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Afghanistan
Two Appeal Court Members Abducted Saturday: Ghazni
2020-09-21
[KhaamaPress] Talibs have kidnapped two members of the Ghazni Appeal Court in an area of Maidan Wardak province, the victims were taken out of the vehicle following their disappearance.

Sikandar Haidari, head of Ghazni appellate court told the press, that Assadullah Rahmani, deputy of the court, and Shamsul Haq Shams a public Judge was kidnapped by the Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
 yesterday.

The court’s members were on their way from Ghazni to Kabul when they were captured in Sayed Abad district of Maidan Wardak province.

Haidari said, there is no information about the kidnapped members, and that the security officials are asked to facilitate operation for freeing the victims from the clutches of the Taliban.

Taliban have not yet shared their comments based on the incident.
Related:
Maidan Wardak: 2020-09-03 3 Security Force Members Killed in Taliban Attack in Paktia
Maidan Wardak: 2020-09-01 Taliban Kill 3 Children in Daykundi
Maidan Wardak: 2020-08-18 '23 Taliban' Killed in Clashes in 3 Provinces: MoD
Related:
Ghazni: 2020-09-13 Taliban Attack in 18 Provinces as Talks Start: MoD
Ghazni: 2020-09-08 Ghazni: 5 Security Forces Joined Taliban
Ghazni: 2020-09-03 3 Security Force Members Killed in Taliban Attack in Paktia
Link


Bangladesh
Bangladesh sentences 10 to death for plot to kill PM Hasina
2017-08-21
[DAWN] A Bangladesh court sentenced 10 bully boyz to death on Sunday over a failed plot to assassinate Prime Minister the loathesome Sheikh Hasina
...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since the Lower Paleolithic. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangla. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide. She and the head of the BNP, Khaleda Zia show such blind animosity toward each other that they are known as the Battling Begums..
 by detonating a huge bomb at one of her rallies in 2000.

"The men were sentenced to death by a firing squad for planting a huge explosive near where Hasina was scheduled to speak during her first term as prime minister in 2000," prosecutor Shamsul Haq Badol told AFP.

"The bomb was planted in an attempt to kill Sheikh Hasina, high-ranking leaders of the (ruling) Awami League party and dignitaries," Badol said.

The 76-kilogram explosive was detected and defused, sparking a manhunt for those responsible for the liquidation attempt on Hasina, who is now in her third term as leader of Bangladesh's government.

Police allege the operation was led by Mufti Abdul Hannan, the late leader of murderous Moslem group Harakat ul Jihad Al Islami, which perpetrated a string of attacks across Bangladesh in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Hannan, the main accused in the failed bomb plot, was hanged in April for orchestrating a grenade attack on Britannia's envoy to Bangladesh in 2004.

The accused in this latest case wanted to kill Hasina because "they said she was not a Moslem, and an agent of India, and Islam can be established (in Bangladesh) only by killing her," Badol claimed.

He said another large explosive was found three days later at a helipad where Hasina was scheduled to land.

A separate prosecutor, Khandaker Abdul Mannan, said those sentenced to death were also implicated in other assaults, including a deadly bombing at a church and a secular festival.

Defence lawyer Faruque Ahmed said the defendants would lodge an appeal through the jail authorities.

"There are a lot of questions about this case. The defendants said they did not get justice," he told AFP. Hannan tried to kill Hasina in a separate grenade attack at a rally in the capital Dhaka in August 2004, in which 22 people were killed, Badol said.
Link


Bangladesh
A new veil of terror
2016-08-24
Law enforcement has recently uncovered that newly activated terror groups are recruiting scores of women, especially university students, to expand their reach.

These radicalised women pose a new kind of threat that security experts say Bangladeshi law enforcement are not prepared to handle.

In his confessional statement, Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) chief Shaykh Abdur Rahman said they had some 50-60 female bandidos forces of Evil who were mostly wives of male members of the group.

Their duties were to continue Dawati (indoctrination) activities and inspire family members to be ready for jihad, he had said.

However,
those who apply themselves too closely to little things often become incapable of great things...
 law enforcers have been able to arrest very few female bad boys. In all its operations against JMB, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has tossed in the slammer
Into the paddy wagon wit' yez!
 45 women members and 634 men of the group. Police could not provide any information on its arrests.

On May 8, Bogra police arrested Masuma Akter, wife of JMB’s Chittagong wing commander Raisul Islam Khan alias Fardeen, who was killed earlier while making bombs. Two other women were also caught with her.

On July 24, Detective Branch of Sirajganj police arrested four female JMB members, one of whom was found to be the relative of JMB leader Tarikul Islam Jewel, who was killed alongside Fardeen.

But law enforcement’s attention has only recently been drawn to the risks these female bandidos forces of Evil pose. The arrest of several female bad boys, specially the one in Dhaka by RAB on August 16 brought this issue into focus.

Tangail’s Kalihati police on July 6 arrested three female JMB members, aged between 19 to 30, who were later claimed they were members of a suicide squad. They were living with their husbands and children. Their husbands expeditiously departed at a goodly pace and one was later killed in an encounter.

RAB arrested four suspected members of JMB female wing from different areas of Dhaka. These four are highly educated and from wealthy backgrounds, similar to some of the Lions of Islam involved in the Gulshan and Sholakia attacks. One of them is an internee from Dhaka Medical College and other three are graduate pharmacy students of Manarat University.

From them, RAB learned that at least 20 more women were involved in the group, though only 10 names could be extracted. RAB 4 senior ASP Shamsul Haq yesterday said the names were code names and RAB was still trying to identify them.

One RAB official said the documents they found from the four women indicate that they were formerly members of Islami Chhatri Sangstha, the female students wing of Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
. But they had become further radicalised, said the source.

RAB sources said they had received information that the terrorist group was using girls and women to carry small arms.
Link


Bangladesh
RAB takes charge of female JMB members case
2016-08-21
[Dhaka Tribune] Rapid Action Battalion has taken the charge of investigating the case filed against the four female JMB members detained on August 15

On August 16 a case was filed with the Mirpur cop shoppe and they were taken under four day police remand. ASP Sajedul Karim of RAB 4 told the Dhaka Tribune the Home Ministry had approved a request from the elite force to take over the case early yesterday. The case was handed over to RAB in the afternoon.

The four women are ‐ Istisna Akhter Oishee, 23, an intern of Dhaka Medical College Hospital and head of the female unit of the banned outfit, Aklima Rahman Moni, 23, Israt Jahan Moushumi alias Mou, 22, and Khadiza Parveen Meghla, 23. The last three are fourth year pharmacy department students of Manarat International University.

On Thursday Manarat University expelled these three students.

RAB has been expressing its desire to investigate the case from the beginning. Concerned sources said RAB had also participated in the interrogation of the four women at the cop shoppe.

After taking them under remand, police started working on identifying their associates. The case was handed over to the RAB 4 later, said Inspector (investigation) Sazzadur Rahman.

Asked if the four female JMB members would be taken under fresh remand, he said they would take them under remand if the court allows.

RAB ASP Shamsul Haque told the Dhaka Tribune they were interrogating the female members of JMB to get more information about their associates.

"On the first day of interrogation we received very little information," ASP Shamsul said.

After completing the remand they would be able to report about the progress of the case, he added.

However,
women are made to be loved, not understood...
 a RAB source said they were suspecting that the ten names they had obtained from the

four might be women from educated backgrounds and were tech-savvy.

RAB in the case statement had named ten other women ‐ Safia alias Sanjida alias Jhinuk, Maimuna alias Mahmuda alias Laila,

Tasnuba alias Tahira, Saila alias Shahida, Saleha alias Putul, Dinat Jahan alias Naomi alias Bani, Tanzila alias Munni, Alia alias Tinni alias Teetli, Monira Jahan alias Mili and Sabiha alias Mitu, as members of JMB.
Link


Afghanistan
Dand-e-Ghori Deal with Taliban Cancelled: Officials
2015-10-24
[ToloNews] The Head of Baghlan's Provincial Council on Thursday announced the Dand-e-Ghori deal has been cancelled after the Taliban violated the controversial accord which was followed by a public outcry.

The deal was allegedly signed between some government officials and the Taliban in September and stipulated that neither the Afghan cops nor the Taliban could carry out operations or attacks respectively in Dand-e-Ghori area, which is part of Pul-e-Khumri city in Baghlan.

The Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, Gulab Mangal, along with a number of tribal elders and local officials from Baghlan were said to have been part to the agreement - which critics claimed was a simple gesture of handing the area over to the Taliban.

However,
nothing needs reforming like other people's bad habits...
 Baghlan's provincial council head Mohammad Safdar Mohsini -- who was one of the signatories to the accord -- said the agreement no longer had any credibility following several attacks by the Taliban in the area.

He called on government to send in troops to Dand-e-Ghori where he said Taliban were present in large numbers.

"Taliban violated this accord several times. They were not abiding by this agreement, therefore, this is no longer valid," Mohsini said.

Provincial council members have said the accord is no longer valid as it does not work in the interests of the people and the security forces.

"We were against this accord from the beginning because after this agreement, our soldiers were being killed every day," provincial council member Mohammad Zarif Zarif said.

Shamsul Haq Barekzai, another provincial politician said: "This accord took the fighting to other areas where the people paid the price."

In addition, the police chief of Baghlan said the accord had prevented them from launching anti-insurgent operations.

"This accord prevents us from launching operation. Now we are waiting for the decision of the central government," acting police chief Abdul Rashid Bashir said.

Former governor of Baghlan and the provincial director of National Directorate of Security
...the Afghan national intel agency...
 (NDS) were both reportedly fired from their positions for having been involved in the deal. The Police Chief of Baghlan was also involved in the accord. He has allegedly left the province.
Link


Bangladesh
Violence, low turnout mark Bangla polls
2014-01-06
[Bangla New Age] Polling in 147 constituencies for the 10th Jatiya Sangsad on Sunday was marked by death of 18 people in violence, low turnout of voters and stuffing of ballot boxes by ruling party men across the country.

A member of Ansars and 17 opposition activists were killed in Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Feni, Munshiganj, Laksmipur, Jessore, NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions...
re, Chittagong and Gaibandha districts as violent festivities erupted across the country after opposition men tried to foil voting in the 'one-sided' polls.

The BNP-led opposition alliance demanded cancellation of Sunday's 'farcical elections' and announced a fresh round of 48-hour general strike beginning at 6:00am today along with the blockade for fresh elections.

The ruling Awami League, however, termed Sunday's election as 'victory of the people and democracy'.

Candidates in 153 constituencies had already been elected unopposed after the opposition alliance boycotted the polls.

Burning down of more than 150 polling stations by opposition activists before polling began at 8:00am Sunday, killing of an assistant presiding officer and snatching of election materials forced the Election Commission to suspend voting in around 400 centres.

Turnout of voters was relatively higher in three constituencies in Chittagong Hill Tracts where Awami League candidates had close contests with independent candidates. Mobile phone networks in the three districts were switched off on the polling day.

Both the Election Commission and the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission said they were not aware of it and not certain who ordered the mobile network off. 'There was no such instruction from the commission,' said election commissioner Mohammad Shahnawaz.

Three regional political parties -- Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti, United People's Democratic Front and Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti (MN Larma)] -- saw the move as a part of 'election engineering'.

In the capital New Age found turnout of voters in different polling stations very low till noon. Dense fog in the morning discouraged voters from turning up at the polling stations in some constituencies. The turnout

increased slowly as the day rolled on. By the afternoon people of Awami League candidates began stuffing the ballot boxes in some constituencies.

The correspondent in Pabna said Ashique Al Shams Ranjan, son of state minister for home affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku, also Awami League candidate for Pabna 1 constituency, had alone snatched and stuffed 899 ballot papers at Paikhati Shahidnagar high school in Bera. As the polling agent of independent candidate Abu Sayeed protested, Ranjan and his cohorts beat him up mercilessly.

Senior Awami League leaders were seen stuffing boxes at the Jamia Islamia Madrassah and Orphanage centre at Dakkhin Khan under Dhaka 18 constituency. They were visibly annoyed at the presence of a newsman but polling officials requested the correspondent to stay there until the close of the polling.

At the T&T Girls College centre at Mohakhali, Awami League activists stuffed ballot boxes forcing all out of the polling booths in the afternoon.

Reports from Dinajpur said an Ansar member and two opposition men were killed and five others injured in three separate incidents of violence in Parbatipur upazila.

Ansar constable Abdul Wahed died after Jamaat-Shibir men attacked Bachhirbaniya government primary school centre around 11:00am. Ansar sources said Wahed had died of cardiac arrest after several hundred Jamaat men chased him for a kilometre.

Masud Raihan, an activist of Jatiya Ganatantrik Party, died in local hospital after being hit by a bullet in a clash with the police when opposition activists attacked Manmathpur Cooperative High School centre around 12:30pm.

Babul Hossain, a leader of Chehelgazi union BNP, was rubbed out by rivals when the opposition men attacked Nashipur primary school centre at about 1:30am.

The correspondent in Rangpur said Sirajul Islam Siraj, 24, and Hadiuzzaman Hadi, 25, activists of Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
's student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir
... the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh...
, were killed in police firing after Jamaat-Shibir men attacked Dewti School and College polling centre in Pirgachha and looted ballots and ballot boxes and set fire to the centre under Rangpur 4 constituency around 3:00am.

Pirgachha police officer-in-charge Mokbul Hossain said the police were forced to open fire on the attackers that left two dead. Leaders of the upazila unit Jamaat and Shibir declined comments on the incident.

The correspondent in Nilphamari reported that two Jamaat-Shibir activists were killed in police firing after they attacked two polling centres in Dimla and Jaldhaka upazilas and attempted to torch the centres after looting election materials.

Jamaat activist Jahangir Alam,32, a lecturer at Khalisa Chhotokhata Fazil Madrassah at Khalisa Chapani of Dimla, was killed when police opened fire on Jamaat-Shibir men who attacked Beparitala Alim Madrassah centre around 2:30am.

Dimla police acting officer-in-charge Azim Uddin said one person was killed in police firing when Jamaat-Shibir attacked the polling centre.

Jamaat man Momtaz Uddin,50, a teacher of Barabhita Dakhil Madrassah in Kishoreganj, was killed when police opened fire on Jamaat supporters after they attacked Balapara Kachari Girls High School polling centre in Koimari union under of Jaldhaka at about 10:00am.

Jaldhaka police officer-in-charge Moniruzzaman said one person had died in police firing in Koimari after Jamaat-Shibir men attacked a polling centre.

In Laksmipur, Shibir activist Mohammad Rubel was killed and two more suffered injuries as police opened fire on opposition activists after they attempted to snatch ballot boxes at Machhimpur High School centre in Ramganj upazila. Ramganj police officer-in-charge Rezaul Karim confirmed the death of Rubel.

Juba Dal leader Jamshed Alam was killed in police firing when opposition activists attacked Uttar Char Chandia primary school centre in Sonagazi of Feni around 10:30am. Chhatra Dal leader Shahidullah, who suffered injuries in the same incisent, died at hospital, said Sonagazi police chief Subhash Chandra Pal.

Kangkan Mia, 24, joint secretary of Shimulia union unit Chhatra Dal, drowned as he jumped into a ditch after being chased by police in Tongibari of Munshiganj after hurling a petrol bomb at Dakshin Kathadia-Shimulia government primary school centre around 5:50am.

The correspondent in Thakurgaon reported that three opposition activists were killed in police firing when opposition men attacked polling stations. Joynal, 30, and Harun, 40, of village Khagrabari were killed in police firing after they attacked Basudevpur Government Primary School polling centre around noon. In another incident BNP activist Abu Hanif died in a clash with Awami League supporters at Gopalpur.

The opposition men attacked over 30 polling centres in Thakurgaon1 constituency and clashed with the ruling party activists and law enforcers. At least 50 people, including police, ansar and BNP-Jamaat activists, were maimed during the violence.

In Chittagong, Shibir activist Enamul Haque, 26, of Adur Para in Lohagara, was killed when police opened fire on Jamaat men after they tried to snatch ballot boxes from Bhabanipur polling centre at about 3:30pm.

BNP activist Babul Hossain died in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital after being hit by a bullet at Ramnagar under Manda in NATOre around 11:00am. Manda police officer-in-charge Abdullahel Baqui said joint forces were forced to open fire after the opposition men attacked them with bows and arrows.

Reports from Gaibandha said Jamaat activist Shahabul, 35, was killed and 15 others were maimed after Jamaat supporters clashed with Awami League at Manmath Government Primary School centre in Bamandanga in the afternoon. Gaibandha additional police superintendent Mosharraf Hossain confirmed the death.

Jamaat activist Matiar Rahman was rubbed out as joint forces opened fire to disperse attackers at Bajitpur centre in Monirampur of Jessore and 30 more, including three presiding officers, sustained injuries in widespread violence in Monirampur that forced the Election Commission to suspend polling at 47 centres.

The correspondent in Lalmanirhat said at least 68 people, include eight police men, two presiding officers and a journalist, were maimed in attacks at different centres by opposition activists. The injured were admitted to Patgram and Hatibandha upazila health complexes, Lalmonirhat General Hospital and Rangpur Medical College Hospital. The attackers also snatched a rifle from police at Hosnabad Community Primary School centre.

The correspondent in Jhenaidah said opposition activists had snatched election materials from Dariapur government primary school polling centre in Maheshpur upazila. Police opened fire to control the situation. The attackers also cut the tendons of Mahehspur municipal unit Awami League leader Ali Nur Rahman. In retaliation, the house of Mahehspur municipal unit Jamaat amir Moqbul Hossain was torched. Maheshpur police officer-in-charge Akram Hossain confirmed the incidents.

Link


Bangladesh
Fresh 72-hr blockade from today
2013-12-17
[Bangla Daily Star] The BNP-led 18-party alliance enforces yet another spell of countrywide blockade of rail, roads and waterways beginning this morning, triggering fresh fear of violence and loss of lives.

The 72-hour blockade will also deal a heavy blow to education, business and public life in general that are already hit hard due to the crippling opposition programmes over the past two months.

The blockade will end at 6:00am on Friday, but BNP insiders said they might call a weeklong blockade from Saturday, which would be the "endgame" of their movement.

Earlier, the opposition alliance has enforced 371 hours (15 days) of countrywide blockade since November 26, demanding cancellation of the polls schedule announced the day before. Scores have died in violence since, many in arson attack on public and private vehicles.

"We want to say unequivocally to the government that it must stop playing hide and seek over the election, stop playing all kinds of election drama, cancel the election schedule and save the country from extremely anarchic situation," BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan said, announcing the blockade from the party chairperson's Gulshan office.

Political analysts say this announcement means that the talks between the Awami League and the BNP have failed to end the impasse centring on the January 5 election.

Nazrul Islam, however, said BNP chief Khaleda Zia
Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ...
 would ease the blockade if the government agreed to hold the polls under a nonparty government.

Talking about the fresh programme, one BNP leader told The Daily Star: "BNP's very existence will depend on the success of the endgame of this movement. Either BNP or the ruling party will survive depending on the outcome of the game."

But State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku and AL leader Mahbubul Alam Hanif warned against any violence, saying they would resist the opposition "anarchy" by all means.

In the briefing, Nazrul Islam said the government was staging a drama in the name of holding the election, sensing a sure defeat if the election is held with the participation of all political parties.

"People have been deprived of their voting rights," he said, adding that the government was keeping the opposition out of the polls race.

Referring to Sunday's inter ministerial meeting that decided that AL men will accompany law enforcers in tackling the opposition activists on the streets, he said such a decision would push the country towards a civil war like situation.

Nazrul urged the government to backtrack on the decision.

Link


Bangladesh
Govt goes tough on opposition
2013-11-09
[Bangla Daily Star] BNP standing committee members Moudud Ahmed, MK Anwar and Rafiqul Islam Miah were incarcerated
Please don't kill me!
 yesterday, hours after the party-led opposition alliance announced a 72-hour countrywide hartal
... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ...
 from tomorrow.

Detectives made the arrests as the trio came out of Hotel Sonargaon around 8:00pm attending the anniversary celebration of Bangla daily Prothom Alo.

Law enforcers also nabbed
Please don't kill me!
 BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia
Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ...
's Adviser Abdul Awal Mintoo and Special Assistant Shimul Biswas outside her Gulshan-2 home around 1:10am and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal
...student wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)...
 Vice-President Anwar Hossain Tipu in front of Jatiya Press Club around 12:15am today.

The detained were taken to the DB headquarters.

"They were arrested on specific allegations," State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku told The Daily Star. He, however, did not say what the allegations were.

Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu said the opposition leaders were arrested for instigating attacks on people and their properties.

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi holding a presser said the 72-hour hartal starting form tomorrow would be extended if the detained leaders were not released immediately.

He claimed that the arrests were made as part of the government plot to hold a one-party election.

Police last night also raided the homes of BNP leaders Jamiruddin Sircar, Mirza Abbas, Abdul Mannan and Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Moazzem Hossain Alal, and Nasiruddin Ashim.

After the arrests, BNP-Jamaat activists vandalised and torched vehicles in the capital, Chittagong and in Noakhali.

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Bangladesh
Over 6,000 passports go to wrong hands
2012-07-25
[Bangla Daily Star] More than 6,000 Machine Readable Passports (MRP), not 2,280 pieces as figured out on July 11, have been stolen from the Agargaon passport office, a probe body suspects.

The six-member probe committee headed by a Lieutenant Colonel was formed on June 21, after the immigration at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport had detected several forged MRPs early that month.

On July 11, the passport department discarded the serial numbers of 2,280 stolen MRPs. The authorities on July 22 discarded a total of 89,425 MRPs, which had been reissued due to errors in printing or some other faults but still bore mistakes.

High officials of home ministry and the passport department in a meeting on Monday expressed concern
...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended...
 that the stolen passports might be used by those who were not legally eligible for a passport, such as Rohingya refugees, convicts and people with criminal track record.

With Home Minister Shahara Khatun in chair, the meeting was attended by State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku, Director General of Passport Department Abdul Mabud, Inspector General of Police and high immigration officials.

Tuku yesterday told The Daily Star that the Agargaon passport office had earlier discarded some MRPs but the enquiry committee apprehended that the number of stolen passports could be higher.

A source in the meeting said they had stressed the need for tracing the serial numbers of the stolen MRPs to discard those immediately, as in case of delay criminals might use those.
Link


Bangladesh
Arrests, raids; BNP leaders hiding
2012-05-01
Amid raids and arrests, senior BNP leaders have gone into hiding, as the government's sudden tough stance against the opposition's continuous agitation yesterday sent panic sweeping through the ranks of the 18-party alliance.

Police placed in durance vile
Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'!
 the BNP's Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi in the capital's Kakrail area around two hours after yesterday's dawn-to-dusk hartal
... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ...
, the last of the two back-to-back shutdowns called by the BNP-led opposition alliance to protest the disappearance of its leader M Ilias Ali.

Earlier, during the hartal hours and on Sunday night, law enforcers rounded up 10 opposition men, including former student leader Kamruzzaman Ratan -- a close associate of Ilias Ali -- and former deputy minister Sirajul Haque.

In the early hours yesterday, police raided BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's Uttara residence. In the afternoon, they swooped on standing committee member Mirza Abbas' house at South Shahjahanpur.

Unlike on other hartal days, Fakhrul and other top leaders were not seen in the party's central office at Nayapaltan yesterday. They had gone into hiding fearing arrests in two cases filed for kabooms in the secretariat compound and the torching of buses on Sunday, insiders said.

Fakhrul and several big shots of the BNP and its allies are accused in the two cases, filed on Sunday night.

Yesterday's lockdown ended without any major incidents of violence with a thin presence of opposition pickets on the streets.

The main opposition party termed the cases against its leaders "ill-motivated" and called a countrywide demonstration for tomorrow in protest at the raids and filing of the cases.

Hours before his arrest, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a press briefing at the party's Nayapaltan office said fresh agitation programmes would be announced from a protest rally tomorrow.

Asking the government to withdraw the cases, party's big shot Moudud Ahmed at the briefing said cases and raids would not be able to weaken the agitation and that the government would be removed through a movement.

Meanwhile,
...back at the fist fight, Jake ducked another roundhouse, then parried with his left, then with his right, finally with his chin...
 State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku at a briefing at his office said the BNP leaders were named in the cases on the basis of intelligence and more opposition leaders would be accused if their names came up.

He claimed the violence during Sunday's hartal took place on instructions of the BNP high-ups.

Political tensions have been running high since the disappearance of Ilias Ali, an organising secretary of BNP and also a former politician, and his driver around midnight of April 17 from the capital's Banani area.

On April 19, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia
Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ...
 alleged some government agencies had picked up Ilias Ali. On the same day, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Ilias might be hiding himself on Khaleda Zia's instructions.

Two weeks on, law enforcers are yet find the two.

In protest at the incident, BNP enforced back-to-back countrywide hartals across the country from April 22 to 24.

RAIDS, CASES AND ARRESTS
The law enforcers raided Mirza Fakhrul's Uttara residence early yesterday. However,
alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk...
 Fakhrul was not home.

Considering the distance between his house and the party office, he usually spends the night before a BNP-enforced hartal day at places adjacent to the Nayapaltan office, party sources said.

Police scaled the boundary wall of Fakhrul's house around 4:30am and knocked on the door.

Rahat Ara Begum, his wife, opened the door and allowed the law enforcers in. They combed through all the rooms before they left, Rahat told The Daily Star.

Police also raided BNP leader Mirza Abbas' South Shahjahanpur residence yesterday afternoon to arrest him in connection with the case filed for torching of buses. He was not home at the time either.

Afroza Abbas, wife of the BNP leader, said some 25 cops entered her house around 2:30pm and wanted to know the whereabouts of her husband. The team then searched the house for nearly 30 minutes before leaving.

Police also searched the house of Khairul Kabir Khokon and his wife Shirin Sultana's at the capital's Khilgaon. Both of them are former politicians.

A raid was also conducted at BNP leader Habib-un-Nabi Sohel's house in the capital.

In a late night development, police raided the house of Jubo Dal president Moazzem Hossain Alal's Lalmatia residence in the capital around 11:00pm yesterday, when he was not home.

Earlier on Sunday night Tejgaon police filed a case against 44 leaders and activists of the BNP-led 18-party alliance for torching a vehicle near the Prime Minister's Office that day.

The accused include Mirza Fakhrul, party standing committee members Mirza Abbas, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy and Hannan Shah, party Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, party politician Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee, and Liberal Democratic Party President Oli Ahmed.

On the same day, Shahbagh police accused 28 opposition leaders in a case in connection with the "bomb" blasts on the secretariat compound, with Mirza Fakhrul the main accused.
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Bangladesh
Cops found 'guilty'
2011-09-09
[Bangla Daily Star] A judicial probe committee has found that the six students, killed in a mob beating in Aminbazar in July this year, were innocent and not robbers, while police on duty at the spot were negligent in saving their lives, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

The committee, formed by a High Court directive, submitted a 200-page sealed report to the Supreme Court registrar yesterday for placing it to the HC bench concerned, but the sources The Daily Star talked to have knowledge of the main finding.

Advocate Tajul Islam, whose writ petition sparked the investigation, said he was informed by knowledgeable sources that the probe also found involvement of a few coppers in the killing.

The six students were beaten to death by several hundred villagers at Keblar Char in Aminbazar near the capital on July 18 when they went there to enjoy the night of holy Shab-e Barat.

The slain students were Tipu Sultan of Tejgaon College; Towhidur Rahman Palash, Kamruzzaman Kanto and Ibrahim Khalil of Mirpur Bangla College; Shams Rahim Shamam of Maple Leaf International School; and Sitaf Jabi Munif of Bangladesh University of Business and Technology.

The sources said the probe report states that the villagers beat the students to death on suspicion that they were robbers, and police on duty there did not try to stop the villagers.

Tajul said the report also found that Al Amin, the only living victim of the beating, had pleaded with police to allow him to talk to his parents over the cellphone, but police did not allow him, instead they treated the already severely maimed young man roughly.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) of Dhaka AKM Enamul Haque and Metropolitan Magistrate Utpal Chowdhury submitted the report to SC Registrar AKM Shamsul Haque yesterday morning.

More details of the report could not be known instantly since the SC registrar and the magistrates did not disclose the contents of the sealed document to the media.

The sources, however, said the committee did not make any recommendation in the report.

CMM Enamul Haque on August 10 formed a one-member judicial committee with Utpal Chowdhury to investigate the tragic incident.

Earlier on August 3, in response to the writ petition filed by Tajul Islam on behalf of the National Forum for Protection of Human Rights (NFPHR), the HC asked the CMM to form a committee with a magistrate to investigate the incident.

Utpal Chowdhury said he recorded statements of 54 people including 11 police personnel, family members of the six slain students, and the sole living victim Al Amin during the investigation, and took one month to write the report.

"I feel the real picture of the incident have been rightly presented in the investigation report," he said.

He declined to disclose the findings and observations of the report, terming it a sub-judice matter.

SC Registrar Shamsul Haque last evening said he received the sealed report, and had yet to open it.

"We will place the report to the chief justice next week for his approval to place it before the High Court bench concerned," he said.

Tajul Islam, who is also the secretary general of NFPHR, said they did not get a copy of the report yet.

He also said the HC will hear the writ petition for further order on the issue after the court reopens in the second week of October on completion of its ongoing autumn vacation.

Two other committees were formed by the Police Headquarters and the Criminal Investigation Department in July to investigate the incident, but none of those could complete the task till date.

Family members of the victims said yesterday evening that they saw television reports claiming the probe report found the victims innocent. They said the probe finding is now their only consolation.

Abdul Kader, father of Kanto, and Al Amin's father Khabir Bapari said they feel relieved as their sons will now be cleared of the fake allegation of attempted robbery.

They demanded arrest and punishment of those who killed the innocent students, and who tried to mislead the case to save the killers.
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India-Pakistan
Three MQM men `helping` census staff shot dead
2011-04-14
[Dawn] Three activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) were bumped off in Mehmoodabad on Tuesday while they were taking a rest during their `assistance` to government staff engaged in a house count under the recently launched census, officials and party sources said.

The second incident of political activists having been killed for a second day running prompted fresh fears among Bloody Karachiites, but the killing scourge remained beyond the control of political and security administrations of the province.

There was also no word from any of the key members of the Sindh cabinet about government efforts to halt nonstop assassinations.

In the first half of the day, four gunnies riding two cycle of violences pulled up at a street in Mehmoodabad No 2 to target the three young men associated with the MQM, and rode away in a flash after executing the job.

"The incident was witnessed near a mosque, Noor Masjid, in Mehmoodabad No 2," said Inspector Ahsan Zulfiqar, the SHO of the Mehmoodabad cop shoppe. "Witnesses saw two of the four men get off the two cycle of violences and fire at the three men engaged in chatting. They fired multiple shots at the victims and sped away."

Syed Asif Ali, in his late 30s, 45-year-old Muneer Ahmed and 40-year-old Muhammad Naeem were critically maimed in the shooting. They died one after another during treatment in the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.
"They're dead, Jim."
Earlier they were believed to be enumerators engaged in a house count, but the police later found that the victims were actually `assisting` the census staff and were associated with the MQM.

"There was a house count going on in the area and they were with the staff engaged in the exercise," said SSP Amir Farooqi of Jamshed Town. "Such an association led to the confusion but later it became clear that they were only assisting the enumerators and one of them was resident of the same locality where the incident took place."

He said the victims were hit mostly in the head, chest and face while the attackers took a few seconds to meet their target and accelerated away from the scene.

"We found more than 30 casings of spent bullets of 9mm pistol at the scene of the crime.
Such thoroughness is certainly...thorough.
The bodies have been handed over to the families after medico-legal formalities," added SSP Farooqi.

Fear gripped the densely populated neighbourhood and businesses were shut down amid frequent crackle of gunfire. Transport on the roads passing through the locality gradually disappeared.

The killing of the activists angered MQM leaders, but they urged party workers to stay calm. They demanded that the government protect activists` lives.

"The coordination committee has demanded that Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah take notice of the incident and ensure the arrest of killers and their patrons," said an MQM statement.

The statement also carried a message from MQM chief Altaf Hussain, condoling with the victims` families and condemning the killings.

"Syed Asif Ali was a former sector member of the party and was a resident of the Mehmoodabad area," said the statement. "Muneer Ahmed had retired as a deputy superintendent of the Sindh government`s land and revenue department only two months ago. Muhammad Naeem was a resident of the Surjani Town area and employed with the Bloody Karachi Water and Sewerage Board as a fitter."

Earlier, in the small hours of the day, a tea boy was killed in an armed attack on a roadside restaurant in Gulistan-i-Jauhar. Area police said the gunnies on two motorbikes fired at the roadside restaurant near Rabia City that left two youngsters badly maimed.

"One of the maimed, 19-year-old Shamsul Haq, died during treatment. The other, Hazrat Ali, was hit in the abdomen but was declared stable after he underwent a surgery," said an official at the Sharea Faisal cop shoppe.

Though the police remained clueless about the motive and people behind the shooting, the Awami National Party claimed the attack was ethnically motivated.
"We don't want none o' their kind round these parts!"
"The attack was part of the series of attacks targeting people of a particular background and ethnicity. The trend is a serious threat to city peace. And we demand immediate and effective measures by the authorities to curb assassinations," said an ANP front man.
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