The New Nation - Internet Edition

Concerted efforts to resist human trafficking underscored

BSS, Rangpur

Speakers at separate discussion meetings at different spots in Gangachara upazila stressed the need for taking joint efforts of all stakeholders to resist human trafficking.

They also stressed the need for a massive awareness building campaign, particularly among the vulnerable groups in the frontier areas, for proper enforcement of all relevant laws involving common people to stop this worst form of heinous crime.

ASOD, a reputed NGO, has been organising the discussion meetings since last Wednesday as a part of its awareness building activities against human trafficking with assistance of the USAID and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The meetings held at Maliper Bazaar and Betgari UP premises, were addressed by headmaster of Haridebpur High School Ruhul Alam Chowdhury, District Coordinator of ASOD Mrs Parveen Akhter, its Project Officer Alamgir Hossain, elite Lutfar Rahman and Akhterul Zaman.

Hundreds of rural people including women living in the areas, UP chairmen and members, teachers, professionals, adolescents, students, women community leaders, socio-cultural and NGO activists and elite have been taking part in the meetings and drama and songs programmes.

The speakers blamed lack of proper awareness, poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, dowry, child marriage, ignorance, drug- addiction and cross-border trade as the main reasons behind the heinous crimes of human trafficking.

They suggested different ways for resolving these problems and recommended bringing the educational institutions of the frontier areas under the campaign to make the students aware about human trafficking with a view to stop the same once and for all for.

6 out of 10 mayoral candidates to lose security deposit in BCC polls

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Six out of 10 mayoral candidates on Monday's Barisal City Corporation election, including the four party alliance backed candidates will lose their deposit money.

A candidate must get at least one-eighth of the total votes cast to get his/her deposit back, said Manirul Islam, returning officer in the BCC election and also deputy election commissioner in charge.

According to information available at the local returning office, a total of 1, 43,953 out of the 1, 79,293 voters cast their vote in 471 booths of 91 polling centers. Out of votes cast, 3,113 were cancelled. Shawkat Hossain Hiron bagged 46,796 votes and his nearest rival Sharfuddin Santu 46,208 votes.

Of the other mayoral candidates, Ahsan Habib Kamal, the expelled city BNP president supported by a faction of the BNP-led alliance and a faction of the Jatiya Party, bagged 26,416 votes and former district BNP secretary Ebaidul Huq Chan, supported by a faction of the BNP-led alliance, won 19,626 votes.

The rest six candidates including district Communist Party secretary AK Azad 885 votes, former joint district judge Syed Shahidul 807 votes, former Jatiya Party leader Kabiruddin Hannu 672 votes, businessman Rafiqul Islam Russel 281 votes and Jahirul Huq 148 votes in the elections, will lose their deposit money, local EC sources said.

Firearms, phensidyl recovered in Comilla

UNB, Comilla

Police in separate drives recovered two firearms and 40 bottles of phensidyl syrup here on Tuesday.

Acting on a secret information, Kotwali police in a raid in Thakurpara area of the district town recovered a home made LG, three bullets and 40 bottles of phensidyl syrup from the courtyard of the house of Abdul Hye. None was arrested in this connection.

In another drive Barura thana police recovered a revolver in an abandoned condition at the side of a road in Gobindapur area. Two separate cases were filed.

Phensidyl, wine seized in Ctg

BSS, Chittagong

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in separate raids recovered 358 bottles Phensidyl and 16 bottles foreign wine in the city on Wednesday night and Thursday. Being tipped off, a team of the elite force conducted a drive at Tourna Nishita train at Chittagong rail station on Thursday and recovered 358 bottles of phensidyl in an abandoned state at a room in the train.

In another drive at Charpara area of Patenga Thana in the city on Wednesday night, they recovered 16 bottles of foreign- made 'Kingway' wine in an abandoned position.

53 persons nabbed on various charges in Rangpur

BSS, Rangpur

Police in separate anti-crime drives arrested 53 persons including suspected criminals from different parts of the district during the past 48 hours till this morning. Police source said the arrested persons include thieves, absconding accused in different cases, warrantees, drug peddlers and traffickers, suspected criminals and anti-social elements.

Police also seized good quantities of contraband ganja, Phensidyl, locally produced wine, illegal things and recovered stolen goods and sharp weapons during the drives. Mithapukur police arrested notorious drug trafficker Kalam, 35, of Mulatol area in Rangpur city from Mithapukur Upazila and seized 20 bottles Phensidyl from his possession. Kotwali police arrested 22 persons, Gangachara five, Taraganj two, Badarganj three, Mithapukur four, Pirganj one, Pirgacha 10, Kawnia four and DB police arrested two persons during the raids. Later, the arrested persons were sent to jail hajat when police produced them before different Rangpur courts, the sources said.

BMS Barisal Command greets Hiron

BSS, Barisal

The leaders of Barisal District Command of Bangladesh Muktijoddah Sangsad (BMS) on Tuesday congratulated the mayor elect of Barisal City Corporation (BCC) and veteran freedom fighter Advocate Shawkat Hossain Hiron.

Convenor of Barisal district command Khaliquzzaman Farooq, Member Secretary Abdul Moid Khan Khokan, executive body member Anisur Rahman Chowdhury, former lawmaker Abdul Wadud Sardar, former Poura chairman Alhaj Kamal Uddin Khan, Kazi Kamal, Serajul Islam Jahangir, Nurul Alam Gias, Azizul Haque Akkas have greeted the newly elect mayor, a press release said.

3 held with Ganja in Rangpur

BSS, Rangpur

Detective Branch (DB) of Police arrested three drug smugglers and seized smuggled ganja in two separate drives conducted at different places here last night, Police sources said.

The DB police seized 500 gram ganja and arrested Monwar Hossain, 45, and Sirajul Islam, 40 from village Deodoba and Abdul Halim, 45, with 500 gram ganja from Burirhat area in Sadar Upazila in the drives.

The DB police handed over the arrested persons and seized ganja after filing two separate cases in these connections with Kotwali Police Station, the sources said.

Naogaon Newsletter

Orientation Workshop

Our Correspondent, Nagaon

One orientation workshop was held under auspices of the district Islamic Foundation branch, at local district Sishu Academy Auditorium, participated by the Mosques' librarians and representatives on June 30. Inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner Sefaul Karim as chief guest, presided over by the District Deputy Director of Islamic Foundation Syed Ameen Uddin Mahmood, attended by District Information Officer Farhad Hossain and District Sishu Affairs Officer Mafizul Islam as special guests.

Hazipur pourashava

Budget announced

Poura Mayor Md. Aminul Haq of Nazimpur Pourashava in Patnitola Upazila in the district, announced the budget 2008-2009, at its office premises, about total budget of 963,46,100 taka.

Development of 60 lakh taka and surplus of 8,67,63,900 taka.

Poura councillor Advocate Amjad Hossain, Kallayani Rani Gosh, Manjuara Begum, Rashida Begum, secretary Jamal Uddin, engineer Fazlul Huq and others lighted about this new budget. Local journalists, businessmen and others were present there.

Tree fair held

The three days Fruits-tree Mela was held on Sapahar Upazila Parishad premises recently, inaugurated by UNO Md. Ziaul Huq as chief guest, organised by the Upazila Agriculture Extension Deptt.

A discussion meeting was held, addressing among others, were Upazila Agriculture Officer ABM Mustafizur Rahman, Sadar UP chairman Shamsul Alam Shah Chowdhury, UP chairman Md. Hamidur Rahman, attended by local journalists, govt. officials and others.

Phensidyl seized,

two held

Naogaon district Detective Branch police led by SI Jamal Uddin on a campaign recovered 64 bottles of Phensidyl at Prodhan Kundi road in Badalgachi Upazila in the district at night on July 1 and also arrested two motor-cyclists, carrying the said Phensidyl.

The arrested persons were identified as Badal, son of late Kassem Ali of Doctorpara in Chakdev in Naogaon municipality and Mamun, son of Hazahar Ali of Boro Kabila village of Badalgachi Upazila in the district.

A case was registered with the Thana in this connection.

Motorcycle hijackers held

Three motor-cycle hijackers were arrested by public when they forcibly hijacked and looted his mobile phone, motor-cycle and cash of one Hafizur Rahman when he was returning home at night by his motor-cycle at Colonypara in Patnitola Upazila in the district on July 27. On getting information the police arrested three persons Mukhter Hossain Lucky (30), Azhar Ali (35) and Feroz Ali (38).

A case was registered with the thana in this connection.

News briefs

Housewife killed by husband in Rangpur

Rangpur, Aug 7 : A housewife was beaten to death allegedly by her husband for dowry at Khatkhotia village in Sadar upazila on Monday. Police said Entaz Ali gave his daughter Rezina Begum in marriage to Heshanur Rahman five years back with a promise that he would give him Tk 12,000 as dowry. Later, Entaz Ali gave only Tk 8,000 to Rezina's husband, which made him angry. He used to torture Rezina for the rest amount of the money. On the fateful night, Heshanur picked up a quarrel with Rezina, 24, over the issue and at one stage beat her to death. He later hanged the body from a tree to prove that she had committed suicide, report UNB.

Boy killed in

Munshiganj clash

Munshiganj, Aug 7 : Five people, including a policeman, were injured as local people clashed with the law enforcers following a road accident that killed a primary school student at Sipaipara Shantinagar in Sadar upazila on Wednesday. Local people said Mahim, 7, son of expatriate Muktar Hossain, was crushed under the wheels of a jeep at Sipaipara Shantinagar when he was returning home from school with his mother at about 11.15 am. On information, police rushed to the spot but agitated local people chased them and also ransacked their van. They also put barricade on Munshiganj-Tongibari road at about 3 pm disrupting transport movement on the road, report UNB.

Two held with

phensidyl in Savar

Savar, Aug 6 : Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested two alleged drug peddlers along with 66 bottles of Indian phensidyl syrup at Hemayetpur bus stand here on Tuesday. Acting on secret information, a team of Savar RAB camp led by ASP Sharifuddin, conducted a drive in the bus station area and arrested the drug peddlers - Masudul Islam and his accomplice Obaidur - along with the drugs. Both of them hailed from Dinajpur district. The arrested were handed over to Savar police station. A case was filed in this connection, report UNB.

Heroin recovered

Chapainawabganj, Aug 6: BDR jawans seized 5.2 kgs of heroin and cocaine in Poladanga border area of Sadar upazila on Sunday and Monday. BDR sources said on secret information that a gang of heroin smugglers entered into Bangladesh territory from India through the border, they chased the smugglers at about 11 pm on Monday. Sensing danger the smugglers fled the scene leaving behind 2.6 kgs of heroin. Besides, the BDR jawans in another drive also recovered 2.6 kgs of cocaine from the same area on Sunday night. The seized heroin and cocaine were deposited to the BDR headquarters, BDR sources said, report UNB.

10 injured in Bhola clash

Bhola, Aug 6 : At least 10 people were injured in a clash between two rival groups over land dispute at Kandrakpur village in Sadar upazila on Tuesday. Police said the clash between the supporters of Sikdar and Jamadar groups took place in the morning when both the groups tried to capture a disputed land. Some houses of the supporters of Sikdar group were set on fire while several houses of Jamadar group were ransacked during the clash. The injured were admitted to the Sadar hospital, report UNB.

One electrocuted

in Dinajpur

Dinajpur, Aug 6 : An official of an insurance company was electrocuted at his home in Bara Gurgola area of the district town Tuesday. The deceased was identified as M Wajed Ali, 38, manager of the district branch of Takaful Insurance Company Limited and son of Haji Kafil Uddin of the area. Family sources said Wajed after returning home from his office suddenly came in contact with a snapped electric wire. He died on the way to local hospital, report UNB.