The New Nation - Internet Edition

Eid-ul-Fitr celebrated with much enthusiasm in northern districts

BSS, Rangpur

The greatest religious festival of the Muslims, Eid-ul-Fitr, was celebrated in Rangpur and other adjoining northern districts with great enthusiasms, due religious fervour, gaiety and solemnity and in a befitting manner.

The biggest Eid congregation was held at Rangpur Collectorate Eidgah Maidan where senior officials, leaders of political parties, elite of the city, professionals and journalists performed their Eid prayers.

The Police Administrations took adequate steps and members of Police, Ansar-VDP, RAB, volunteers and other law enforcers were deployed everywhere for tranquillity and peaceful celebrations of the festivity.

The other huge Eid congregations in Rangpur were held at Rangpur Police Line ground, Keramotia Mosque ground, Mulatol Madrasha ground, Munshipara Eidgah Math, Rangpur Zilla School ground, Dhap Mohammadpur Jame Mosque ground, Alamnagar Wakf Mosque, Kamal Kachna Baro Jam-e-Masjid, Sadar Hospital Jame Mosque ground, Shalbon Mistripara Koilash-ranajan Math, Alamnagar Wakf Mosque, Keramotia Madrasha ground, Kedarer Pull ground, Mirbag Ramchandrapur Jame Mosque, Nasirabad Ekramia Jame Mosque ground, Nachnia Jame Mosque, Damodarpur Baro Eidgah ground, Central Bus Terminal Jame Mosque and Mahiganj College ground. Bigger Eid Jamaats were also held in all other seven upazila headquarters, Badarganj Karamotia Chandamari Jame Mosque, Pirgacha Karbala Eidgah Maidan, Pirgacha JN High School ground, Pirgacha Ahle Hadith Mosque, Satdorgah Mosque, Parul Chechakandi Orphanage ground, Kishamat Bishu Manjai Eidgah Maidan, Alambiditor Paikan Baro Jame Mosque ground and at other places. Besides, Eid Jamaats in the pourasabhas and rural areas were held as per the locally chalked out schedules. Similar reports of Eid celebrations were received from adjoining Nilphamari, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Joypurhat, Bogra and Naogaon districts. The main Eid Jamaats were held at Gora Shaheed Maidan in Dinajpur, Pourashava ground in Panchagarh, Central Eidgah in Thakurgaon, Natun Shahar Kendriyo Eidgah ground in Kurigram, Central Eidgah ground at Nobaberhat in Lalmonirhat, Pourashava ground in Nilphamari, Stadium ground in Gaibandha, Collectorate Eidgah ground in Joypurhat, Sutrapur Central Eidgah in Bogra, Nawjawan ground in Naogaon.

Thousands of Muslims offered special Munajats seeking divine blessings and eternal peace for their departed souls of their dearer and nearer ones, continued peace, development, progress and prosperity of the country and Muslim Ummah and unity among them in all Eid congregations everywhere. National flag was hoisted atop all government and private buildings; mosques, streets, roadsides and major buildings were illuminated at night and decorated with colourful lightings and flags, banners bearing Islamic inscriptions. Special and improved diets were served among the inmates of different hospitals, jails, Shishu Paribars, orphanages and vagrant welfare centres in all of these northern districts, officials in the concerned administration told BSS.

Need for changing socio-economic condition of char people stressed

Our Correspondent, Gaibandha

The speakers at a function stressed the need for changing the socio-economic condition of the neglected char dwellers through involving themselves in different development and income generating activities.

"All kinds of existing facilities including health, education, sanitation, communication of the state should be ensured for the char people as they are the citizens of the country and have the rights to enjoy it like other people of the manland. They said this in an advocacy meeting with the pressmen working in different print and electronic media on the issue of socio-economic development of char dwellers at the hall room of Friendship regional office of the town here on Thursday.

In cooperation with Manusher Jonno Foundation, "Friendship" organised it under Rural Social Education Project.

Presided over by M Rafiquzzaman, Project coordinator of Friendship, the meeting was also addressed, among others, by project officer M. Jakir Hossain, area manager Anisur Rahman and the journalist M Mashiar Rahman Khan and Gobinda Lal Das.

Project Coordinator M. Rafiquzzaman briefed the meeting that Friendship has been working on different development issues in remote char areas of the district for six years aimed at development of the fates of char people.

Referring to the role of journalists in making a happy and prosperous society, he sought cooperation of all journalists and local Administration.

Heavy downpour inundates low-lying areas in Narail

Our Correspondent, Narail

Narail town and its surrounding low lying areas were inundated due to heavy downpour.

Working class people are confined to their respective houses as they have no work. The sufferings of the destitute and slum dwellers know no bounds.

Though the Aman cultivators are happy for heavy rainfall, the owners of fish 'ghers' and the cultivators of monsoon crops are very much disappointed.

The shopping for Eid and Durga Puja was hampered. District Training Officer of Agriculture Department Biplab Kumar Saha informed, the highest record of rainfall in Narail was recorded 75 mm so far.

17 get life imprisonment for murder in Barisal

Our Correspondent, Barisal

A trial court in Barisal on September 29 last afternoon awarded 17 accused to life term imprisonment and fined each Tk.25 thousand or ordered to suffer more one years imprisonment in default.

The convicted 17 accused were Kabir Bepari,Poltu Bepari,Nuru Bepari, Bellal Sardar,Kalam Saradar,Saidul Howladar,Faruk Bepari, Atahar Bepari,Sabuj Bepari, Sohel Bepari,Anis Bepari, Mahtab Bepari,Yunus Matubbar, Bishai Kha,Swapan Kha,Harun and Tota Mia.

Md. Shahidullah, district and session judge of Barisal, handed down this verdict in presence of the first six accused after examining 13 out of 23 witnesses and other evidences in a crowded court room.

After announcing the verdict the handcuffed convicts present in the court room physically assaulted Md. Selim, a witness of the case and brother of the complainant in presence of police.

Prosecution story in brief was Shahbuddin Bepari, a trawler owner and driver of Char Bahadurpur village under Muladi upazila of Barisal district was an informer of police and through his initiatives police able to arrest Fakhrul Alam, a notorious terror and fugitive convicted to double life term.

Later the accused and associates of Fakhrul ambushed Shahabuddin and chopped him to death on his way to home from the trawler ghat at about 4:00 pm November 22, 2005.

Ayesha Khatun, wife of the victim, lodged a murder case against the accused with Muladi police station on the same day.

Sub Inspector Aziz Lascar after investigation submittedcharge sheet against the accused on April 10, 2006.

News briefs

Firearms seized

CHITTAGONG, Oct 5: Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-7 recovered five firearms from Hossain Ahmed Bari area under Moheshkhali Upazila in Cox's bazaar district on Friday night. Being informed, a team of the RAB raided the area and recovered one .303 rifle, three Single Barrel guns and one LG gun in an abandoned state. None was arrested in this connection, reports UNB.

Dacoit beaten to death in Rangpur

RANGPUR, Oct 5: A dacoit of a gang was beaten to death and another seriously injured while they were committing a dacoity in a night coach at Aloakuri Mour Thursday morning, police said. A band of eight to 10 armed dacoits stopped a Dimla-bound night coach of Anita Enterprise from Dhaka by putting a barricade at a point on the Dhaka-Panchagarh highway under Sadar Upazila in Rangpur at 4.15 a.m. After forcing their way into the coach, the dacoits beat the passengers mercilessly, snatched money, mobile phone sets and valuables, reports UNB.

Housewife electrocuted in Chittagong

CHITTAGONG, Oct 5: A housewife was electrocuted at Sabujbagh of Halishahor thana in the city in members, police said. The victim was identified as Shaheda Khatun, 25, wife of Mohammad Shajahan of Sabujbagh under Halishahar thana. Police said Shaheda died on the spot as she came in contact with a live electric wire at her house. An unnatural death (UD) case was lodged with Halishahar police, reports UNB.

Clothes distributed in Jmalpur

JAMALPUR, Oct 5: Jamalpur Thana Police distributed clothes among the poor people on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, on the thana premises last Monday. Police Super Khandaker Golam Faruk distributed sarees and lungis among the poor people. The clothes were purchased

Newly married housewife commits suicide in Pirganj

RANGPUR, Oct 5: A newly married housewife allegedly committed suicide by taking poison at her father's house in village Baro Majidpur under Pirganj upazila in the district on Thursday night. Quoting local people, police said, Piyari Begum, 20, of the village was married with one Mizanur Rahman of nearby Babonpur village against her will some eight months ago and she had been refusing to go to her in-law's house since the marriage. Being pressurised by her parents to go to her husband's house, Piyari Begum took poison at home on Thursday night and died soon after, reports UNB.

2 killed in separate incidents in Ctg

CHITTAGONG, Oct 5: Two children were killed in separate incidents in the district on Monday, Police said. Reshmi Akter, 12, a maid of Didarul Alam, was injured falling from the roof of a four-storey building owned by Alam at Khulshi in the city on Friday morning. Alam brought her to Chittagong Medical College Hospital where doctors declared her dead. In another incident, Rubi Akter, 10, of Madambibir Hat area under Sitakundu Upazila in the district, was critically injured when a passenger bus knocked her down near their house in the afternoon. Locals brought her to Al Amin Hospital Pvt. Limited, where she died after admission, reports UNB.