DT e-Paper, Thursday, December 15, 2016

News 7
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2016
DT
Chittagong
BCS Digital
Expo-2016 to
kick off Sunday
• FM Mizanur Rahaman,
Chittagong
Pakistani occupation forces killed people on the bridge in Wapda area under Barisal city during the Liberation War. But, it has not been preserved as a killing ground
though freedom fighters and cultural activists have been demanding its preservation for a long time
DHAKA TRIBUNE
83% of killing grounds in 3 districts
yet to be documented
• Anisur Rahman Swapan,
Barisal
Around 83% of mass killing
grounds and hundreds of martyrs
of the Liberation War in three districts
of Barisal division are not
indentified even after 45 years of
Independence of Bangladesh.
A three-member research team,
who got fellowship of the Center
for Genocide Studies at Dhaka
University, told the Dhaka Tribune
that they collected information
about at least 68 mass killing
grounds in Barisal, Jhalakathi and
Pirojpur districts through locals
and witnesses.
The government has built only
three memorials—two in Barisal
city and another in Pirojpur--,while
eight memorial signs were erected
by private initiatives in this region.
The rest are yet to be marked,
documented and preserved properly
with fact and figures of the
martyrs.
Out of 68 killing grounds, 33 are
in Barisal, nine in Jhalakathi and 26
in Pirojpur districts, according to
the researchers.
In Barisal, three are in Sadar,
four in Gournadi, six in Agoiljhara,
three in Bakerganj, five in Banaripara,
two in Babuganj, five in Wazirpur,
two in Muladi and three are
situated in Mehendiganj upazila.
Sushanta Gosh, leader of the
research team, said: “According to
media reports, statements of witnesses
and documents preserved
by the family members of the victims,
we assume that at least 10 to
15 thousand innocent people were
killed by Pakistani occupation forces
on those killing spots during the
war.”
Besides, many people were injured,
traumatised and died later,
Sushanta added.
Bidhan Sarkar and Bappi Majumdar,
co-researchers of the team,
said though witnesses could mark
the killing grounds and identify
names of some martyrs, it required
to be documented officially with
the help of different government
BNP demands army deployment again
• Tanveer Hossain, Narayanganj
BNP again demanded army deployment
in Narayanganj City Corporation
(NCC) polls, scheduled on
December 22.
BNP Vice-chairman M Hafiz Uddin
Ahmed came up with the demand
yesterday in a press briefing
after inaugurating Media Cell of
BNP for NCC polls on Sayesta Khan
road at Sayestaganj in the city.
The senior BNP leader demanded
army deployment during the
election to ensure free and fair balloting.
He said: “Awami League has trampled
democracy and basic rights.”
Hafiz Uddin said: “Ruling party
Awami league men are trying to
harm the election environment. So
it is very important to deploy Army
during the election to ensure people’s
right of voting.”
The Ex-army personnel also
alleged that people of Dhaka and
Chittagong could not vote during
Dhaka North, Dhaka South and
Chittagong City Corporation elections.
BNP-backed NCC mayoral candidate
Shakhawat Hossain and
central and local top leaders were
present at the program.
Earlier, most of the NCC mayoral
candidates sought army deployment
during a discussion with
Election Commissioner Jabed Ali,
for a fair election.
However, after a meeting with
law enforcement agencies, Chief
Election Commissioner Kazi
Rakibuddin Ahmad on Saturday
said that there was no need to deploy
the army in the NCC polls.
Selina Hayat Ivy, the ruling party-backed
candidate, and Shakhawat
Hossain Khan, the BNP-backed
candidate, are going to contest
with their respective party symbols
for the mayoral position of
agencies.
Departments like land, statistics
and death and birth registration
and succession certificates from
judiciary could help in documentations
of the collected facts, they
added.
Enayet Hossain Chowdhury,
organising commander of Barisal
district Muktijoddha Sangsad, said
history of the Libration War had
been distorted, forgotten and exaggerated
in last 45 years because of
negligence.
“So, we must mark all killing
grounds and enlist names of all
martyrs, injured and affected people
for proper documentation,” he
added. •
Narayanganj City Corporation.
Meanwhile, mayoral candidates
of NCC attended a roundtable
yesterday and promised to work
sincerely to solve city’s problem if
they elected.
The Daily Prothom Alo organised
the two and half hours roundtable
at Narayanganj Club Audotorium
around 11am.
Sohrab Hossain, joint editor of
Daily Prothom Alo was the moderator
of the roundtable where mayoral
candidates, cultural activists,
social and rights activists, politician,
businessmen and others were
present at the roundtable. •
A five-day long Bangladesh Computer
Samity (BCS) Digital Expo-
2016 is all set to kick off on December
18 (Sunday) at GEC Convention
Centre in the port city in aiming to
speed up the activities to set Digital
Bangladesh goal.
The expo also aimed to link
up the grass-root people with the
country’s technological journey.
Bangladesh Computer Samity
(BSC) Chittagong Chapter is going
to organise the fair in the city for
the second time to explore the potentiality
of Chittagong in technological
sector.
Chittagong City Corporation
(CCC) mayor AJM Nasir Uddin is
scheduled to inaugurate the fair as
the chief guest at the GEC Convention
Centre.
“At the five-day fair around
50 native and foreign companies
will showcase their IT products
and services,” said Kamrul Hasan
Siddique, convener of BCS Digital
Expo-2016 also secretary of BCS
Chittagong chapter said at a press
conference.
International brand GIGABYTE
will sponsor the gaming
competition in the fair while
famous and international brand,
manufactures, importers and
suppliers will present their
respective latest IT products,
devices, gadgets at the expo, added
the organisers.
Famous IT brand HP, DELL,
CORSAIR and WD are going to
take part as the platinum sponsors
while ACER TP-LINK HIKVISION
and VIVANCO are also taking part
as Gold Sponsors at the fair.
The expo also would be featured
by free Wi-Fi Zone and gaming,
drawing competition, raffle draw
while the technology lovers of the
port city can find and discover their
desire products of latest version
and also would buy in attractive
discounts.
The fair will remain open from
10:00am to 8:00pm everyday while
the entry fee for expo is being fixed
Tk20.
BCS’s Chittagong Chapter’s
Chairman Shakhawat Hossen Juel,
Khairul Alam Emon, Chittagong
branch manager of Smart
Technologies BD, Sadek Md Imtiaj,
Chittagong branch manager of
Excel Technologies Ltd, Forkan
Molla, Chittagong manager of
South Bangla Computer Ltd,
Nowshad Chowdhury, owner of
Global Touch Computer and Nazrul
Islam, treasurer of BCS also spoke
at the press conference. •