DT e-Paper 06 March 2017

24
MONDAY, MARCH 6, 2017
DT
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SHAZNEEN MURDER
SC upholds death for Shahidul
• Ashif Islam Shaon
The Supreme Court has upheld
the death penalty of domestic
help Shahidul Islam alias
Shahid rejecting his review
petition in a case filed for the rape
and murder of Shazneen Tasnim
Rahman.
A three-member Appellate
Division bench, headed by Chief
Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha,
passed the order on Sunday
morning, Shahid’s lawyer Monoj
Kumar Bhowmik confirmed the
Dhaka Tribune.
Shazneen, a 15-year-old Scholastica
student and the youngest
daughter of Transcom Group
Chairman Latifur Rahman, was
raped and killed at her Gulshan
residence on April 23, 1998.
The Criminal Investigation Department
(CID) investigated the
sensational murder and pressed
charges against six accused on December
12, 1998. The trial began on
July 9, 2000.
On September 2, 2003, the
Women and Children Repression
Prevention Tribunal sentenced all
the six accused including domestic
help Shahid to death. The others
are: Syed Sajjad Mainuddin Hasan,
a contractor who was appointed to
repair the house; Sajjad’s assistant
Badal; carpenter Shaniram Mandal;
and two house maids – Estema
Khatun Minu and Parvin.
As the convicts filed review
petitions against the verdict,
the High Court on July 10,
2006 acquitted Shaniram, but
upheld the death sentence for
others.
On August 2, 2016, the Appellate
Division upheld the death sentence
for Shahid, and acquitted the four
others.
Shahid filed a review petition
against the judgment.
The lone convict may seek presidential
clemency after the full verdict
of Sunday’s order is published.
If Shahid does not seek clemency
admitting the crimes or if the mercy
petition is rejected, he will be
executed as per the tribunal’s order.•
Hawkers threaten to
cripple Dhaka if evicted
• Abu Hayat Mahmud
Leaders of hawkers in Dhaka’s
Gulistan and Motijheel areas have
threatened to cripple Dhaka if the
Dhaka South Mayor tries to evict
them.
The hawker leaders came up
with the threat at a sit-in protest
organised by Hawkers Samonyay
Parishad in front of National Press
Club on Sunday in the city.
The threat comes within three
weeks of an earlier threat made
on February 15 to cordon off
DSCC Mayor Mohammad Sayeed
Khokon. However, Sayeed Khokon
has called the hawkers’ movement
a conspiracy by extortionists.
Addressing Mayor Khokon, the
Hawkers Union Adviser Murshiqul
Islam Shimul said: “Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina instructed against
an eviction of hawkers. She also
said no eviction without rehabilitation.
So you [Khokon] are not more
powerful than prime minister and
the parliament.
“We ask you not to make a rash
move based on a whim; do not ignore
the Prime Minister’s words. If
you still make an attempt at eviction,
we will be forced to cripple Dhaka.”
Hawkers Samonyay Parishad
Convener Abul Kalam urged the
mayor to fulfil their demands or
they would take a tougher stance.
He said their final decision will
be declared at the hawkers’ mass
rally on March 29.
Meanwhile, the hawkers’ protest
caused a traffic gridlock between
Purana Paltan and Shahbagh
in the city.
Cleaning up the footpaths has
also been difficult as street hawkers
happen to be occupying most
of them.
Earlier in October, attempts to
evict hawkers in Gulistan led to
a clash between the hawkers and
DNCC officials and the police.•
ANTIQUATED BUS BAN
Seven bus drivers jailed on first day of drive
• Abu Hayat Mahmud
Seven drivers were jailed yesterday
on day one of a massive drive
against getting public buses, whose
licences were removed and are no
longer serviceable, off the roads.
Three mobile courts carried out
the drive at Dhaka South City Corporation,
fining bus drivers and
owners Tk87,000 for operating
unlicensed, unserviceable buses
and bringing a total of 75 cases
against the drivers and owners.
Three old buses were also seized
and dumped.
Jointly conducted by DSCC,
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority
(BRTA), and Dhaka District
Administration, with the cooperation
of Dhaka Metropolitan Police
(DMP), the mobile courts ran the
drive at Bangabandhu Avenue,
Dainik Bangla intersection and
Motijheel in the capital.
BRTA Executive Magistrate Md
Abdus Salam led the mobile court
in Gulistan, Dhaka District Administration
Executive Magistrate Touhid
Elahi led the court at Dainik
Bangla, while the court at Motijheel
was led by DSCC Executive
Magistrate Mamun Sardar.
Three mobile courts carry out a joint drive in different areas of Dhaka South City Corporation to rid the streets of old,
unlicensed, unfit buses. The photo was taken yesterday at Motijheel
RAJIB DHAR
The mobile courts penalised
drivers for operating old buses,
lacking driving licenses, driving
under the age of 18, parking illegally
on roads, and not displaying fare
charts on the buses, among other
offences.
Very few old buses were seen on
the city roads on the day due to the
drive.
DSCC Mayor Mohammad Sayeed
Khokon was at the drive on Bangabandhu
Avenue around 11am.
“Accidents continue to occur
due to the plying of unfit vehicles,
the lack of awareness and skills displayed
by drivers, and some drivers
being under aged. Traffic jams also
occur due to vehicles parking randomly
on the roads,” he said.
He added that the drive would
continue for 15 days and may be
extended if unfit, unlicenced buses
continue to ply while the drive is
carried out.
The DSCC mayor again asked
bus owners to hire skilled drivers
18 years of age or older with BRTA
issued driving licenses, and also
warned that legal action would
be taken against drivers aged 18
or older who illegally acquired
BRTA licenses by hiding their
legal age.
On February 15, Khokon announced
that public buses older
than 20 years would be banned
from March 1.
He made the announcement after
a meeting with senior officials
of BRTA, DMP, Rajuk, the Dhaka
district deputy commissioner’s
office, and Dhaka Transport
Co-ordination Authority at Nagar
Bhaban.•
Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower,
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