and bullets were handed over to Khalishpur thana police. A case was filed, reports UNB.

Case filed against UP chairman in Goalanda

Goalanda (Rajbari), Apr 26: A case was filed against a UP chairman on charge of embezzling 90 kgs of VGF rice here on Tuesday. Local BNP leader Yunus Ali Sheikh filed the case against chairman of Ujanchar union parishad Abul Hossain Fakir. Being informed by the BNP leader, police seized a rickshaw with the 90 kgs of VGF rice and also detained the rickshaw-puller Abdur Razzak for interrogation. In his complaint, Yunus Ali mentioned that Chairman Abul Hossain sent a sack of 90-kg VGF rice to his house by a rickshaw and he waylaid the rickshaw on the way and informed the police. Later, police also recovered six slips of the rice from the UP chairman, who started distributing the VGF rice among the destitute on April 17, reports UNB.

7,328 certificate cases field in Comilla

Comilla, Apr 26: Bangladesh Krishi Bank (BKB) and three other nationalized banks filed 7,328 certificate cases till last February for realising outstanding loans of Tk 28.01 crore from the farmers. Many farmers were arrested so far and arrest warrants have been issued against several others, local sources said. District Agriculture Loan Monitoring Committee sources said BKB filed 6,115 cases for realising Tk 26.33 crore, Agrani Bank filed 600 cases for realizing Tk 76.19 lakh, Janata Bank filed 399 cases for Tk 45.64 lakh and Sonali Bank filed 214 cases for Tk 45.56 lakh, reports UNB.