The New Nation - Internet Edition

Mass awareness against dowry, child marriage underscored

BSS. Shibganj

Marriage Registrars at a rally here have stressed the need for creating awareness against dowry, child marriage and repression on women and children for building a better society.

Shibganj Upazila Marriage Registrars' Society (SUMRS) organised the rally for the marriage registrars of the upazila at Shibganj Thana premises in Bogra district under Shibganj upazila town on Thursday.

Marriage registrars from allover the upazila and members of the Change Makers' Group, adolescents, officials, students, teachers, guardians, public representatives, village headmen, socio-cultural activists, religious leaders, and NGO activists, took part. Chaired by President of SUMRS Hafez Ruhul Amin Bulbul, the rally was attended and addressed buy Officer-in-Charge of Shibganj Thana Zahidul Islam Zahid as the chief guest. Upazila Women Affairs Officer Ms Sultana Begum, marriage registrars Masudur Rahman Chowdhury, Monayem Khan, Abdul Mazid, Shahidul Islam, Mahfuzur Rahman, Ashraf Ali, Harunur Rashid, Sub-Inspector Masudur Rahman and Mizanur Rahman, addressed. The rally was addressed, among others, by teachers, students, socio-cultural activists and leaders of the women community of the area.

The speaker marriage registrars elaborately discussed various reasons and superstitions behind these social curses that engulfed the whole society, especially the poorer section and backward people for decades creating unrest in family lives and the society.

They asked for eradicating these social curses once for all though creating mass public awareness and mentioned that dowry and child marriages are still being noticed mostly in remote villages, poverty-prone areas and also in the urban society.

Many housewives are still being murdered for dowry at premature age, many others meet deaths during deliveries for early age marriages and hundreds of women are being victimized by huge scale domestic violence, they added.

Child marriage, dowry and repressions on women and children are still a real threat to peace in the society and are destroying social and family peace and harmony and increasing maternal mortalities, they said.

BAF recruits' passing out parade held

Shamshernagar (Moulvibazar): The passing out parade of 36th batch of recruits of the Bangladesh Air Force was held here at the Recruits Training School at Moulivibazar on Thursday.

Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal SM Ziaur Rahman reviewed the spectacular parad and took salute at the impressive march past. He also distributed certificates and awards among the outstanding recruits..

Speaking to the recruits on the occasion Chief of Air Staff said, "Besides, receiving different training in order to discharge duties properly imposed on them in Bangladesh Air Force, the recruits must achieve the traits of honesty, uprightness, dutifulness and patriotism." Air Marshal Ziaur Rahman hoped that these new airmen would become world class airmen acquiring professional knowledge and efficiency. He called upon them to remain prepared for supreme sacrifice if necessary to safeguard the independence and sovereignty of the beloved motherland, says a ISPR press release.

AC-2 Md Hedaet Uddin was adjudged the best recruit among the passed out airmen for his all-round performance. He was also adjudged the best recruit' in Academics. AC-2 Abir Ahmed was adjudged the best recruit in General Service Training. He also commanded the smartly turned out parade. A total of 476 recruits have been inducted in Bangladesh Air Force today through this parade.

Among others senior officers of Army, Air Force and guardians of the recruits witnessed the parade.

Earlier, on his arrival at the parade ground the Chief of Air Staff was received by Air Officer Commanding of BAF Base Kurmitola Air Commodore Masihuzzaman Serniabat. Later Chief of Air Staff inaugurated the newly built RTS Complex unveiling the plaque.

Tk 25 lakh banned milk powder seized in Barisal

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Ten teams of Barisal Metropolitan Police in a combing operation raided different wholesale and retail markets to seize banned milk powder on Tuesday night.

The operation started from 8:00 pm and ended on Wednesday early hours in Barisal city, said Hayatul Islam, assistant commissioner of BMP.

Police teams raiding different whole sale and retail markets at Chawk Bazaar, Bazaar Road, Hatkhola, Line Road and other parts of the city seized milk powders worth Tk.25 lakhs from those markets.

Khan Sayed Hassan, deputy inspector general of Barisal range police said that similar operations conducted at Uzirpur upazila of Barisal, Bamna upazila of Barguna, Borhanuddin of Bhola districts by mobile courts.

Rabindra Nath Dutta, UNO of Uzirpur leading the mobile court recovering ten kilo milk powder fined Tk.3 thousand from Ichhladi, Shikarpur,Joyosri and Uzirpur Bazaar.

Md. Azad Sallal, UNO of Bamna, leading the mobile court at Hospital Road and Sadar Road areas of the upazila town seized huge amount of milk powder and destroyed by burning on Tuesday night.

Nasiruddin, UNO in charge of Borhanuddin, leading the mobile court at Municipal and Ekota Borhanganj Markets to recover banned milk powders on Tuesday night.

However the court failed to seize any milk powder, but fined Tk.1800 for in hygienic conditions in the shops and restaurants, during the operation on the same night.

21 shops fined for selling melamine tainted powder milk in Kishoreganj

Staff Reporter, Kishoregnaj

In a drive in the Kishoregnaj town on Tuesday evening and Wednesday a mobile court fined 21 shops Tk 157,500 (one lakh fifty-seven thousand and five hundred) for selling and displaying the alleged melamine-contaminated eight bands of powdermilk.

District Administration with the help of BSTI, police and Kishoregnaj Pourashava conducted the drive at Bara-Bazar, Puran thana, Gouranga Bazar, Rothkhola Kachnibazar, Station road, Kharamputti and Nagua following the High Court's order asking the shop owners not to sell or display those items until receipt of the test result from FAO's laboratory in Bangkok. The eight brands of powder milk are Sweetbaby, Yusity, Yasily Nodo, Fortified Instant, Anlim, Diploma, Red Cow and Dano of Denmark.

The team, was led by Sadar UNO Noor-e-Alan Siddique and 1st Class Magistrate Abdul Kalam Azad. However, Ershadullah, Proprietor of Shagandha Departmental Store said they were not selling or displaying the 8 brands of milk powder.

College student killed in Sylhet road mishap

UNB, Sylhet

A college student was killed when she fell down from a motorbike at Darbast on Sylhet-Tamabil highway in Jaflong on Wednesday.

The decease was identified as Munmun Rahi Mishi, 20, daughter of Jalaluddin of Moulvibazar district and a student of Sylhet Government Women's College.

Police said Mishi went to visit Jaflong with her friend Ibrahim by a motorbike. She fell down from the speeding motorbike while returning home.

She was rushed to Jaintapur Upazila Health complex where the attending doctor declared her dead. Police arrested Ibrahim, 24, son of Haji Asaddar Ali of Moulvibazar and seized his bike.

Police official sent to jail for giving false deposition in Kushtia

UNB, Kushtia

A former officer-in-charge of Joint Forces, Mahendrapur camp, was sent to jail for giving false deposition in a court here on Wednesday. Judge of Special Tribunal-5 Abul Hossain Khondakar sent Abdul Wahab Mollah to jail when he appeared in the court and gave false deposition in favour of an accused of a case.

Abdul Wahab Mollah arrested a man along with fake currency notes when he was in-charge of the Mahendrapur camp in Kumarkhali upazila in 2006 and filed a case against him.

The former OC, who is now posted to Range Reserve Forces of Khulna, came to the court on Wednesday for giving formal statement in the case which was proved false.

Permanent release of Sheikh Hasina demanded

Our Correspondent, Mymensingh

A meeting demanding permanent release of Sheikh Hasina and withdrawal of state emergency was held at District AL office recently. Alhaj Principal Matiur Rahman Patwary President district AL president over the meeting. It was organised by District Awami League. Sadeq Khan Milke Taju, Swapan Sarkar and other leaders of the AL and its front organisation spoke in the meeting.

Kali Puja Observed in Narail

Our correspondent, Narail

Kali Puja, one of the greatest religious festivals of Hindu community was observed in Narail with festivity and religious fervour .

On Tuesday night Kali Puja, the two days festival began. The devotees recited hymns and offered flowers seeking blessing of Kali, the goddess of strength and vigour.

On Wednesday afternoon, puja fair held in different places of the district. Thousands of people irrespective of caste and creed joined these fairs. On the night the festival ended with the immersion of the idols into the rivers. In Narail district Kali puja observed in some five hundred temples.

The chief executive of zila parisad Swapan Kumar Roy and other officials of police and civil administration visited the puja mandops.

3 snatchers held, valuables recovered

A Correspondent, Munshiganj

Sirajdikhan police of Munshiganj district on Thursday arrested three snatchers along within gold and silver ornaments and cash money which had been snatched away by them with 12 hours of the occurrence held.

Police arrested them from Kanchpur village under Sirajdikhan upazila at 6am on Thursday.

Police recovered nine tolas of gold,nine tolas of silver and cash money taka 1500 from their possession.

Police said a daring mugging was held on 28 October at 6pm at Tazpur road of the said upazila when the owner of 'Ma' Jewellery Pradip Chandra was returning home from his shop.

The mugging group comprising of seven managed to snatch away 10 tolas of gold and 10 tolas of silver from the owner's possession.

He informed the matter to the police and police following by the complaint made a drive against them. The arrested muggers are Shohag ,24 Mamun, 25 and Mostofa,27.

A case was filed with Sirajdikhan thana in this connection.

News Briefs

Phensidyl seized in B'baria

Brahmanbaria, Oct 30 :BDR jawans arrested a man along with 773 bottles of phensidyl syrup at Suhilpur in Sadar upazila on Thursday morning. Acting on a tip off, a patrol team of 1 Rifles Battalion intercepted a Dhaka-bound microbus at Suhilpur and recovered the drugs searching the vehicle.The phensidyl was being smuggled to Dhaka from Suyagazibazar of Comilla, BDR sources said. Police arrested microbus driver Sujit Barua, 30, in this connection. A case was filed, report UNB.

Indian sari seized in Naogaon

Naogaon, Oct 30 : A taskforce seized Indian sari worth Tk 30 lakh from different shops in the town here Wednesday. The taskforce was formed comprising first class Magistrate M Jahurul Haque and Commander of 46 Rifles Battalion Major Mir Ali Ashraf on Tuesday night. During the drive they raided many big shops of the town and seized 1,300 pieces smuggled Indian sari. The seized sari would be sent to the Chief Adviser's relief fund, officials here said, report UNB.

Five sentenced to life for killing in Natore

Natore, Oct 30 : A court here on Wednesday sentenced five people to life-term imprisonment in a murder case. The court also fined the convicts Khalek, Asad, Abed Ali, Ainal and Yahia Tk 10,000 each, in default, to suffer two years RI more. Of the convicts, Abed Ali was tried in absentia while the rests were present in the dock when the judge pronounced the judgment. According to the prosecution, the convicts hacked Alauddin to death at Pashchim Padnagar in Naldanga upazila on May 15, 1995 following a previous enmity. Victim's brother Abdul Karim filed a case against six people. After examining the records and witnesses, District and Sessions Judge Abdus Samad pronounced the verdict acquitting another accused, report UNB.