Thursday, March 27th, 2008Highway police unit was formed about three years ago to ensure round-the-clock vigilance on the highways, but the objective remains largely unmet due to acute shortage of logistic support.The highway police department is operational apparently on papers now as its proposed organogram has halted thanks to red tape at the establishment ministry. Besides, its rules and regulations still await approval from the home ministry, said a top official at the Police Headquarters.Since the mobile unit does not have an organogram, it cannot spend a coin to buy fuel for its own transport."Some of our police outposts are situated in so ...
(read more) Wednesday, March 26th, 2008The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has apparently been careful in the last one year to improve its image marred greatly at home and abroad because of the huge number of deaths in "crossfire" as such extra-judicial killings have reduced significantly during the period.Thirty-four incidents of crossfire took place since June 2007 while the figure was 179 during the 10 months from August 2006 to May 2007.Rab officials said for the first time since its inception there was no incident of crossfire throughout the month of February this year.A total of 472 alleged criminals have so far been killed in the ...
(read more) Wednesday, March 26th, 2008The jail authorities yesterday moved five high-profile prisoners to different district jails from the Dhaka Central Jail as a punitive measure while three others were shifted to the prison cells from the cabins of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) hospital.The punitive measures were taken against them for violating the jail code in various ways, including use of cellphones and ipod.According to jail sources, Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, political adviser to former prime minister Khaleda Zia, was moved to Bogra jail, former BNP lawmakers Mossaddak Ali Falu to Panchagarh jail, Salauddin Ahmed to Bandarban jail, Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu to Lalmonirhat jail ...
(read more) Tuesday, March 25th, 2008The Election Commission (EC) will ask the government to deploy the armed forces for maintaining law and order during the elections to four city corporations and seven municipalities."The armed forces will be deployed in both city corporation and municipality elections," said Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain while speaking with reporters at his office yesterday.According to earlier announcement of the EC, elections to Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet city corporations, and the municipalities of Manikganj, Shariatpur, Sreepur under Gazipur, Phulbaria under Mymensingh, Sitakunda, Cox's Bazar, and Golapganj under Sylhet are supposed to be held in May this ...
(read more) Tuesday, March 25th, 2008The high-profile prisoners who have violated the jail code using cellphone will be allowed visit by their relatives only once a month instead of a week.Jail authorities took the punitive decision yesterday as they found the VIP prisoners violating the code by several means.Meanwhile, four more former BNP lawmakers and an ex-Jamaat MP were shifted from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) to different jails for using cellphone and doing other offences.Besides, the authorities are also investigating involvement of jail guards, police personnel and attendants in this regard.Jail sources said Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, political adviser to former prime minister Khaleda ...
(read more) Tuesday, March 25th, 2008Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) yesterday rescheduled its election for April 28 and 29 following negotiations between lawyer leaders and the government ending a stalemate over the balloting originally slated for yesterday and today.The SCBA leaders, candidates for the association's presidency, head of the bar election commission, attorney general and law adviser at a meeting earlier signed a consensus declaration to that end.The association's outgoing president, barrister Amir Ul Islam, told The Daily Star that participants at the meeting decided to carry over the date to the last week of April on requests from the government side.Complications rose after ...
(read more) Monday, March 24th, 2008The jail authorities could not produce detained Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina before court yesterday because of her “unwillingness” despite being in “fine physical condition”.They made the observation in a written submission to the Special Court-1 hearing a graft case against the former prime minister.In reply, the court said failure to produce an accused for his/her unwillingness is rare in the history and ordered the jail authorities to ensure her presence on March 30.Meanwhile, doctors at Square Hospital yesterday said it will take 10 more days to complete her check-up.Speaking at a press briefing, head of the ...
(read more) Monday, March 24th, 2008A number of lawmakers of Awami League (AL), BNP and Jatiya Party from the eighth parliament yesterday vowed to resist together the government move to vacate the Nam Bhaban flats allocated to them.In this rare instance of coming under a common platform, they took the firm stance to protect the "dignity and property" of parliament and vowed to declare different programmes including legal measures against the caretaker government's move.Terming the move "contempt" of the national parliament, they said the housing and public works ministry committee's decision to re-allocate the Nam flats to government officials and fix monthly rent and charges ...
(read more) Monday, March 24th, 2008The pro-Saifur faction of BNP seems to be losing ground as most of the standing committee members of the party except three are siding with the pro-Khaleda faction.The three standing committee members who are still endorsing the pro-Saifur faction are Saifur Rahman himself, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman.The other standing committee members who took part in the controversial meeting of the standing committee on October 29 last year without party Chairperson Khaleda Zia's consent, recently took a u-turn and deserted the pro-Saifur faction for the pro-Khaleda faction.Three such members of the standing committee -- RA Gani, ...
(read more) Sunday, March 23rd, 2008 Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed has said detained former prime ministers Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina will not be eligible to appear before the proposed Truth Commission for pardon as they are already arraigned on corruption charges and facing trial in courts.He, however, said the caretaker government will accept whatever decision comes from the judicial process.The CA made the remarks during an interview with Al Jazeera television in London last week. Renowned journalist David Frost took the interview during the CA's tour and was aired at 1:00am yesterday in a special programme styled “Frost”.On the question of ...
(read more) 
