ICT takes charges against Sayeedi into cognizance

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Thursday took the charges against Jama'at-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi into cognizance, reports BSS.

Chairman of the three-member tribunal Justice Nizamul Haque also set August 10 for framing the charges.

Earlier, he was produced before the tribunal.

Sayeedi is now detained in jail in several cases including alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the War of Liberation.

Besides, the tribunal again rejected the petition seeking bail for Sayeedi.

Prosecution of the ICT on May 31 submitted 15-part investigation report containing 4,047 pages against Sayeedi before the tribunal.

The investigation agency submitted the report after 313 days of investigation from July 21, 2010 to May 30, 2011.

The tribunal also asked the prosecution to submit by July 17 if any other evidence was found against Sayeedi.

It also asked the prosecution to supply the copy of formal charges and other relevant documents to the defence counsel by July 19.

The government on March 25 last year set up the tribunal with Justice M Nizamul Haque as chairman and Justice ATM Fazle Kabir and retired district and sessions judge AKM Zahir Ahmed as its members to try the perpetrators of crimes against humanity in 1971.

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5 secys face contempt charges

Dhaka, July 10 (bdnews24.com) -- Five secretaries and six other senior government officials face contempt charges for defying court directives on setting up boundary pillars on the banks of four major rivers around capital Dhaka.

The defendants were also charged with defying court orders to demolish unauthorised structures along the Buriganga, Balu, Turag and Shitalakhya rivers.

Lawyer Manzill Murshid filed the case with the Supreme Court on Sunday for rights group Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh.

The case was filed against the shipping, planning, finance, communications and water resources secretaries, and the chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), directors general of land survey and environment directorates, and deputy commissioners of Dhaka, Gazipur and Narayanganj.

Manzill Murshid said the High Court on June 25, 2009 served a number of directives on the government in a bid to protect the ecologically threatened Buriganga, Turag, Shitalakhya and Balu rivers, which run around the capital.

It ordered the government to accurately demarcate the river boundaries to prevent encroachment, continue the demolition of illegal structures encroaching on the rivers, construct pavements on the banks and dredge the rivers to remove wastes from the riverbeds.

The court also ordered the environment secretary to declare the four rivers 'ecologically critical areas'.

"The government was given two years to complete the tasks that expired on Nov 30. Upon a plea, the court extended the time by six months, which ended on May 30," Manzill said.

"On July 2, the defendants were given a legal notice with one week's time to reply," he said.

He added that the environment secretary was excluded from the contempt charge because he had responded to legal notice.

bdnews24.com/sn/pks/sh/sam/1625h

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5 secys face contempt charges

Dhaka, July 10 (bdnews24.com) -- Five secretaries and six other senior government officials face contempt charges for defying court directives on setting up boundary pillars on the banks of four major rivers around capital Dhaka.

The defendants were also charged with defying court orders to demolish unauthorised structures along the Buriganga, Balu, Turag and Shitalakhya rivers.

Lawyer Manzill Murshid filed the case with the Supreme Court on Sunday for rights group Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh.

The case was filed against the shipping, planning, finance, communications and water resources secretaries, and the chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), directors general of land survey and environment directorates, and deputy commissioners of Dhaka, Gazipur and Narayanganj.

Manzill Murshid said the High Court on June 25, 2009 served a number of directives on the government in a bid to protect the ecologically threatened Buriganga, Turag, Shitalakhya and Balu rivers, which run around the capital.

It ordered the government to accurately demarcate the river boundaries to prevent encroachment, continue the demolition of illegal structures encroaching on the rivers, construct pavements on the banks and dredge the rivers to remove wastes from the riverbeds.

The court also ordered the environment secretary to declare the four rivers 'ecologically critical areas'.

"The government was given two years to complete the tasks that expired on Nov 30. Upon a plea, the court extended the time by six months, which ended on May 30," Manzill said.

"On July 2, the defendants were given a legal notice with one week's time to reply," he said.

He added that the environment secretary was excluded from the contempt charge because he had responded to legal notice.

bdnews24.com/sn/pks/sh/sam/1625h

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Sitting MP seeks cover as ex-MP charges

Narayanganj, June 18 (bdnews24.com) ? The deputy commissioner's office here turned into a battleground on Saturday as a former parliamentarian of the ruling party enraged following a wordy duel charged at the sitting MP, also of the same party.

Argument started between Awami League MP Sarah Begum Kabari and former MP Shamim Osman at a meeting on bus fare on Saturday at the Narayanganj deputy commissioner's office. At one point, Shamim left his seat and rushed angrily towards Kabari.

Kabari later told reporters that Shamim used profanities against her and also tried to assault her physically.

Shamim, however, denied the allegations.

Private televisions showed footages of the incident, where Shamim is seen charging at Kabari and Kabari following the suit.

The meeting was called to discuss a general strike called by a commuters' platform of the district.

'Jatri Adhikar Shangrakkhan Forum' called the half-day strike on June 20 to protest increased bus fare on the Dhaka-Narayanganj route.

Over 60 organisations?political, professional, social and cultural?expressed their support for the strike.

While Kabari and district Awami League president Anwar Hossain took a stance for the strike and its demands, Shamim, who had been invited there by transport company owners, started by questioning the legitimacy of the citizen's bodies behind the strike.

Arguments sparked off and at one stage Shamim left his seat and advanced menacingly at Kabari.

While Anwar Hossain and some others shielded Kabari, yet others came to Shamim's aid. Chaos broke out in the deputy commissioner's office amid television cameras and photographers witnessing and recording the scene.

Deputy commissioner Shamsur Rahman sat out the fracas.

MP Nazrul Islam Babu and superintendent of police Sheikh Nazmul Alam were eventually able to calm everyone down and the meeting continued, but it ended without any decision.

A large number of police and RAB personnel were deployed outside the office when supporters of both leaders gathered there.

bdnews24.com/corr/pd/sh/nir/2345h

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