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Head lines UNB, Dhaka, The Daily Star
Opposition Leader Sheikh Hasina yesterday lashed at atrocities and torture on her party leaders and workers and wondered if martial law had been enforced in the country in the name of democracy.
"Democracy is in name, martial law is in force... people want to get rid of this situation," she said addressing the office bearers of the newly elected Mymensingh Bar Association at Awami League central office at Bangabandhu Avenue. Hasina resented that the government being not satisfied with the torture unleashed on the party workers now started torture on her personal aides with a view to "eliminating Awami League." She said the government arrested her special assistant Bahauddin Nasim and was conducting "inhuman torture" on him. In the name of joint interrogation, Nasim was sent to an intelligence agency and tortured "illegally." "Even the former army officers who wanted to give security to her were harassed and tortured by the government," she told the lawyers aligned with her party. She noted that ruling party cadres are raping and torturing innocent girls, killing people and again filing cases against those who have become victims of torture. "The cases of the victims were not accepted, rather counter-cases were filed against them," she told her audience. The leader of the opposition said people's misery reached its peak and the raped girls are committing suicide out of desperation. Referring to the bomb blasts at Ramna Batamul, Udichi function, Narayanganj, Bagerhat and other places, Hasina alleged that the present ruling quarters who were involved in these misdeeds are now trying to shift their responsibility to the Awami League. She also suggested that legal aid committees be formed in each district to extend legal support to the tortured Awami League leaders and workers and the tortured people as well. Hasina said the government utterly failed in every sector; the economy is going down, law and order deteriorating and prices of essentials shot up. Referring to the win of Awami League by a landslide in the Mymensingh Bar elections held on February 27, she said the people already turned round. Newly-elected bar leaders, including President Advocate Mostafa M A Matin and General Secretary Advocate Abdul Hasem, former MP Jobaed Ali and Mymensingh Municipal Chairman Mahamud Al-Noor Tareq also addressed the meeting. Awami League leaders Syed Ahmed, Altaf Hossain Golondaz MP and former MP Moslemuddin and Shamsul Huq were present. President urges political, socio-cultural organisations BSS, Dhaka, The Daily Star President A Q M Badruddoja Chowdhury yesterday urged all, especially children, to exercise preventive health practices to beat a range of diseases. "Prevention is better and less expensive than cure," he said. He also called on political and socio-cultural organisations to educate people in preventive health to build a healthy nation. "Social workers, teachers and union parishad chairmen and members should be involved in spreading health education messages," he said, adding "We need a healthy nation to compete in the changed world." The President said this while he was inaugurating a daylong health clinic, organised by Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) and Gazipur district and Kapasia upazila administrations, at Capasia Pilot High School Ground as the chief guest. The inaugural function was also addressed by former jute minister Brig General (Retd) A S M Hannan Shah, Fazlul Haq Milon, MP, and Gazipur DAB president Dr Mazharul Alam. He stressed the need for inclusion of health education in school and college curricula to make children, the future of the nation, aware of various health hazards. He said doctors should not show laxity in treating patients. Their responsibilities do not end with giving mere prescriptions, he said, adding they should give the patients medicine, suggest necessary diets and spell out preventive healthcare measures. The President urged all to take proper preventive measures to face dengue, malaria, tuberculosis, arsenic contamination and other health scourges. Forty doctors, including specialists in ear, nose and throat (ENT), paediatrics, orthopaedics, surgery, medicine and gyanecology, are treating patients at the health clinic for free. President Chowdhury, himself a renowned physician, also attended some serious cases. "It's a boon for me, I never ever dreamt of it," said M Abdul Khaleque coming out of the room where the President treated his 8-year-old son Liton Mia, born with heart problem. "The honourable President has asked me to contact him at Bangabhaban," he said. "Now I am sure my son will survive," the elated father said. BNP actvists sue 52 villagers of Kachuapara in Natore Anwar Ali, Rajshahi, The Daily Star At least 52 villagers of Kachuapara in Tanore upazila who were attacked allegedly by the ruling party men on Tuesday night, were charged in two cases for disrupting irrigation in the Barind areas and for terrorism on Friday. Of the 52 accused, Kamargaon union parishad chairman Abdullah Al Mamun, a local Awami League leader was charged with both the cases filed by BNP activists Ansar Ali and Tomij Uddin. Tomij Uddin lodged a case against 30 villagers accusing them under 307 and 326 sections of Bangladesh Penal Code (BPC) for armed attack. Ansar Ali lodged another case against 22 persons. The accused were charged under 143, 323, 325, 430 and 114 section of BPC for interrupting lifting of ground water and resisting works of Barind Multipurpose Development Project. A group of people equipped with lethal weapons and backed by police captured several pumps at Kachuapara village late Tuesday night, local farmers alleged. They attacked peasants who, on information, came to resist forcible seize of water pump centres by the newly appointed pump operators at the village. The authorities recently appointed some 6,000 deep tubewell operators, mostly belonging to the ruling party, in the project area, replacing those appointed from the inception of the project in 1985. The massive project was launched to make 1.93 lakh hectares of land in the drought-hit Barind region arable. The attackers were led by BNP and Jubo Dal leaders Razzak, Afaz, Barek, Salam, Shafiqul, Ejaj, Shamsuddin, Yusuf and some others, alleged farmers. Police, however, arrested one of the accused. The arrested was identified as Shiraj Uddin, an AL supporter. Neither the Executive Director of BMDA nor the SP of Rajshahi could be reached on phone for comments after this correspondent's repeated attempts till 9.00 pm on Friday night. AL blasts govt as party team not allowed to meet Nasim The Independent Awami League yesterday strongly criticised the government as a parliamentary delegation of the party was not allowed to meet Bahauddin Nasim, special assistant to opposition leader Sheikh Hasina, in Dhaka Central Jail, reports UNB. The 11-member delegation led by senior Awami League leader Abdus Samad Azad went to jail gate at 11:30 am yesterday. But the jail authority did not allow them to meet Nasim, also joint convenor of Awami Shecchhasebak League. "It’s simply a violation of jail code, the Constitution and ignorance of democratic and parliamentary norms," Samad Azad said addressing a hurriedly called press briefing at the Jatiya Press Club in the afternoon. The AL leaders demanded immediate and unconditional release of Nasim. They alleged physical and inhuman torture on Nasim in custody since he was arrested from Zia International Airport on way to USA at the early hours of Feb 28. He was arrested on charge of possessing excess foreign currency and also in connection with the case of attacking the motorcade of Begum Khaleda Zia in Madaripur last year. Azad complained that "even the family members of Bahauddin Nasim were not allowed to meet him," and apprehended that he was badly tortured. "The attitude of the government has proved that Nasim is not in a condition to meet anyone." The AL leader said Nasim should immediately he taken to hospital for necessary treatment. "The government also violated order of the court by directly sending him to jail instead of producing before court," Azad said and warned that the government would be wholly responsible if anything bad happened to Nasim. The AL leader also urged the Amnesty International, diplomats Human Right bodies to inquire about Bahauddin Nasim and raise voice against inhumanity. Party general secretary Zillur Rahman said the government is not only unleashing terrorism on Awami League leaders and workers across the country but also continuing torture on them by arresting and sending them to jail. "This is inhuman and against democratic norms," he said demanding justice. Zillur said Bahauddin Nasim as a close aide of Sheikh Hasina used to take care of her security. "By arresting Nasim, Sheikh Hasina’s security has been endangered," he observed. Suranjit Sengupta also spoke at the briefing. Party sources said the delegation went to jail gate where Jail Super Amanullah Sarder talked to the members but denied permission to meet Nasim. The delegation waited for about an hour. The delegation included Abdul Momen, Jalil, Abdus Shahid, M Amanullah, Col (Retd) Shawkat Ali, Col (Retd) Farooq Khan, Abdul Mannan and Mirza Azam. Obaidul Kader, Mostofa Jalal Mohiuddin, Abdul Mannan Khan, Mukul Bose, Abdur Rahman, Safi Ahmed, Enamul Haq Shamim, Ishaq Ali Khan Panna and Bahadur Bepari were present. Sramik Dal men attack Labour Court in Ctg from Staff Correspondent, The Independent CHITTAGONG, Mar 9: Militant activists of the ruling BNP-backed Sramik Dal attacked the First Labour Court of Chittagong situated at Katalganj of the city centring the hearing of a case in the Court this noon and ransacked the courtroom including the Ejlash. In the unprecedented incident on the premises of the Court, at least 10 persons including three office employees were injured. According to witnesses, police and court sources, around two hundred activists of Chittagong Coaster Hatch Sramik Union, a wing of the ruling party BNP, led by its President Zebal Haq on board four trucks arrived on the court premises at about 11:40 am and stormed the court while the proceedings of a case were going on. The unruly Sramik Dal activists started damaging the furniture, windows and other articles of the court room including the Ejlash of the Judge indiscriminately. The Judge of the Court Hrishikesh Saha hurriedly left the spot and took shelter in the bathroom to save himself from the wrath of the militant workers. After an hour, the police went to the spot and rescued the judge and arrested 20 militant workers from the spot. The injured people were identified as the peon of the court Quddusur Rahman, MLSS Abdul Matin, and night guard Abdul Haq. Another unidentified person was admitted to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital as the agitated activists threw him off the first floor of the court. A case had earlier been filed in the said court by a faction of the Hatch workers’ union seeking a ban on the holding of its elections. The union, dominated by the Sramik Dal is divided into two factions, one led by its President and the other by its General Secretary. The case had been filed by the GS group. The final judgement was supposed to be delivered today. But before the start of the hearings, the workers attacked the Court resulting in the suspension of the proceedings. Later the agitated workers gheraoed the Panchlaish Thana while local BNP leaders were allegedly forcing the police authorities not to register any case. However, the police registered a case under PSA against the workers. According to UNB: Three lawyers are among those injured in the trouble. They were Nasiruddin, Shahabuddin and Ilyas Ali. Among the injured, the condition of three court employees was stated "critical". The three employees sustained injuries as they tried to prevent the unruly workers and save the Chairman of the Labour Court, Hrishikesh Saha, and its two members-Sirajuddowla and Abu Bakar Siddiqui. On information, police rushed to the scene and arrested 18 of the workers, including Jebal Huq, who belongs to the ruling BNP labour wing. Court Registrar Jahangir Alam filed a case with Panchlaish thana. Dhaka-Delhi ties improving; FM The Independent Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan yesterday said relations with India had been improving, instead of cooling down, since the new government was elected in October, reports BSS. He was replying to questions at a press briefing of the Prime Minister at the Pradhanmantri Bhaban. "On the contrary we are trying to improve the relations, and it's improving" was his reply to a question whether the relations had cooled down. He said that talks would take place soon. Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia met her Indian counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Kathmandu on the sideline of the SAARC summit. Besides, he said, he had met his Indian counterpart Jaswant Singh both at Kathmandu and Coolum. Other high level contacts, he said, included Finance Minister Saifur Rahman’s meeting with his counterpart and a recent meeting between the Foreign Secretaries of the two South Asian neighbours.
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