Day: October 23, 2021

Stating that a plot is there to turn Bangladesh into a “communal state”, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday alleged that an “invisible” force is now controlling everything.

“We’re always under surveillance… the power of an invisible force that now actually runs the country is so deep-rooted that they’re now controlling the country and its people and our society,” he said.

Speaking at a discussion, the BNP leader said their party has been fighting for democracy amid an adverse situation in the country.

He called upon all the opposition political parties to get united putting aside misunderstanding and divisions among them to restore democracy and people’s rights through a united movement.

“We (BNP) are on a movement. We expect you to come together in this fight on one issue – the restoration of democracy. Let’s fight together to free the country from the current terrible situation. We’ll overthrow this fascist government and establish a democratic one,” Fakhrul said.

OLi Ahad Smriti Sangsad arranged the programme at the Jatiya Press Club, marking the 9th death anniversary of language veteran Oli Ahad.

Price hike

Earlier speaking at a human-chain programme, Fakhrul criticised the government for what he said its failure to control the unbridled price hike of daily essentials.

“They had promised to provide people with rice at Tk10 per kg, but now its price is Tk 70. The prices of soybean oil, sugar, salt, vegetables and pulses have also gone up,” he observed.

The BNP leader said the government is least bothered about public sufferings caused by the price hike as ruling party men are busy making their own fortunes. “They’re indulging in corruption and siphoning off money abroad and making second homes there.”

He demanded the government take effective steps to control the market and reduce the prices of essentials.

Dhaka south city unit BNP arranged the programme in front of the Jatiya Press Club protesting the rise in the prices of the essentials.

Fakhrul alleged that the government has snatched people’s basic rights by destroying democracy.

He said people have started now turning around as they want to get back their rights, including the right to vote. “We want to see the release of Khaleda Zia and the withdrawal of 35 lakh cases filed against our leaders and activists.”

The BNP leader said people joined the Liberation War in 1971 with a goal to establish an independent and democratic Bangladesh. “But this government has destroyed the country and its achievements in a very well-planned way. They (AL) want to restore a one-party system of government.”

He urged the government to stop oppressing people and hand over power to a non-partisan and neutral government paving the way for holding a credible election.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Saturday marks the 93rd birthday anniversary of poet, writer and journalist Shamsur Rahman, widely regarded as a pivotal figure in Bengali literature from the latter part of the twentieth century.

The Ekushey Padak winning litterateur was born on October 23, 1929, in old Dhaka in then British Bengal to Mukhlesur Rahman Chowdhury and Amena Khatun.

The legendary poet’s birth anniversary is being observed through numerous events by cultural organisations.

Marking the occasion, Bangla Academy will hold a solo lecture session on Sunday at the Academy’s Poet Shamsur Rahman Seminar Room.

Prominent researcher and poet Prof Khaled Hossain will present the keynote lecture at the event.

Secretary of Bangla Academy AHM Lokman will deliver the welcome address, and poet Muhammad Nurul Huda, the director general of Bangla Academy, will preside over the function.

Poet Shamsur’s ancestral home is in Paratali village of Narsingdi district.

After graduating with an honours in English literature from the University of Dhaka in 1953, he began his career as a journalist in Daily Morning News in 1956.

He joined Radio Pakistan as a programme producer the following year and worked there till 1959. After his stint in Radio Pakistan, he returned to Daily Morning News as a senior sub-editor and worked there from 1960-1964.

Before the 1971 Liberation War, Shamsur joined Daily Pakistan as an Assistant Editor in 1964. The newspaper was renamed Dainik Bangla after the Independence of Bangladesh, where he worked till 1977.

From 1977-1987, Shamsur worked as the Editor of Dainik Bangla and Weekly Bichitra.

Widely revered as one of the most famous Bangladeshi poets, Shamsur penned 66 poetry books in his lifetime. He started penning poems at the age of 18, and continued till his death on August 17, 2006.

His famous poem, ‘Asad-er Shirt’ was written during the mass uprising of 1969 led by Maulana Bhasani. During the 1971 Liberation War, he wrote a number of poems, inspiring the freedom fighters which were later published in his poetry collection ‘Bondi Shibir Theke’ (From Confinement in Enemy Territory) in 1972.

‘Shadhinota Tumi’ (Ode to Freedom) is one of his most inspiring poems, dedicated to the 1971 Liberation War heroes.

He has authored other literary creations too, including short stories and novels.

For his contribution in the field of Bengali literature, Shamsur received many prestigious awards, including Bangla Academy Literary Award (1969), Ekushey Padak (1977) and Independence Day Award (1991).

Source: United News of Bangladesh

‘Nonajoler Kabbo’ (The Salt in Our Waters), a much acclaimed film by young writer-director Rezwan Shahriar Sumit which received awards at numerous international film festivals last year, will have its theatrical release in Bangladesh on November 26.

The date for the theatrical release of the film was revealed at a press conference on Saturday noon at the Dhaka Club in the capital, joined by the cast and crew members of the film.

Actors including Titas Zia, Fazlur Rahman Babu, and Tasnova Tamanna joined the press conference alongside director-producer Sumit, noted film director Amitabh Reza, Star Cineplex chairman Mahboob Rahman Ruhel and the music director for the film Arnob.

‘Nonajoler Kabbo’ has performed at major festivals in London, Busan, Göteborg, Seattle, São Paulo, Torino, and Singapore. The film is now making its way beyond the festival circuit, to the upcoming United Nations Climate Conference COP26 this year in Glasgow, Scotland.

At the UN Climate Conference of Youth COY16, the first screening of ‘Nonajoler Kabbo’ will take place in front of young climate leaders from all across the world. The second showing will take place at the Cinema Auditorium (IMAX theater) in the official COP26 Green Zone.

This summit is expected to attract a majority of international leaders including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The critically acclaimed film depicts an epic cultural confrontation in Bangladesh’s climate frontlines, with the elemental battle of land and sea, man and nature functioning as an interactive setting for a dramatic meditation on tradition and modernity.

“I traveled to a remote fishing community in Patuakhali three years ago to make this film, and I’m sorry to inform you that the coastal village where we shot ‘Nonajoler Kabbo’ no longer exists. For 1.5 years, I was unable to return to the location due to the pandemic and when I returned to that beloved place and those beloved people, all I found were some broken tree branches and the rising tide,” Sumit said at the event.

The sea level in this area has risen dramatically in the last 2-3 years, according to Sumit, and the high tide is regularly eroding the land, and Cyclone Amphan last year wreaked havoc.

“I met some of the fishing village brothers and sisters who acted in Nonajoler Kabbo,” Sumit tells UNB, “Even Hilsa, they said, isn’t as plentiful as it once was. I realized that their lives are far more horrific than the story in my film, thus I applied for the United Nations Climate Conference because I want to tell the world about these people’s sufferings.”

‘Nonajoler Kabbo’ was co-produced by Rezwan Shahriar Sumit and French producer Ilann Girard. The film features stunning visuals shot by award-winning Thai cinematographer Chananun Chotrungroj.

The film’s editor, Academy Member Kristan Sprague, was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture this year, for her recent film ‘Judas and the Black Messiah.’ Rezwan Shahriar Sumit, the film’s Bangladeshi writer and director, was awarded a writing grant by Spike Lee, who also mentored him at NYU Tisch’s Grad Film Program.

‘Nonajoler Kabbo’ has won several national-international awards and grants, including the NETPAC Award (Best Asian Feature) at 26th Kolkata International Film Festival in 2021, TFL Audience Design Fund 2020, Bangladesh’s National Film Grant in 2017, CNC Aide aux cinémas du monde 2018, and Spike Lee Writing Grant 2016, to name a few.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Dhaka University (DU) on Saturday held the admission test of the ‘D’ unit under the social science faculty for the 2020-21 academic session.

The test was held in eight divisional cities across the country. The test began at 11am for a duration of 30 minutes.

DU Vice Chancellor Prof Akhtaruzzaman, pro-VC (administration) Prof Dr Samad, and pro-VC (administration) Prof Dr ASM Maksud Kamal visited a number of exam centers.

This year, 74 students are fighting for a single seat.

From October 1, DU started conducting its admission tests through a unit of the Science Group.

This year, a total off 1 lakh 15 thousand 881 students applied for the DU unit admission tests. Some 1,570 seats are up for grabs.

The exam centres outside Dhaka are: Chittagong University, Rajshahi University, Khulna University, Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in Sylhet, Barishal University, and Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a shining example of communal harmony where people of all faiths practice their religions freely and peacefully, said the country’s apex trade body of apparel manufacturers Friday.

“It is a right guaranteed by the Constitution of Bangladesh,” Faruque Hassan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said.

People of all faiths fought together in 1971 to liberate Bangladesh and are still making efforts for the development of the country, he added.

He made the remark following a visit to Sarbojanin Kendrio Kalibari in Gopalganj Friday.

BGMEA Senior Vice-President SM Mannan (Kochi); vice-presidents Shahidullah Azim, Md Nasir Uddin and Khandoker Rafiqul Islam were also present.

The BGMEA president handed over a cheque of Tk3 lakh to Sarbojanin Kendrio Kalibari.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has detained two persons, including the prime suspect, allegedly responsible for burning down the homes and shops of the Hindus in Rangpur.

Saikat Mandal, 24, son of Rashedul Haque and his accomplice Rabiul Islam, 36, son of Moslem Uddin of Pirganj upazila, have been nabbed by RAB-13 personnel from Gazipur district’s Tongi area, following a raid based on a tip-off, sources told UNB on Saturday.

During preliminary interrogation, the two admitted their guilt, Director (Legal and Media Wing) at the Rab headquarters Commander Khandaker Al Moin told reporters.

The detainees told interrogators that they had used loudspeakers to instigate people to carry out the arson attacks in a bid to create anarchy and disrupt communal harmony in the country, after posting misleading comments on social media, the RAB Commander said.

“Saikat provoked people by uploading false information on Facebook. He led a number of arson attacks directly. Rabiul used loudspeakers to instigate people, on Saikat’s instructions,” said Moin.

After the attacks, Saikat, a student of a Rangpur college, went into hiding. “Efforts are on to take legal steps against the detainees,” said RAB officers.

On October 17, the attackers set fire to 20-25 houses and shops of the Hindus at Boro Karimpur Majhipara village in Rangpur’s Pirganj upazila over a social media post, deputy commissioner Asif Hasan had said.

The attackers had also looted cash, cattle and other valuables from the houses of the Hindus. Police have so far detained 42 men in connection with the arson attacks.

Three cases have been filed in this connection with Pirganj Police.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Several hundred people from different organisations of the Hindu community on Saturday observed a sit-in and mass hunger strike at the capital’s Shahbagh intersection protesting the recent attacks on temples and vandalism of idols.

The protesters started the demonstration at Shahbagh intersection at 6:00 am Saturday.

The demonstration is part of countrywide processions, rallies and demonstrations staged by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBUC).

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad) president Hasanul Huq Inu demanded security of the minority community people across the country and justice for the communal attacks carried out at different places.

“The attacks were carried out on the minority community people because of the negligence of the administration,” Inu said adding, “A non-communal political party and administration is a must to form non-communal Bangladesh.”

Charu Chanda Das, general secretary of Iskcon Bangladesh, said that attacks on Hindu establishments are not new in Bangladesh.

The recent attacks could have been prevented had the perpetrators of the previous attacks been brought to book, he added.

Sammilito Sangskritik Jote president Golam Kuddus said, “Bangladesh achieved independence with the contributions of both Muslims and Hindus so that we could peacefully live together. But some perpetrators are trying to disrupt the harmony through communal violence. We strongly condemned this and demand punishment of the culprits.”

Taposhi Rani Sarkar, president of Hindu Buddhist Christian Mohila Upaparishad, said there will be no minorities left in Bangladesh if such incidents keep happening.

BHBUC central president Nim Chandra Bhowmik was present.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

A Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) member allegedly killed himself with his own gun on Friday night apparently having failed to endure acute poverty.

“Too tired of fighting with poverty for the past seven years; need some rest now,” the BGB man said in his Facebook handle barely an hour before taking his life.

Sohrab Hossain Chowdhury, 23, hailing from Parshuram upazila in Feni district, killed himself at 39 BGB battalion camp in Khagdahor area in Mymensingh, said assistant director of the battalion Yunus Ali on Saturday.

Around 8:03 pm on Friday, he posted the suicide note on social media about his job dissatisfaction and urged all to forgive him.

Sohrab narrated how “shamefully” he had to borrow money from his uncle for his mother’s treatment last month as he could not afford it with his small amount of salary.

“Didn’t get any chance to do anything for my physically- challenged younger brother,” he wrote.

“Amid the situation, people ask me why I’m not getting married. I never thought of getting married; only wanted to live a decent life somehow, but that has not been possible.”

”I’m too tired after fighting with mental pressure and poverty for the last seven years. Now I need some rest,” he wrote adding, “I seek pardon from my family, seniors, juniors and friends for this heinous act. But I had no other alternative.”

Bangladesh reports 70% more deaths from suicide than Covid-19, according to a recent study by Aachol Foundation published on March 14, this year.

Poverty in Bangladesh

The percentage of the population living below the poverty line (upper poverty line) in Bangladesh has nearly doubled from 21.6% in 2018 to 42% in 2020, while the percentage of extreme poor (lower poverty line) trebled from 9.4% in 2018 to 28.5% in 2020, according to South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM).

The poverty rate has increased in both urban and rural areas in Bangladesh. The percentage of the population below the poverty line in rural areas was 45.3%, while the number was 35.4% in urban areas. The percentage of extreme poor in rural areas was 33.2%, while in urban areas it was 19%.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

With two days left to apply for the Joy Bangla Youth Award (JBYA), youth organizations promoting religious harmony and working for religious and ethnic minorities, transgenders, dalits, and backward communities have been encouraged to apply for the award.

The award is designed to recognize countrywide young changemakers, help them network among themselves and enhance the services they are already providing to their communities.

Since its inception in 2014, Young Bangla has been conferring Joy Bangla Youth Award to the youths and youth organizations successfully involved in changing the social paradigm in their respective areas.

Youths across the country reached out with assistance to the distressed Hindu people who had become victims of the communal attacks following the Holy Quran desecration staged by some fanatics, said a media release on Saturday.

Such youth organizations, among others, are encouraged to apply for the award, said the Young Bangla.

Youths both from the majority Muslim and minority communities registered their protests on social media and the streets against religious violence and reached out to the victims with assistance.

Like the previous year, the fifth installment of JBYA, an award celebrating youths and youth organizations for transforming communities through social initiatives, has included this criterion.

JBYA’s invitation for applications has commenced on September 24 and will wrap up within two days, said the award’s organizer Young Bangla, the youth Secretariat of Centre for Research & Information (CRI).

Speaking on the impact of the award, 2018-JBYA winner Sadat Rahman, who later received International Children’s Peace Prize-2020 for his initiatives to stop cyberbullying and violence against children, said Joy Bangla Youth Award helped him build a network with other young changemakers, get in touch with the country’s policymakers.

“It helped me groom for more impactful service to my community that earned me the international award that I received from Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.”

The JBYA 2021, named after the most iconic slogan behind the 1971-Liberation War of Bangladesh, Joy Bangla, features two new additions – an award conferring ceremony and lifetime achievement awards.

Young Bangla will present Lifetime Achievement Awards to individuals who have significant contributions to the post-independent nation-building process through their leadership, service, initiatives, and research.

There will be 10 awards under two broad categories – Social Inclusion and Integrated Community Development.

Youth organizations working to improve the ability, opportunity, and dignity of marginalized and disadvantaged people through different initiatives can apply under ‘Social Inclusion, which is split into six sub-categories – Women Empowerment, Child Rights, Empowering People with Disabilities, Empowering Marginalized People, Youth Development, Empowering Extreme Poor.

Youth organizations making significant contributions to their community through their time, actions, talents, and dedication can apply under ‘Integrated Community Development’, which is divided into another six sub-categories – Anti-Drug Awareness Campaign, Environment, and Climate Change Activity, Disaster Risk Reduction & Emergency Response, Health Care and Awareness, Education, Sociocultural Initiatives.

Young Bangla will also encourage university-based clubs working for the youth community within the university through community service, campaigns, and activities to apply for this award.

Lifetime Achievement Awards will be conferred based on four criteria – Development Programmes and Projects, Public Policy, Research & Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Creativity.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB) exhibited its glorious 38 years of journey with a daylong event titled “ActOnAid! Exhibition” at a hotel in the capital Saturday.

The exhibition focused on the strategic priority programmes, special initiatives, success stories and impact on the communities of ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB) and how one can support its mission and vision to achieve social justice, gender equality and poverty eradication.

Alongside the exhibition, Farah Kabir, country director of AAB, hosted and moderated a panel discussion titled “Inclusive development partnerships towards attaining the SDGs” with industry leaders, philanthropists, celebrities, young changemakers, academics and activists.

“ActionAid Bangladesh started its journey from Char Fasson of Bhola. No one knew about Char Fasson in those days, but we were there to support the communities affected by floods and cyclones. Since then, we have been here working with the most marginalised, in the very hard to reach places and in different geographical locations,” Farah said.

AAB, an affiliate member of the ActionAid Federation, has been working in Bangladesh since 1983 in solidarity with the poor and excluded people to end poverty and injustice.

The organisation aims to facilitate and empower people to challenge poverty and exclusion underpinned by its human rights-based approach (HRBA).

Source: United News of Bangladesh

US-Bangla Airlines will start direct flights from Dhaka to Male, the capital of Maldives, for the first time on November 19.

The US-Bangla holiday packages in the Maldives will be effective from November 19 to December 20. A minimum of Tk58,990 has been fixed per person, according to a media statement.

The private carrier will operate flights on the Dhaka-Male-Dhaka route three days a week.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Police on Saturday arrested Ehteshamul Haque Bhola , who allegedly supplied arms used in the killing of former police superintendent Babul Akter’s wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu, from Benapole in Jeshore district.

Santosh Chakma, the investigative officer in the case and PBI Inspector (Chattogram Metro Zone) said,” Members of Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) arrested him early Saturday while he was fleeing to India.”

There is substantial evidence that Bhola provided the firearms and ammunition for killing Mitu.

He was earlier arrested and jailed for several days.

However, the High Court in September granted him four weeks’ bail.

He recently applied for anticipatory bail before the High Court after a re-arrest warrant was issued against him, but the HC ordered Bhola to surrender to a lower court.

But Bhola tried to flee the country without surrendering to the lower court.

Tipped off, PBI conducted a drive and arrested Bhola from Durgapur Bazar Road in Benapole Bazar along the border.

On June 5, 2016, unidentified assailants gunned down Babul’s wife Mitu at the port city’s GEC intersection while she was going to drop her son for a bus of Chittagong Cantonment Public School and College.

Soon after the crime, a murder case was filed at Panchlaish Police Station against three unidentified men, following a complaint by Babul.

On May 12 this year, PBI submitted its final report in the case.

He is currently behind the bars over a murder case filed by Mitu’s father.

Source: United News of Bangladesh