A court here On Wednesday (22 November) scrapped BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's bail plea in a vandalism case lodged over attack on the official residence of the chief justice (CJ) during BNP's grand rally in the city's Nayapaltan area on October 28. Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court's acting judge Foysal Atiq Bin Kader passed the order after holding a hearing regarding the matter. On October 28, a chaos broke out as BNP leaders and workers entered into a clash with police at city's Nayapaltana and surrounding areas during BNP's grand rally. Amid the clash, BNP men allegedly attacked the residence of the chief justice and broke one of its gates and damaged its nameplate.  Police filed the case with Ramna Police Station against 59 leaders and activists of BNP, including its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee member Mirza Abbas, vice-chairmen Barkat Ullah Bulu, Abdul Awal Mintoo and Shamsuzzaman Dudu. Fakhrul was arrested from his Gulshan residence the next day by Detective Branch (DB) of police and sent to jail. A bail plea was filed with Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court on November 2. Source : BSS

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (Sunday) told the parliament that her government wouldn’t tolerate non-Islamic activities like arson attacks and vandalism in the name of Islam and vowed to take legal actions against those involved in such activities. “I can only tell that legal action will be taken against those responsible for such misdeeds,” said the Leader of the House while delivering valedictory speech in the twelfth session of the 11th parliament that was prorogued today after three working days amid a massive surge in the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mentioning that the Hefajat started mayhem when the nation was set to celebrate the golden jubilee of the country’s independence from March 17 to 26, she said, “Did Hefajat do it alone? The BNP-Jamaat alliance is behind it.” The Prime Minister said it is sure that all the Hefajat men were not involved in the mayhem. Hefajat men spread a rumour relating to killing of people in the Baitul Mukarram Mosque on March 26 and conducted destruction from March 26 to March 31, she added. The premier said BNP and Jamaat gave separate messages supporting the Hefajat on March 27 and 28 which is part of the conspiracy against the state. After calling hartal, the Hefajat, without any provocation, had carried out vandalism across the country, attacking Awami League (AL) offices, houses of AL leaders and activists and government offices. Mentioning that Hefajat men even damaged the holy Quran, Sheikh Hasina questioned what kind of ‘Muslim’ they are. The Prime Minister said the BNP and Jamaat have no political ideology as they supported Hefajat in protest against the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the golden jubilee celebration of independence but they welcomed Modi when he reached Bangladesh. The Hefajat has been conducting destruction in the name of Islam while the BNP and Jamaat are giving them patronage. Referring to Hefajat’s joint secretary general Mamunul Haque’s stay with a woman at a private resort at Sonargaon in Narayanganj (on Saturday), she said that he went to a resort with a woman for entertainment after conducting the mayhem. She added that the Hefajat leader first introduced the woman with whom he was held as his wife and later he told his real wife (over phone that was leaked last night) that he had to introduce the woman as wife due to the situation arose at that time. She called upon the Hefajat men to realize what kind of leadership they have. Describing the Islam as a religion of peace, stability and development, the Prime Minister said that words like militancy, terrorism and adultery have been added to the Islam due to misdeeds of some people. She said such kind of activities wouldn’t be acceptable in any way and her government would not tolerate anything which will lead to the destruction of Islam, the best religion of the world. The premier, however, called upon the countrymen to have patience, saying, “I will say to the countrymen to have patience. We have to have patience.” The people of the country will in no way accept non-Islamic activities in the name of Islam, she added. She stated that as many as 116 countries, including the USA, the UK, France, Canada, and Russia, and 33 international organizations, including OIC (Organisation of Islamic Conference) and the UN (United Nations), gave felicitation messages marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and golden jubilee of the country’s independence. The Prime Minister described pouring messages in large numbers from abroad as a matter of pride for the countrymen. A group of people could not be happy with this, she said and questioned, “Why? Require collective fight against coronavirus: Regarding the fresh surge of the Covid-19, the Prime Minister called upon all to come forward to stop further spread of the coronavirus as its second wave has hit the country with more strength. “The second wave of coronavirus is becoming more dangerous across the globe -the infection and fatality rate of the virus has shown a sudden surge from March 29 to 31 and since then it is on the rising trend,” she said. Noting that she had just signed the file to impose the week-long lockdown aimed at making sure protection of all, the premier said that she knows everyone will face a little trouble due to the shutdown. She added: “But even then I will say that life is big, life comes before everything.” So, the premier said, all have to follow the health protocol, wear facemasks and maintain social distancing and stop all sorts of social gatherings such as marriage ceremonies. She asked the authorities concerned to confirm quarantine of the home returnees from different countries. The Prime Minister requested all concerned to take special care of the children and the youths as the Covid-19 infection rate is much higher among them although the elderly people were seen infected with the virus in the first wave. She said that they have to stop the tourist spots to check the sudden surge in the Covid-19 cases. Sheikh Hasina, the Leader of the House, said that the 12th session of the 11th parliament had been prorogued due to the second surge of the coronavirus. Mentioning that a number of lawmakers have died of coronavirus, she expressed profound shock and sorrow at the deaths of the people in the Covid-19 pandemic. The Prime Minister said the vaccination against the Covid-19 would be continued, adding her government has already brought vaccine to the country and is making efforts to purchase more. She reiterated her call to the countrymen to bring each inch of land under cultivation to face possible shortage of foods due to the pandemic. The premier expressed shock and sorrow at the death of sitting lawmaker Aslamul Haque. Development works to be continued: The Prime Minister said that development works would be continued despite the fact the coronavirus has somehow affected the development spree. She said her government has been working to make Bangladesh self-reliant in every sector. She referred to the innovation of a new variety of onion after conducting research. This will help deal with the crisis the country faces sometimes for onion and will dispel the dependency on foreign countries for the kitchen item. The Prime Minister said that her government is also conducting research to find a way to face the crisis of edible oil. She reiterated her vow to make Bangladesh a developed and prosperous country by 2041, saying that her government has already fulfilled a pledge by making the country a middle-income one. The Prime Minister said that the success has come as they run the state being imbued with the spirit of the Liberation War and following the footprints of the Father of the Nation. She thanked the countrymen as they voted the Awami League to power and gave the scope to run the state time and again. The premier said that they have adopted a Delta Plan to give the country a guideline how it will be run towards development. Source: BSS AH

The workers and supporters of nomination deprived leaders for eleventh national parliament election have locked the main gate of BNP Chairperson’s political office at Gulshan in the capital. At one stage of demonstration the activists-supporters threw brick chips targeting the office. At that time they were asked to be calm through mike. The workers-supporters of Chandpur-1 constituency candidate ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon, Gopalganj-1 constituency candidate Selimuzzaman Selim and Manikganj-1 constituency candidate Tozammel Haque Toza gathered in front of Gulshan office after 5:30 pm and began to demonstrate. They chanted slogans seeking nomination for the deprived leaders. About five to six hundred leaders and activists gathered there. They said that they would stay in front of the office until nomination is ensured. Some of them were seen lying on the road in front of the BNP Gulshan office. Earlier in the noon BNP Nayapaltan central office was locked by angry workers and supporters. The supporters of former state minister for education ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon and his wife Nazmun Nahar Baby locked the office as they were not given the nomination. The supporters of Milon locked the main gate of Nayapaltan central office after 12 pm and staged demonstration there. Kachua upazila BNP general secretary Kahirul Abedin Swapan led them. AH         

A London Magistrate Court has awarded punishment to United Kingdom Sechchasebak Dal president Nasir Ahmed Shahin for vandalism at the Bangladesh High Commission in London. District Judge of the London Magistrate Court delivered the verdict on Wednesday fining Shahin 1020 pounds. The court also rejected the appeal of innocence terming Shahin’s activities as criminal offense. The information came through a press release sent from the press wing of Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday. Besides, another verdict will be given on November 8 in a case filed against UK BNP president MA Malik in the Hendon Magistrate Court. Earlier, on October 16 at a bench of three magistrates in the same court the trial began in presence of First Secretary of Bangladesh High Commission and Chancery Chief Sudipto Alam as a witness of the case.   In association the court opined that attack was made to nation’s emotion, social and psychological sentiment by dishonoring the portrait of father of the nation. On February 7 last BNP attacked and vandalized the Bangladesh High Commission in London. AH   

After RAB’s 'assault' and detention of three students of Dhaka University, their peers protested and vandalized at the campus. Over 300 students, mostly from Surja Sen Hall and Bijoy Ekattor Hall, came out on the streets near the TSC around 11:30 pm on Thursday. The demonstrators demanded the ‘detained’ students be immediately released.  Witnesses said the agitating students vandalized some vehicles during the protests.They calmed down around midnight when the university authorities got the three students released.  Citing witness statements, Assistant Proctor Sohel Rana said that the three students on a motorcycle stopped a microbus in the street in front of the Arts Building after it had not let the bike pass.The students asked the driver to get off the microbus. As the driver did not respond, the students had an argument with the microbus riders before they broke a looking glass. He also said, “There were eight to 10 uniformed RAB personnels on the microbus. They got off the car immediately and beat up the students and dragged them into the vehicle. Two of the three students have been identified as Imran Hossain, Organising Secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s Bijoy Ekattor Hall unit, and Tanvir Hossain, Health Secretary of the Bijoy Ekattor Hall unit of the ruling Awami League’s student wing. A student of Bijoy Ekattor Hall who witnessed the incident said the RAB members pointed their weapons at the heads of the three students and also at the others who tried to help them. As the news of the ‘detention’ of the three students spread, their fellow students came out of the halls and started the demonstration. They vandalized at least three cars, including one of the police, witnesses said.     The elite force, however denied the allegation of assaulting and detaining the students. RAB spokesperson Mufti Mahmud Khan said their personnel had parked a microbus and a car at Kantabon. Two to three youths, apparently agitated by traffic congestion in the area, smashed a window glass of one of the two vehicles, Khan said.  “When the RAB personnel there asked the youths why they had smashed the glass, the youths identified themselves as Dhaka University students and said they did not know it was a RAB vehicle,” he said. He claimed the RAB members took away the students to ‘discuss the issue’. “They agreed to repair the glass. We are discussing the matter with them,” he said. Assistant Proctor Sohel said, the RAB handed over the three students to the university officials at around 11:45pm. He also said they would demand an explanation from RAB on Sunday why they had detained students on the campus.   FU