Nayapaltan Dhaka BNP men, cops clash in city,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

BNP activists on Tuesday clashed with law enforcers and torched two vehicles at Nayapaltan area in the capital on Tuesday.

Sources said some hundred BNP activists brought out a procession around 4:00pm protesting an attack on party standing committee member Mirza Abbas's motorcade at Netrokona allegedly by ruling party men.

As the procession marched towards Kakrail intersection police charged baton and fired tear shells to disperse the BNP activists, said Nasir Uddin Ahmed, sub-inspector of Paltan Police Station.

The angry BNP men threw brick chips on police and later torched a jeep and a public bus in the area.

Nazma Akhter, duty officer at the fire service headquarters confirmed the incident.

Golam Sorwar, officer-in-charge of Paltan Police Station said they picked up 15 BNP men during the clash.

25 hurt in Rajshahi University campus Islamic Chhatra Shibir-BCL clash,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

At least 25 students were injured, three of them bullet-hit, in a fierce clash between the members of Islamic Chhatra Shibir (ICS) and Bangladesh Chhatra League at Rajshahi University (RU) campus on Tuesday.

The injured students -- BCL’s Nabiul Islam Lipon, and Shibir activists Zahangir Hossain, 2nd year student of Folklore department and Shariful Islam -- were admitted to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital.

The clash ensued around 11:30am, as ICS activists threw brickbats on a BCL procession near Shahidullah Arts building of the university.

Following the incident the BCL men chased the ICS activists, reports our Rajshahi correspondent.

The feuding groups fired nearly 50 gunshots toward each other inside the campus and at the university’s main gate that wounded one BCL man and two of the ICS activists.

Some of the ICS activists — who took shelter inside the Central Library being chased by the BCL — were mercilessly beaten up by the chasing group.

Later, BCL men drove Shibir men out of the campus and put barricade on the Rajshahi-Dhaka highway for 30 minutes.

Around 12:30pm, BCL men entered into the campus again and damaged two university busses in front of the administration building.

Later, they ransacked the residence of the vice chancellor for allegedly helping the Shibir activists to establish supremacy in the campus.

Ahmad Ali, RU BCL unit president, claimed Shibir men attacked the BCL procession for establishing supremacy on the campus.

He also claimed three BCL activists -- Takim, Tuhin and Nipun sustained bullet injuries.

Ahmad blamed the RU authority for failing to ensure security in the campus.

Ashraful Alam Emon, RU Shibir unit president, however said BCL men attacked on Shibir activists without any provocation while they were taking preparations for bringing out a procession.

“We tried to resist their (BCL) attacks, but police assisted the BCL men”, he said.

RU Proctor Chowdhury Mohammad Jakaria said four assistant proctors were also injured in the incident.

18 ex-ministers, MPs to be sued for 2001 post poll violence:Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

The government will file case against 18 ministers and lawmakers of the previous BNP-Jamaat alliance government this week for their alleged involvement in the 2001 post-poll violence.

Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir said this in response to reporters' queries emerging from a meeting with Saudi Ambassador in Dhaka Dr Abdullah Nasser Al Bussairy at his secretariat office in the capital.

The judicial commission probing the 2001 post-polls violence had found evidence of over 3,625 incidents of major crimes including murders, rape, arson and looting by cadres of the incumbent ruling BNP-Jamaat alliance in the first 15 months of their tenure since October that year.

Disclosing the findings at a press briefing at her office on December 1, 2011, the then home minister Shahara Khatun said the government would file cases against such offenders if the victims do not dare to sue them.

The minister dismissed the idea of forming Judicial Inquiry Committee to investigate the recent communal violence at Ramu which spread over Cox's Bazar and Chittagong.

"There is no need of forming a Judicial Inquiry Committee to investigate the matter. Administrative probe committee has been formed. And if this committee fails then we may think about forming a judicial committee," said the minister.

The government will extend all out cooperation to repair the damaged homesteads and other establishments, the minister added.

The minister also reiterated that the communal violence at Ramu was organized and premeditated.

"All involved in that violence will be identified and brought to book immediately," the minister added.

Ramu upazila of Cox's OC withdrawn, Sec 144 lifted,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

The officer-in-charge of Ramu Police Station in Cox's Bazar was withdrawn on Tuesday, two days after the violence centring an anti-Islam posting at Facebook.

Meanwhile, the section 144 which was imposed on Sunday in Ramu, Ukhia and Teknaf upazilas of the seaside district following the mayhem was lifted on Tuesday, reports our Chittagong correspondent, quoting Selim Md Jahangir, superintendent of police in Cox's Bazar.

The SP said OC AK Nazibul Islam has been withdrawn for not taking appropriate action to calm the attackers and negligence of duty during the Saturday's violence.

Nazibul was attached to the Cox's Bazar police lines, the SP said.

A mob destroyed 12 Buddhist temples and monasteries and more than 50 houses damaged in Ramu during the violence, which was triggered by a Facebook posting of a photo defaming the holy Quran. The violence was later spread to Chittagong.

Meanwhile, police has arrested 76 more people in the four upazilas of Cox's Bazar, raising the total number of arrestees to 169 in the district in connection with the communal violence.

Dhaka court finally orders freezing Destiny Group and Destiny-2000 Ltd bank accounts,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

A Dhaka court on Tuesday finally asked Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to freeze 252 bank accounts of Destiny Group and Destiny-2000 Ltd.

Judge Md Zahirul Haque of the Senior Special Judge's Court passed the order after a short hearing on the petitions filed by ACC Deputy Director Mojahar Ali Sardar and ACC Assistant Director Toufiqul Islam.

On Monday, Judge (in-charge) Md Akhtaruzzaman of the same court ordered the freeze but he withdrew the order just an hour later.

The ACC filed the petitions seeking permission for freezing the accounts so that the Destiny officials were not able to launder or transfer money to other accounts.

On September 12, Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman cancelled the bail of five Destiny Group officials, including its managing director Md Rafiqul Amin. But the regular judge, Md Zahirul Haque, stayed the cancellation order the next day.

The ACC on July 31 sued the Destiny officials on charges of siphoning off Tk 3,285.26 crore.

The multilevel company allegedly transferred crores of taka to their personal accounts from the company accounts.

Dhaka Old building collapses, several feared trapped,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

Several construction workers are feared trapped inside the five-storey building, which collapsed on two nearby buildings in the old part of Dhaka while being demolished Tuesday morning.

Firefighters started rescue operation in search of survivals around 2:15pm, if there was any, said Monir Hossain, assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defence Department.

Earlier, police and firefighters rescued at least 50 residents trapped inside one of the two three-storey buildings on which the old building collapsed.

The residents suffered minor injuries while being evacuated, witnesses said.

The top floor of building No.14/A at Kailash Bose Lane collapsed on house No. 18 and 19 when workers started demolition work around 8:30am, said Md Ali, duty officer of the fire service.

The first two floors and the top floor of the building collapsed while the middle floors tilted on the two nearby buildings, fire service sources said.

As the entrance of building No. 18 was blocked by the debris following the collapse, firefighters had to remove those to rescue the trapped people, said Nokul Dhar, a resident of the house.

Nokul said they thought it was earthquake after hearing a big bang following the collapse.

The southern unit of the building collapsed as it became imbalanced following demolition of northern unit, Monir Hossain said.

The owner of the house that collapsed had vacated the flats in June as he decided to build a new structure after demolishing the old one.

Dhaka University students protest Ramu upazila in Cox's Bazar violence,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

Dhaka University students on Tuesday formed a human chain and brought out a procession on the campus protesting Saturday's violence at Ramu in Cox's Bazar that later spread to Chittagong.

Around 300 students along with the members of DU Ramu Student Forum formed the human chain at Aparajeyo Bangla around 11:00am with a demand for bringing the perpetrators of the violence and the planners into book.

They also demanded the government ensure the security to the minority groups and compensate for the damage.

A mob destroyed 12 Buddhist temples and monasteries and more than 50 houses in Ramu during the violence, which was apparently triggered by a Facebook posting of a photo defaming the holy Quran. The violence was later spread to Chittagong.

"We demand proper investigation into the attack and exemplary punishment to the culprits," said Morshed Alam, a law student and also a member of the Ramu forum, while addressing the human chain that continued for 45 minutes.

Later, the students brought out a procession on the campus.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Chhatra League activists brought out a procession on the campus and held a rally at Aparajeyo Bangla on the same demand.