 
|
Postmortem of 'crossfire’: IGP, RAB DG say their members act in self-defence Syful Islam
Extra judicial killings by the members of different law enforcing agencies have increased creating concern among civil society members and human rights organisations, which have termed it 'gross violation' of human rights.
A total of 28 people were reportedly killed in shootouts with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Police and Joint Forces during the January-May period raising strong criticism against unlawful killings.
The Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) reported the number of illegitimate killings between January and May 21 at 108, which includes death of 80 people by the paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles in the February mutiny.  |
People remain water-logged after 5 days of deluge: Diarrhoea breaks out in storm-hit areas
Staff Reporter
Diarrhoea has broken out in the cyclone Aila-hit coastal areas of Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Bhola and Hatiya for lack of safe drinking water.
At least four people have been reported to have died of diarrhoea in the cyclone affected district of Satkhira alone yesterday, according to local officials.
The dead were identified as Abdul Wahab of Mirganj village in Shymnagar upazila, his son Khokan, and Wasek Ali and Mostafa Kazi of Protabnagar village in Ashashuni upazila.
Medical teams working in cyclone hit areas fear an outbreak of waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea and typhoid from a lack of clean drinking water. |
Crackdown on mafia dons, arms traders
Mamunur Rashid
Detective Branch (DB) of police yesterday launched a drive for hunting down members of mafia gang and arms traders having link with the international mafia don Dawood Ibrahim.
The drive follows the arrest of Abdul Rauf Dawood Merchant, a close associate of Dawood Ibrahim, from a hideout in Brahmanbaria on Thursday.
Brahmanbaria DB police arrested Merchant, the convicted killer of Indian music magnate and Bollywood producer Gulshan Kumar, from his hideout in Brahmanbaria town. Police also arrested two Bangladeshi nationals Jakir alias Raja and Kamal Mian for sheltering Merchant. |
Zia's anniversary of death today
Staff Reporter
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is going to observe 28 th death anniversary of shaheed president Ziaur Rahman, founder of the party today in a befitting manner.
To mark the day a discussion, doa mafil, feeding of destitute have been calked out.
BNP chairperson and leader of the opposition Begum Khaleda Zia along with party leaders and activists would place floral wreath at the Mazar of shaheed president Zia at Sher-e- Bangla Nagar in the city this morning.
She will distribute food among the destitute at different wards in the capital. |
BNP rejects BDR probe report: All-party JS probe body demanded
Staff Reporter
Dismissing the report of the government probe committee on the BDR carnage, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) yesterday demanded of the government to make public the army investigation report by arranging camera session in parliament.
Terming the government probe reports 'a joke' it also called upon the government to form an all-party parliamentary probe committee into the February 25-26 mutiny by the paramilitary forces at Peelkhana BDR headquarter in the capital. |
Cry for water, food in Aila-hit areas
UNB, Dhaka
In the aftermath of cyclone Aila, thousands of villagers in Bagerhat, Satkhira, Khulna, Bhola and Noakhali now cry for food and drinking water for survival, as relief operations are insufficient to deal with the enormity of the situation.
People, living in remote areas, are the worst-sufferers, as relief materials could not reach them even after four days of the cyclone Aila that smashed the coastal belt on Monday (May 25), UNB correspondents report after visiting different affected places.
In some places, people are forced to drink polluted water to quench their thirst. |
Market review: Summer fruits, vegetable prices still dear
Talha Bin Habib
Prices of some vegetables and summer fruits are still high, and there have been no significant changes in the prices of rice with some other major essentials in the city's kitchen markets.
Though the rice price has come down slightly it brought no respite for the people of limited income bracket because of high prices of some vegetables, fish and eggs.
Short supply of vegetables due to recent rains has pushed up it price, sellers claimed.
On the other hand different varieties of seasonal fruits have glutted the city's markets but their prices are high, depriving the commoners of getting the 'taste of juicy summer fruits', market sources said. |
Rickshaw ban brings no solution: Roadside car parking, Capricious driving cause congestion
Mahbubur Rahman Khan
Rickshaw is not primarily responsible for traffic jam rather capricious car parking and haphazard driving of automobiles are responsible for traffic congestion.
Rickshaw occupies lesser space compared to other mechanised vehicles and imposition of ban on rickshaw movement on some roads of the capital city could not increase the capacity of the roads either. Moreover, restriction on rickshaw movement affects the earnings of the roadside hawkers adversely.
Private car owners use street as parking lot occupying more than ten feet of a road through which two rickshaws can move easily. |
Commentary: Torture for collecting evidence not helpful - should be dropped
Article 31 of Bangladesh Constitution guarantees the right to life, liberty and physical safety of people. It says, "tno action detrimental to the life, liberty, body, reputation or property of any person shall be taken except in accordance with law." But the Guardian newspaper, London, has reported on assault, unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and breaches of human rights of a British National and his alleged ill-treatment while detained in Bangladesh.
British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith faces legal action on charges of MI-5 agents colluding in the torture of a former British civil servant by Bangladeshi intelligence officers to get forced confession. |
|
|
Internet Edition. May 30, 2009, Updated: Bangladesh Time 12:00 AM 
