The New Nation - Internet Edition

'Reject corrupts, war criminals in elections'

Staff Reporter

Eighteen prominent citizens including former vice chancellors of different universities yesterday urged the people to vote for pro-liberation forces to achieve the objectives and values of the independence war.

In a statement they called upon the voters to reject corrupt politicians, war criminals and patrons of religious extremism.

They said the objectives of liberation war have not been realized even after 27 years of independence. Anti-liberation and undemocratic forces, corrupt elements and war criminals have hampered the progress of the country.

Signatories to the statement are National Professor Kabir Chowdhury, Prof Khan Sarwar Murshid, Prof Salah Uddin Ahmed, Prof Mostafa Nurul Islam, Prof Zillur Rahman Siddiqi, Prof Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, Prof AK Azad Chowdhury, Prof Momtaj Uddin Ahmed, Prof Amirul Islam Chowdhury, Prof SA Khaleq, Prof Saidur Rahman, Prof Abul Bayes, Prof Abdul Mannan, Prof Amanullah Ahmed, Prof Shahidul Islam, Prof Borhan Uddin Khan Jahangir, Prof Shamsuzzaman Khan and Prof Sayed Badrul Hossain.

5 NGOs permitted to work as poll observers

BSS, Narayanganj

The District Election Commission office has permitted five Non-Government Organisations (NGO) to work as election observers in five constituencies of the district during the December 29 parliamentary polls.

The NGOs are Manobadhikar Sahajya Sangstha (MSS), Jani Pop, BAMAK, Nari Udyog, and Odhikar. MSS alone will engage 3,243 members of its election observer teams in 544 polling centres, officials told BSS here on Thursday.

Other four NGOs will engage mobile teams as well as election observers in all the polling centres of the district, they said.

Kibria murder: CID seizes trunk in which grenade kept

BSS, Habiganj

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Police has seized a trunk in which the grenade that killed former Finance Minister SAMS Kibria was kept in 2005.

Acting on a confessional statement of an accused in the Kibria murder case, Mizan, the CID brought the trunk from his residence at Chowdhury Bazar in the city on Wednesday night.

Mizan, who is now on remand, said he had collected the grenade from Sylhet a day before the attack on Kibria on January 27, 2005, at Baidyer Bazar in Habiganj. He hid the grenade in the trunk at night and carried it to the spot the next day with his accomplices by motorbike.

Police said they also seized a diary, religious books and leaflets from the trunk.

Prisoner escapes from DMCH

UNB, Dhaka

A prisoner escaped from Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) yesterday leading to the suspension of two jail guards.

Sabdul Miah alias Faruk, 35, who was undergoing treatment at ward No. 22 of the DMCH, slipped out from its toilet at about 2pm breaking open its ventilator.

The two guards-Zakir and Iqbal-were on duty in front of the toilet gate but the prisoner managed to flee as no rope was tied with him from outside as per jail rules.

Later, jail authorities suspended the two guards.

Faruk was arrested from Jatrabari area on December 5 on charge of possessing illicit drugs and sent to Dhaka Central Jail. He was taken to the DMCH Wednesday as he fell sick.

Meanwhile, security at the DMCH prison cells has been beefed up following the incident.

Prisoner flee police custody

Staff Reporter

A prisoner fled police custody from the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) yesterday.

Source said, the prisoner Sabdul Mia Faruq son of Doulat Mia of Langol Khola in Comilla was admitted to Ward 22 at DMCH for treatment. He took permission to go to the toilet from his guards, Iqbal and Zakir.

Sabdul entered the toilet but did not come out for a long time. Being suspicious the guards broke open the toilet door to find that he fled from there by breaking open the window grilles.

DIG Prison Maj Samsul Haidar Siddique told the New Nation that investigation was on into the incident.

Close associates of terrorist Rojan held with arms

Staff Reporter

The Detective Branch (DB) of Police arrested three people, the close associates of top terrorist Rojan, with twelve rounds of bullet and one-shot gun from South Jatrabari areas yesterday.

On information, DB police raided the South Jatrabari areas and arrested Biplob and Shah.

They said during interrogation that they kept the weapon with terrorist Mintu. DB police arrested terrorist Mintu from Jatrabari and found six rounds of bullet and one foreign pistol from one place and six rounds of bullet and one foreign revolver from a plastic bag in the same room.

A case was filed with Jatrabari police station in this connection.

Two killed in Sirajganj road accident

UNB, Sirajganj

Two persons were killed and three others injured in a road accident at Harinchhara village in Tarash upazila yesterday.

Police said the accident took place at noon as a Rajshahi-bound truck from Enayetpur here skidded off Hatikumrul-Banpara highway and plunged into a ditch as its driver lost control over the steering.

An unidentified truck helper and another man, Ramzan, 35, of Khupni village in Enayetpur Sharif thana here, traveling on the truck died on the spot and three others abroad the vehicle were injured in the accident.

The injured were admitted to Sadar hospital.

A case was filed.

Ershad accuses: AL candidate of 'betrayal'

Bdnews24.com, Gaibandha

Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad has accused Awami League candidate for Gaibandha-5, Fazle Rabbi, of betraying the 'grand alliance'.

He said the alliance, which JP is part of, had endorsed JP presidium member Rowshan Ershad, but Rabbi was campaigning ignoring the decision of the alliance.

"I made him state minister while I was in power. But he betrayed me and joined Awami League and is now betraying with the grand alliance," the former president said yesterday at a public rally at Kalir Bazar under Fulchhari Upazila in the district.

Rabbi, when reached by bdnews24.com, said he had not betrayed the AL-led alliance. "The party has nominated me as a candidate and I will run elections," he said.

Rabbi was a lawmaker for Gaibandha-5 for three times from 1988 to 1996 and a minister in Ershad's unelected cabinet. He joined AL before 2001 election.

Rowshan, Ershad's wife, was elected lawmaker in 2001 from the constituency.

Ershad introduced Rowshan to the public and urged them to vote for plough, the JP's polls symbol to elect her.

The JP chairman also asked Rabbi to step aside from the race.

Ershad pledged if the alliance won they Dec. 29 polls, it would take permanent measure to save Fulchhari Upazila from the erosion of the river Jamuna.

It would also create employment for the impoverished people of the char lands, he added.

Noor Ali begs pardon for suing Hasina

UNB, Nawabganj

Business-tycoon Noor Ali, who had implicated former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a Tk 5-crore extortion case amid the recent purge, yesterday publicly begged pardon for his 'unwilling' act.

"If you felt hurt for my deed, I'm very sorry for that and I beg your mercy," he told an election meeting at the local pilot high school ground where Hasina was the chief speaker.

He came out as the third business bigwig to eat humble pie after suing the ex-PM and Awami League chief after the military-backed 1/11 changeover.

In the meantime, Azam J Chowdhury and Tajul Islam Farooq have retracted through applying for withdrawal of their extortion cases against her following the change of wind.

Introducing grand alliance candidate advocate Abdul Mannan Khan, who is contesting December 29 parliament elections from Dhaka-1 constituency, as his elder brother, Noor Ali made a commitment to get him elected.

He said in the past, Awami League government had done a lot for the development of the Nawabganj-Dohar constituency although no candidates with Awami League ticket were elected from the area.

On November 5, Sheikh Hasina was cleared of an extortion charge brought in the case of Noor Ali as police in final report submitted to the CMM court here found mistake of facts in the case after thorough investigation.

The case was filed with the Tejgaon police station on June 13 last year when a crackdown on the political arena was on steam after the January 11, 2007 changeover following a crisis over election issues that threw Hasina and many other top politicians behind bars.

Noor Ali, managing director of Unique Group of Companies, in his case had also accused Hasina's cousin Sheikh Helal and his wife Rupa Chowdhury of taking kickbacks from a power project.

Int'l statistical sciences confce begins today

UNB, Dhaka

A two-day international conference on statistical sciences will begin here at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre today(Friday).

The theme of the conference is 'Recent development in statistical sciences.'

Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed will inaugurate the opening ceremony as chief guest at about 9:30 am organized by North South University (NSU), Bangladesh. NSU Vice Chancellor Dr Hafiz GA Saddiqi will chair the session.

The closing ceremony of the conference will be held at Hotel Sarina on Saturday. Chairman of the University Grants Commission Prof Nazrul Islam will be present on the occasion as chief guest.

Participants, including researchers and academics as well as representatives from business, industry, government and non-government bodies from home and abroad are expected to attend the conference, said a press release.

This is the first time such an international conference is going to be held in Bangladesh with the participation from almost all the public and private universities of Bangladesh as well as USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, Kuwait, Iran, Indonesia, Libya, Malaysia, China, Singapore, Japan, Pakistan and India.

Lalmonirhat UNO stand released

UNB, Lalmonirhat

Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and assistant returning officer of Sadar upazila was stand released yesterday on charge of political bias in election activities.

UNO K M Ali Newajesh was stand released and made OSD following an allegation by grand alliance candidate of sadar constituency G M Qader.

Assistant Commissioner of Barisal Md Rajamiah has been given the charge of the upazila.

Deputy Commissioner M Alauddin Fakir confirmed the incident.

15 hurt in attack on AL's election procession

UNB, Rajshahi

At least 15 people, including women, were injured as an election procession brought out by Awami League activists came under attack at Aradighi village in Tanore upazila Wednesday.

Local sources said BNP activists swooped on the procession, led by Talanda union parishad chairman Abul Kashem, as it was passing by the election office of a BNP candidate at about 7pm.

On information, police rushed in and brought the situation under control.

BNP activists attacked the procession, which was brought out in support of AL candidate Omar Faruque Chowdhury, on charge of tearing their party candidate Dr Enamul Haque's posters by AL activists.

Three of the injured - Habibur Rahman, 35, Shahjadi, 45, and Fatema Bibi, 45 -- were admitted to local health complex in critical condition.

A case was filed against 12 people with local thana in connection with the attack.

5 live cocktails recovered in Pangsha

UNB, Rajbari

Five live cocktails were recovered at Jagir Bagli village in Pangsha upazila late Wednesday night.

Acting on a tip-off, police raided a house, owned by Jafar Biswas, and recovered the cocktails, which were kept inside a stack of paddy.

Pangsha thana Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mahbubur Rahman said police began investigation on who brought the cocktails and kept these there.

2 militants given 16 remand in Comilla

UNB, Comilla

Two militants held in Debidwar with homemade grenades and explosives were yesterday given to 16-day police remand for further interrogation.

Filed two separate cases against Ayub Ansari Masud and Nayeem, police prosecuted them to the Judicial Magistrate court in the afternoon and sought for 10-day remand in each case. The court granted 8 days in each case.

On secret information, RAB raided Barokamta and Nabiabad village in Devidwar upazila and held the militants with five grenades and 15kg explosives on Tuesday. The militants also attacked the RAB team with grenade that missed the target.