Day: April 15, 2024

Police have arrested four youths for allegedly cutting down a tree of precious Bodhichitta (Buddhachitta) at Roshi Rural Municipality-5, Nagbeli in Kavrepalanchowk district. Spokesperson at the District Police Office, Dhulikhel, DSP Raj Kumar Shrestha informed the arrestees have been identified as Prabhat Tamang, Shyam Krishna Mainali, Man Bahadur Tamang and Durga Lal Tamang. The group had cut down a tree of Bodhichitta in the Nagbeli-based garden of Thakurani Tamang on Thursday night with explosives. Tamang said this year the Bodhichitta grain grown on the particular tree was to be sold at Rs 30 million this year. She had already received advance for this. According to her, a group of around 20 people armed with weapons cut the Bodhichitta tree at around 1 am on Thursday. Mainali and Durga Lal were arrested from Banepa of Kavrepalanchowk on Sunday, while Prabhat was arrested from Banasthali of Kathmandu on Saturday and Man Bahadur was arrested on the same day the tree was cut down, said DSP Shrestha. According to the police, four socket bombs were planted on the door and courtyard of the house after the tree of Tamang was cut down. Dhulikhel-based Kalijung Battalion of the Nepal Army had defused the bomb. A search is on for others involved in the incident, police said. Meanwhile, victim Thakurani lodged a complaint at the District Police Office on Sunday against eight persons, including four arrested. The fruit grown on the tree was looted four years ago. Police suspected that the group that cut trees may have looted the fruit at that time. The Bodhichit-made garland has special religious and cultural importance in Tamang community and Tiberan and Chinese society. Source: National News Agency RSS

Hindu community will celebrate holy 'Astami Snan' (dip in old Brahmaputra) with due religious fervor in the district tomorrow. Police have taken special steps to maintain the law and order situation during the festival. President of Astomi Snan and Mela committee, Prodip Kumar Som said Hindu devotees will begin dip in the Old Brahmaputra at 6 am dawn. Then they will perform worship and immolate goats at 'Doyamoyee' temple in the town, he said. Centering the Astami Snan, a three-day long folk fair will be held in and around the Doyamoyee temple area. Superintendent of Police Md Kamruzzaman said additional police force including female police have been deployed in the river area where the devotees will dip and in the town so that they could perform religious festival in a peaceful atmosphere. Besides police also took special steps to control the traffic system as huge people crowd in the town on the festival, he added. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Dhaka streets are mostly empty still today though government and private offices, banks and stock markets resumed after the end of Eid-ul-Fitr and Pahela Baishakh holidays. The busy capital city is yet to get its usual look as most of shopping malls, shops remain closed. A little number of vehicles is seen plying the streets in the city. However, the Eid holidaymakers are returning to the capital after enjoying the Eid festival at their village home. Train stations, launch and bus terminals in the capital witnessed crowds of holidaymakers who are returning to the city. On the first day after vacations, the presence of employees at offices was low. Employees and officials were seen exchanging greetings of Eid and Pahela Baishakh. On the occasion of Eid, April 10, 11, and 12 (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) were public holidays. After Eid, there was weekly holiday on Saturday, April 13, and Bengali New Year holiday on Sunday (April 14). As a result, employees enjoyed holidays from 10th to 14th April. Ho wever, many of the government and private sector workers who went outside Dhaka for Eid have taken additional leave. Besides, schools and colleges will also open next week. Then the capital will get its usual look. The journalists and employees working in the newspaper industries enjoyed six-day Eid vacation for the first time as the Newspapers Owners Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) declared the holidays since April 9. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat today described Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi's programme defying the directives issued by the government for the sake of public safety and its negative statement as unexpected and unfortunate. "Udichi Shilpigoshthi's programme defying the directives, issued by the government's security affairs agency for ensuring security of Pahela Baishakh, was inconsiderate and unfortunate incident," he told journalists at his Secretariat office here. Arafat said, "The government gets hurt and very much shocked at this behavior of Udichi". Many people were killed and many others became paralyzed after being injured in bombings at Ramna Batamul in the capital and Udichi's programme in Jashore on Pahela Baishakh, he said. The state minister said several members of police sacrificed their lives to prevent terrorist attack at Holey Artisan, Eid Jammat at Sholakia Maidan and in Sylhet and saved lives of people. As the government remains always vigilant to ensure the safety of people's lives and property in every event, no terrorist attack or terrorist incident has occurred in Bangladesh in the recent past, he mentioned. He said the government seeks everyone's cooperation in this regard. Arafat said in 1993, the then Begum Khaleda Zia's government obstructed the celebration programme of Bengali year of 1400. The purpose of their obstruction was not security rather for discouraging this universal and non-communal festival of Bangalee nation, the state minister said. "Under the leadership of Bangabandhu's daughter, all organizations having faith in the spirit of Liberation War including Bangladesh Awami League or we all had celebrated Pahela Baishakh in Suhrawardy Udyan," he said. Noting that ensuring security is the duty of the government, the state minister sought cooperation from all as any joyous festival doesn't turn into sorrowful incident. He questioned who would take the responsibility if any accident occurred there where Udichi held programme de fying government's prohibition. "We think that those who will hold programme without following rules or directives should take that responsibility," he said. Mentioning said Pahela Baishakh is celebrated in a proper manner under the initiative of the Awami League government, Arafat said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government introduced allowance for Bengali New Year for celebration of the Pahela Baishakh. During the tenure of Sheikh Hasina, in response to the Cultural Affairs Ministry's appeal, Bangladesh's "Mangal Shobhajatra" was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2016, categorised on the representative list as a heritage of humanity. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

With sincere efforts by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Pahela Baishakh, the Bengali New Year, was celebrated peacefully in the capital yesterday. 'I am proud of my colleagues. Because they were very active and performed their duties sincerely during the Eid-ul-Fitr and Bengali New Year, as no untoward incident was occurred,' DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman expressed his satisfaction at an Eid reunion at DMP Headquarters here today. On the first working day after the Eid and Pahela Baishakh holidays, he exchanged Eid greetings with all police officers-employees working at DMP Headquarters, office staff and all policemen working at Rajarbagh Police Lines. Greeted everyone, Habib said that around 34,000 policemen and staff have been working in the DMP, adding, 'It is not only for Bangladesh Police, but also a matter of pride for the entire country. No other institution in Bangladesh has so many officers and forces at once. We work together as a team. Every member of the DMP works to provide security to the two crore people live in the capital.' He also said that due to the police activities centering the Ramadan and Eid, there was no incident of robbery or any activity of the Malam party. 'Usually the criminals commit crimes during the Ramadan, but this year not a single crime incident was reported. I am definitely proud of my colleagues,' the commissioner added. He said yesterday various programmes were organized by different socio cultural organizations centering the Pahela Baishakh, but no untoward incident was occurred. 'All the events were done well due to Dhaka Metropolitan Police force sincere performance. It was a big challenge to take iftar at homes for the city dwellers after work during the Holy Ramadan. In the past, we have seen people taking their iftar on the streets,' Habib said. He added, 'This time traffic police took challenge for ensuring smooth traffic movement before iftar time, as additional commissioners, joint commissioners and deputy commissioners performed their duties profess ionally.' Among others, additional commissioners, joint commissioners and deputy commissioners and other police officers concerned were attended the reunion. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Claiming BNP's falsehood over the number of its imprisoned party men, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today sought the list of imprisoned BNP leaders, otherwise BNP would have to seek apology to the nation. "The number of BNP's captive leaders was 20,000 and how it becomes 60 lakh...so, reveal the list of 60lakh jailed activists, otherwise Mirza Fakhrul Islam must have to seek apology to the nation for his falsehood", he said. Quader also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister made this comment while briefing the journalists at Awami League President's political office at Dhanmondi here this afternoon. Talking about the Mujibnagar Day on April 17, the ruling party leader said "it [April 17] is the oath day of the first government of the Independent Bangladesh ...but BNP does not accept it." Even they refuse June 7, a red-letter day in the history of freedom movements of the people of Bangladesh and the nation has since been observing June 7 as the historic Six-Point Day, he said. 'So, I n ever believe that BNP will do positive politics with the spirit of Bengali culture", Quader added. Sharply criticizing that the BNP was born to destroy the Spirit of Liberation of Bangladesh, the road transport and bridges minister said they want to strike on the root of the land [Bangladesh]. "Suddenly one became an announcer of our independence through blowing a whistle and it was the role of BNP in 1971", he noted. Replying to a query on Israel and Palestine, the minister said "We don't want war... We want peace". Asked about the continuation of government's step on checking commodity price like the holy Ramadan, Quader said the programme would be continued till fulfill the peoples' requirement. Awami League Joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Organizing secretaries BM Mozammel Huq and Mirza Azam, Relief and Social Welfare Affairs secretary Aminul Islam Amin, Cultural affairs secretary Ashim Kumar Ukil and deputy office secretary Sayem Khan, among others, attended the function. Source: Bangl adesh Sangbad Sangstha