DT e-Paper 14 March 2017

SECOND EDITION 

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 | Falgun 30, 1423, Jamadi-us-Sani 14, 1438 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 316 | www.dhakatribune.com | 24 pages plus 8-page In-depth supplement | Price: Tk10 

Balochis urge UN 

human rights probe on 

violations by Pakistan › 8 

BIGSTOCK 

Police ask Facebook 

to require NID for 

new accounts › 2 

AFP 

Mahmudullah to fly back 

home despite being in 

ODI side › 18 

IGP: Gunaratna’s 

IS claim personal, 

baseless › 2 

Police urge Interpol 

to respect HC 

orders › 3 

BNP asks PM to 

show proof or 

apologise › 3 

BGMEA gets land 

to build office at 

Uttara › 10

2 

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 

DT 

News 

Police ask Facebook to require 

NID for new accounts 

• Arifur Rahman Rabbi 

Bangladesh Police have requested 

Facebook authorities to require 

additional identification, including 

NID numbers, from Bangladeshis 

who want to sign up at the social 

networking website. 

The proposition was raised yesterday 

during a bilateral meeting 

between Bangladesh Police and 

Facebook representatives on the 

sidelines of an ongoing conference 

of police chiefs of South Asia and 

neighbouring countries, being held 

in Dhaka. 

Facebook Trust and Safety Manager 

Vikram Langeh attended the 

conference. 

“Many countries have agreements 

with Facebook, but we do 

not have any official agreement or 

assistance deal with the social media 

platform yet. We will try to develop 

a working relationship with 

Facebook at this forum,” said Mohammad 

Moniruzzaman, assistant 

inspector general (confidential) of 

Police Headquarters. 

“We want assistance from Facebook 

on information sharing as no 

other authority can help with this 

issue, except the service providers 

themselves,” the AIG said. Currently, 

police can collect information 

from mobile phone service providers 

if required. 

Citing a recent study by Bangladesh 

Police, Moniruzzaman said 

around 82% of the arrested militant 

suspects were radicalised through 

social media platforms including 

Facebook. 

The study was done on 250 militants 

arrested in the last two years. 

According to the study, the majority 

of those who were radicalised 

through social media regularly 

used Facebook and Messenger 

while some used Twitter. 

Furthermore, militants are also 

using encrypted media and encrypted 

communication tools for 

their internal communications. 

A recent survey quoted by AIG 

Moniruzzaman at the conference 

says 92% arrestees involved with 

recent terror attacks had social media 

accounts. 

Of them, 56% were influenced 

by online Jihadi videos, audio 

IGP: Gunaratna’s IS claim 

personal, baseless 


The inspector general of police has 

rejected the comments of a terrorism 

analyst on the presence of Islamic 

State in Bangladesh. 

Prof Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism 

expert from Singapore’s Nanyang 

Technological University, said 

on Sunday that Bangladesh Police 

needed to tell the truth about the 

recent bout of terrorism. 

“The Holey Artisan attack was 

mounted by Islamic State, influenced 

by the terrorist group in Iraq 

and Syria,” the professor said while 

presenting the keynote paper for 

an international conference of 

chiefs of police in Dhaka. 

IGP AKM Shahidul Hoque told 

journalists yesterday that Gunaranta’s 

comments were his personal 

Two Facebook officials (far right) join the police chiefs of 14 South Asian and neighbouring nations at the three-day Chiefs of 

Police Conference in Dhaka yesterday 

RASHED NIZAM 

opinion and they were groundless. 

“Prof Gunaratna expressed his 

personal views at the conference. 

He does not have any ground-level 

practical experience regarding militant 

issues in Bangladesh,” Shahidul 

said. 

“There is no Islamic State in 

Bangladesh,” he reiterated. 

The Gulshan Holey Artisan Bakery 

attack last year was carried out 

by home-grown terrorists, but they 

may have contacts with the Middle-Eastern 

terrorist group through 

the Internet, the IGP said. 

“Prof Gunaratna is not a police 

officer. He is not even a military 

officer. He does not deal in security 

issues as he is an academician. He 

is a university teacher and he has 

done some research. His claim is 

nothing but his personal opinion,” 

and articles, the paper, “Militancy 

Propaganda by Social Media and Its 

Effect in the Society,” says. 

Militants are now moving away 

from mobile phones to online applications 

as their preferred medium 

of communication, police say. 

“Militants today are very 

tech-savvy. They are using encrypted 

software for communication,” 

said Moniruzzaman. 

According to the study, 40% of 

the arrestees had communicated internally 

using messaging apps like 

Threema, Telegram, WeChat, Chatsecure 

and Facebook Messenger. 

In total, 80% of the arrestees were 

influenced by social media content. 

he said. 

“We have arrested many people 

from the group he calls Islamic 

State. None of them have said they 

are IS,” he countered. 

“They usually say their spiritual 

leader’s name, or Sarwar Jahan’s 

name.” 

Many militants were killed in 

police drives, but the Islamic State 

has not hailed any of them as members, 

the police chief said. 

“We do not endorse Prof Gunaratna’s 

statement,” he added. 

The three-day long regional conference 

of police chiefs of South 

Asia and neighbouring countries 

began Sunday at Pan Pacific Sonargaon 

Hotel in Dhaka. The theme of 

the conference is “Regional Cooperation 

in Curing Violent Extremism 

and Transnational Crime.” • 

Responding to a query, the official 

said police would be careful 

not to violate Facebook users’ privacy, 

except in cases of a legitimate 

threat to national security. 

“The moment you cross the 

line, our job begins,” he said, referring 

to users who use the network 

for planning terrorist activities. 

‘Privacy must be protected’ 

Mustafa Jabbar, the president of 

Bangladesh Association of Software 

and Information Services (BA- 

SIS), told the Dhaka Tribune that he 

believed online identity verification 

was needed to prevent crimes. 

“Facebook has become a repository 

of information. If they do not 

help the states, then they become 

helpless. So it is a good initiative, 

but we have to be careful about 

people’s privacy,” he said. 

Nur Khan, acting executive director 

of the human rights organisation 

Ain o Salish Kendra, told the 

Dhaka tribune: “If Facebook agrees 

to this, then they will do this according 

to their rules and regulations. 

But we have to ensure that 

our privacy will not be hampered. 

“Personal safety and information 

must be protected.” 

Currently, over 20 million people 

use Facebook in Bangladesh. 

In November 2015, the government 

blocked the site in the 

country for three weeks, after the 

death penalties of war criminals 

SQ Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mohammad 

Mujahid were upheld by 

Supreme Court. 

Three ministers met with Facebook 

officials during the blackout 

to discuss cyber security, highlighting 

violence against women as 

a major concern. 

Facebook authorities have so 

far blocked 87 accounts, pages 

and links following requests from 

Bangladesh government. 

Currently, it takes 48 hours for 

Facebook to respond if any government 

asks to shut down certain 

Facebook pages. 

In the last 18 months, the government 

has requested Facebook 

to block 196 accounts, pages or 

links related to violence, religious 

instigation and other objectionable 

matters. • 

Who is Rohan Gunaratna? 

• Tribune Desk 

Rohan Gunaratna is an international 

terrorism expert and head of the 

International Centre for Political Violence 

and Terrorism Research at the 

S Rajaratnam School of International 

Studies in Nanyang Technological 

University in Singapore. 

A former Senior Fellow at the Combating 

Terrorism Centre at the United 

States Military Academy at West Point 

(New York), he was invited to testify 

on the structure of al-Qaeda before 

the 9/11 Commission. 

Gunaratna is the author of 15 

books, including “Inside al Qaeda: 

Global Network of Terror” (University 

of Columbia Press). 

In a February 2011 article in Lakbima 

News, Gunaratna claimed that the Canadian 

Tamil Congress (CTC) was a front 

for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. 

The CTC sued Gunaratna, and, on 21 

January 2014, 

the Ontario 

Superior Court 

of Justice 

ruled against 

Gunaratna, 

ordering him 

to pay the CTC 

damages of 

$37,000, and costs of $16,000. 

In his ruling judge Stephen E Firestone 

stated that Gunaratna’s claims 

were unequivocally and incontrovertibly 

“false and untrue.” 

Gunaratna received his master’s 

from the University of Notre Dame, 

USA, where he was Hesburgh Scholar 

and his doctorate from the University 

of St Andrews (Scotland), where he 

was British Chevening Scholar. 

For advancing international security 

cooperation, Gunaratna received 

the Major General Ralph H Van Deman 

Award in June 2014. •

Students and a few older festival-goers as well play with colours at the Holi Festival on Dhaka University campus yesterday 

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU 

BNP asks PM to show proof or apologise 

• Syed Samiul Basher Anik 

News 3 


Police urge Interpol to respect HC orders 


Bangladesh Police have urged Interpol 

authorities to show respect 

to convictions made by the country’s 

High Court before withdrawing 

its red notices issued for criminals. 

Inspector General of Police AKM 

Shahidul Haque made the call 

yesterday while briefing reporters 

on the second day of the threeday 

Chiefs of Police Conference 

of South Asia and Neighbouring 

Countries organised by Bangladesh 

Police and Interpol. 

“Interpol red notices issued for 

criminals were at times withdrawn 

even though those criminals were 

convicted by the High Court of 

Bangladesh. 

“They [Interpol] should respect 

the verdicts given by our High 

Court. If they choose not to honour 

our court systems, then we have 

some reservations. The government 

is not taking the matter lightly. 

“However, Interpol representatives 

have informed us that they 

would inform the matter to the organisation 

so that an accused do not 

receive any favours from Interpol.” 

Bangladesh also requested Interpol 

to find out the current status 

of the fugitive killers of Bangabandhu 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman so 

that they can be arrested in collaboration 

with the country they are 

hiding in. 

Shahidul said Bangladesh had 

provided Interpol with information 

on many of Bangabandhu’s killers 

previously. “We urged them to take 

our information seriously, to which 

they gave positive response.” 

Talking about other issues, the 

IGP said Bangladesh Police have 

requested Myanmar Police to destroy 

the yaba manufacturing factories 

in the bordering areas and 

take necessary steps to stop illegal 

drugs from entering Bangladesh. 

The Malaysian Police were requested 

to help Bangladeshi people 

and labourers in legal issues if 

they seek support when in trouble. 

Responding to a Bangladeshi 

proposal, Sri Lanka assured that 

they would provide support to 

Bangladesh CID in investigating the 

Bangladesh Bank heist in which an 

amount of $20 million was deposited 

at a Sri Lankan bank. 

Afghanistan Police have sought 

Bangladesh’s support in training 

the country’s officers to help them 

BNP has asked Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina either to prove her statement 

regarding BNP’s victory in 2001 or apologise 

to the nation. 

The party’s leaders said the prime 

minister’s comment on BNP coming to 

power in 2001 through an undertaking 

to sell gas to India was unfortunate, unexpected 

and irresponsible. 

“Such an irresponsible comment 

from someone in the prime minister’s 

position is unacceptable. Victory in 

2001 election depended on the citizens 

and the voting system, not on an undertaking 

like she has claimed,” BNP 

Vice-Chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu 

told the Dhaka Tribune over phone. 

“The prime minister’s comments are 

fictional. Either she will have to come 

up with proof, or apologise to the nation,” 

Dudu demanded. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday 

said BNP had won the 2001 elections 

by promising US interests to explore 

gas in Bangladesh for sale to India. 

“The RAW agent here, he was always 

in Hawa Bhaban [BNP chairperson’s 

former political office] back then, as 

were the US embassy people,” Hasina 

said at an event. 

Although Hasina has spoken before 

about conspiracies surrounding the 2001 

elections, this was the first time she 

named the Indian intelligence agency. 

BNP standing committee member 

Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman said: 

“BNP’s victory in 2001 election, where 

I was also elected as a lawmaker, was a 

reflection of the hopes and aspirations 

of the 16 crore people of the country.” 

BNP Secretary General Mirza 

Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in an official reaction 

said the prime minister’s remark 

was irresponsible. 

“We are shocked by her statement. 

We cannot imagine how the prime minister 

would make such an irresponsible 

remark,” he told the press at the party 

office yesterday. 

“Her comment tells the people that 

foreign powers are at work in Bangladesh 

and are involved in regime change 

and interference,” he said. 

He asked whether Awami League 

had made such promises to foreign 

powers to win the 2014 election. 

“People know that the Indian foreign 

secretary came to Bangladesh during 

2014 election and went to many places. 

He even convinced Ershad to join in the 

polls,” he said. 

“Should people think that RAW 

played the most important role in that 

election?” he said. 

The BNP secretary general said the 

party had done nothing against the interests 

of the state. 

“The prime minister makes false comments 

regularly to achieve political interests, 

which divides the nation,” he said. • 

combat crime. 

Responding to another query, 

the IGP said police-to-police cooperation 

is required as it is a global 

family. 

Regional partnership among 

police officials was also stressed at 

the conference to avoid the lengthy 

process where police have to wait 

for around six months if a diplomatic 

or any bureaucratic channel 

is followed. 

Proposal of Interpol regional office 

in Bangladesh 

Bangladesh police made a proposal 

to Interpol regarding setting up 

its South Asian Regional Office in 

Bangladesh, to which the intergovernmental 

organisation facilitating 

international police cooperation 

gave a positive response. 

Hasina’s visit ‘highly 

important’ for India 

• Syed Zainul Abedin 

Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka 

Harsh Vardhan Shringla has said 

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina’s visit to India is of the highest 

importance to his country. 

“From the Indian side, we are 

giving the highest importance to 

the honourable prime minister’s 

visit to India,” the high commissioner 

told reporters after a meeting 

with Bangladesh Foreign Secretary 

Shahidul Haque yesterday. 

The Indian envoy held talks 

with the foreign secretary about 

preparatory issues and the agenda 

for the Bangladeshi premier’s visit, 

a Foreign Ministry source said. 


IGP Shahidul Haque said: “We 

have received positive response 

from Interpol Secretary General Jurgen 

Stock regarding our proposal. 

The organisation told us that they 

would consider the proposal if we 

[Bangladesh] come up with necessary 

logistics for the office.” 

Bangladesh have informed Interpol 

that it would consider the 

proposal and let them know, said 

the IGP. 

Shahidul said the decision to 

set up a regional Interpol office 

was taken to eliminate extremism, 

terrorism and transnational crime 

with the support of international 

police network as a number of participants 

urged to initiate such a 

police office or hub in response of 

growing militancy and terrorism in 

Bangladesh. • 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi has invited Hasina to stay 

at Rashtrapati Bhaban, the president’s 

residence, where no head of 

state normally gets the opportunity 

to stay, said Shringla. 

“The two countries have 

demonstrated cooperation in settling 

land and maritime boundaries 

within a short period of time under 

the leadership of both Hasina and 

Modi. As such, this visit is very important 

in many aspects for both 

the countries,” he added. 

When asked about the Teesta 

water-sharing agreement, the envoy 

said: “Everything is in progress. 

We will have to see that what is possible 

and what is not possible.” •

4 



News 

Muhith seeks BB advice to recover 

BD diplomat’s stolen money 

• Asif Showkat Kallol 

Finance Minister AMA Muhith has 

asked for Bangladesh Bank’s advice 

to recover the money that was stolen 

from the deputy high commissioner of 

Bangladesh to Pakistan. 

A total of 33,011.86 euros, which 

was allotted for a Mercedes-Benz car 

for Deputy High Commissioner Noor-E 

Helal Saifur Rahman, was stolen from 

the account of Bangladesh Embassy in 

Germany on December 19, 2016. 

In a letter to Senior Finance Secretary 

Mahbub Ahmed, Muhith thanked 

the Finance Division for taking steps to 

recover the money and asked whether 

there are other measures that Bangladesh 

could take in this regard. 

“What is the advice of Bangladesh 

Bank in this matter?” he asked. 

The letter was in response to the 

finance secretary’s letter on this issue, 

which also included a letter from Foreign 

Secretary Shahidul Haque to the 

senior finance secretary. 

The Dhaka Tribune obtained copies 

of both the letters. 

According to the foreign secretary’s 

letter, hackers hacked into Saifur’s 

email account and sent a fake email 

to the Bangladesh Embassy in Berlin, 

asking them to send the money to a 

different account at National Westminster 

Bank in Manchester, England, 

which the email said was a substitute 

account of Daimler AG Stuttgart, owner 

of the brand Mercedes-Benz. 

The hackers also sent a confirmation 

slip to the embassy in Berlin, who 

forwarded it to the high commission in 

Karachi. Later, when the high commission 

in Karachi contacted Daimler AG 

for verification, they confirmed they 

had not received any money and the 

confirmation slip was fake. 

The government has contacted the 

foreign ministries and law enforcement 

agencies of both England and 

Germany to recover the stolen money, 

the letter said. 

The finance minister sought advice 

from Bangladesh Bank when the central 

bank is still struggling to recover 

its own funds stolen from the Federal 

Reserve Bank of New York (NY Fed) 

more than a year ago. • 

HC: Prisoners cannot 

be produced in 

court in fetters 

• Ashif Islam Shaon 

The High Court (HC) has ordered 

jail authorities not to 

produce prisoners in fetters 

in any court in Bangladesh. 

Justice Obaidul Hasan 

and Justice Krishna Debnath 

passed the order yesterday 

and also asked the authorities 

concerned to ensure adequate 

security for prisoners 

when producing them in the 

court. 

Earlier on February 23, 

four prisoners had been produced 

in the court in shackles, 

which is against common 

practice. 

The police personnel who 

transported the prisoners 

from Keraniganj jail had informed 

the court that the jail 

authorities had sent them in 

shackles. 

The court had asked that 

the prisoners – Habibur Rahman, 

Moniruzzaman, Nasiruddin 

and Giasuddin who 

have been in jail for more 

than 10 years for separate 

criminal cases – be unshackled. 

Yesterday, the court summoned 

Deputy Inspector 

General (DIG) of Prisons Touhidul 

Islam and Senior Jail 

Superintendent Mohammad 

Jahangir Kabir and questioned 

them on why the prisoners 

had been produced in 

manacles. 

Jahangir explained to the 

court that all four prisoners 

were members of a banned 

militant outfit and claimed 

that transporting them 

without fetters would be 

risky. 

He added that this practice 

had been prevalent since the 

British rule and there was no 

arrangement for removing 

prisoners’ shackles before 

bringing them into the courtroom. 

In response, the court said: 

“If there is no arrangement, 

make some arrangement for 

them in future.” • 

HC bars Viqarunnisa 

from collecting 

additional fees 


The High Court yesterday 

asked Viqarunnisa Noon 

School and College authorities 

not to collect additional 

fees from the students for 

next one year. 

The authorities of the 

school have been extracting 

additional Tk500 from 

college students and Tk300 

from school students since 

January this year. An ad-hoc 

committee which was formed 

on August 30 last year decided 

to charge the money for 

teachers’ welfare fund. 

A writ filed by Supreme 

Court lawyer Eunus Ali 

Akond moved the High Court 

bench of Justice Zinat Ara and 

Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque 

Akondo. 

The authorities will have 

to stop charging extra fees 

from students, Eunus said to 

the Dhaka Tribune. 

In the ruling, the court 

also asked why section 

39 of Private School and 

College Governing Body 

and Managing Committee 

Regulations 2009, should 

not be illegal as it allows the 

institutions to adopt ad-hoc 

committees. 

The court made the education 

secretary, chairman of 

Dhaka Education Board, deputy 

commissioner of Dhaka, 

chairmen of ad-hoc committees 

along with principal of 

Viqarunnisa Noon School and 

College, Ideal School, Wills 

Little Flower School respondents. 

The court asked them to 

come up with answer within 

four weeks. 

Eunus said: “Viqarunnisa 

Noon School and College 

authorities formed the adhoc 

committee to arrange an 

election regarding governing 

body formation. The tenure 

of the committee expired but 

they did not arrange the election. 

They took decision of 

fees hike in spite of not having 

the authority.” 

A similar situation has 

been prevailing in other educational 

institutions too, he 

claimed. •

Gowher Rizvi: 

Bangladesh to press 

India for Teesta treaty 


Bangladesh is going to press 

for resolving the proposed 

Teesta water sharing treaty 

during Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina’s upcoming visit to India. 

Hasina’s International Affairs 

Adviser Gowher Rizvi 

came up with the statement in 

an interview with the WION, 

an international news entity, 

published on March 12. 

“We will press for and 

push for Teesta [water sharing 

pact], even though we understand 

there are difficulties on 

the Indian side,” said Gowher 

replying to a query about 

the expected outcome of the 

prime minister’s India visit, 

slated for the first half of April. 

Among other things, the 

proposed Ganges barrage 

project would be brought to 

discussion. “We will obviously 

want to talk about Ganges 

barrage project that would be 

hugely beneficial to Bangladesh 

and to the people of India,” 

he added. 

Asked whether or not China 

partnership with Bangladesh 

appears to be very pleasing 

to India, Gowher Rizvi said: 

“Both China and India have encouraged 

us to have cordial relations 

with the other. What is 

important to India and China? 

Neither India nor China wishes 

to dominate Bangladesh. 

“What is in their best interest 

is a politically stable, prosperous 

Bangladesh. We are 

not aligned to anybody. There 

is absolutely no question of 

being aligned to anybody.” 

The adviser to the prime 

minister further elaborated that 

Bangladesh has no reasons to 

align with anybody, but it is 

the national interest to maintain 

good relations with all the 

neighbours including Myanmar. 

He also mentioned that the 

country had been trying to resolve 

the Rohingya issue with 

Myanmar and “constantly endeavouring 

to make efforts to 

improve relations.” 

For Gowher, it is connectivity 

that lies at the heart of 

Bangladesh’s policy on international 

relations. “We 

have established connectivity 

with Nepal, with Bhutan and 

with India. We have unlimited 

duty-free access to Indian 

market. Our economy is fast 

expanding. Bangladesh is becoming 

a rapidly growing market 

for exporters of other countries. 

In these circumstances 

why should anybody venture 

to think that we should change 

our policy and become aligned 

to one or the other?” • 

Pir, daughter shot dead 

• Bipul Sarker Sunny, 

Dinajpur 

A Pir, or Sufi spiritual leader, 

and his daughter were murdered 

in Dinajpur’s Bochaganj 

upazila yesterday night. 

Pir Farhad Hossain Chowdhury 

and Rupali Begum were 

found dead at his Khanqah in 

Hatrampur, close to his home 

in the village of Doulagram. 

Both of them had bullet 

marks on their bodies and the 

young woman’s neck was slit 

with a sharp weapon. 

Farhad was the former 

president of BNP’s Setabganj 

municipality unit. Rupali was 

his adopted daughter. 

Bochaganj police OC Habibul 

Haque confirmed the incident 

to the Dhaka Tribune. 

Police said quoting locals 

that there had been a power 

cut at the time the murders 

took place. 

The OC said that there had 

been no immediate clues to 

the means and motives of the 

murder. “We are carrying out 

an inquest examination and 

then the bodies will be sent to 

the morgue for autopsy,” the 

official said. 

In the last couple of years, 

Islamist militants have killed 

over a dozen Pirs and their 

disciples, and launched bomb 

attacks on shrines across the 

country. The old faction of 

banned militant outfit JMB 

claimed responsibilities for 

most of those attacks. Two other 

groups – HujiB and New JMB 

– were also found involved in 

several other attacks on shrines 

and non-Sunni preachers. • 

News 5 



TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY 

DRIZZLE OR HEAVY 

RAIN LIKELY 

TUESDAY, MARCH 14 

Dhaka 32 14 Chittagong 29 19 Rajshahi 31 14 Rangpur 29 13 Khulna 31 14 Barisal 31 16 Sylhet 29 12 

DHAKA 

TODAY 

TOMORROW 

SUN SETS 6:07PM 

SUN RISES 6:08AM 

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW 

30.8ºC 

11.5ºC 

Cox’s Bazar 

Tetulia 

Source: Accuweather/UNB 

PRAYER 

TIMES 

Cox’s Bazar 29 20 

Fajr: 5:50am | Zohr: 1:15pm 

Asr: 4:45pm | Magrib: 6:15pm 

Esha: 8:00pm 

Source: Islamic Foundation

6 



News 

Drug addict son kills mother, neighbour 

• Mohammed Afzal Hossain, Tangail 

A 22-year-old man has slashed his mother 

to death in Tangail’s Modhupur after she 

refused to give him money to buy drugs, 

police say. 

Their neighbour Akbar Ali, 55, who tried 

to save Minara Begum, 50, from her son 

Miraz, was also attacked and killed by the 

drug addict. 

Modhupur police OC Shafiqul Islam said 

Miraz attacked his mother with a knife on 

Monday morning after she refused to give 

him money. 

“Their neighbour Akbar rushed to save 

Minara but he too was attacked by Miraz,” 

the OC told the Dhaka Tribune. “Both of 

them died on the spot.” 

Locals apprehended Miraz and handed 

him over to police. • 

UP chairman’s goons 

assault man with 

hammer in Savar 

• Nadim Hossain, Savar 

A man was brutally assaulted 

with hammers by associates 

of a Union Parishad chairman 

in Savar for refusing to give 

up his land to their leader. 

The victim, Shahabuddin 

Saha, 32, is now undergoing 

treatment at a Savar hospital. 

The attack took place on 

Saturday at Samail village in 

Savar’s Birulia Union Parishad, 

the victim’s family told 

the Dhaka Tribune. 

According to the family 

and locals, Birulia UP Chairman 

Saidur Rahman Sujon 

has had his eye on the twobigha 

land – around 0.67 

acres – where Shahabuddin 

and his family live. 

Sujon has been harassing 

the family for a long time to 

give up the land to him, but 

they have repeatedly turned 

him down. 

He also offered them a 

nominal value for the land, 

but the family refused to sell 

it off. 

On Saturday, as Shahabuddin 

was returning home from 

the local mosque around 

9:30pm, Sujon’s followers 

ambushed him and forcefully 

took him to Sujon’s house. 

When Shahabuddin’s parents, 

Shanu Miah and Uzuba 

Khatun, tried to stop the attackers, 

they beat them up too. 

At Sujon’s house, the goons 

stripped Shahabuddin off his 

clothes, tied up his hands and 

feet and beat him up with 

hammers, breaking the bones 

of his arms and legs. 

Afterwards, they planted a 

firearm on him and informed 

police that he had been 

caught with an illegal gun, 

witnesses said. 

A team from Savar Model 

police station went to Sujon’s 

house, rescued a severely 

wounded Shahabuddin and 

took him to Enam Medical 

College and Hospital, said 

Sub-Inspector Tariqul Islam. 

His sister Rahima filed 

a case in this regard with 

the police station yesterday 

morning, he added. 

However, the sub-inspector 

denied having recovered 

a gun from Shahabuddin’s 

possession. 

When contacted, Sujon 

said Shahabuddin was involved 

with the local BNP 

unit. “My men beat him up 

because he is a terrorist.” 

He also admitted to having 

a dispute with Shahabuddin’s 

family over land. 

Meanwhile, Jubo League’s 

Birulia unit President Selim 

Mondol said Shahabuddin 

was a harmless man who was 

attacked with the intention of 

murder. • 

Two JMB members arrested 

• Md Emroz Khandakar, 

Pabna 

Police have arrested two 

members of banned militant 

outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen 

Bangladesh (JMB) in Pabna. 

Shafikul Islam, 30, and 

Ziaul Karim Sujon, 32, were 

detained from the town’s 

Radhanagar area during Sunday’s 

special raids, police 

said on Monday. 

They said the men, hailing 

from Pabna, are on the 

police headquarters’ list of 

militants. 

Pabna sadar police’s OC 

Abdur Razzak said they raided 

various locations in the 

city after being tipped off that 

the militants were in Pabna. 

They are accused in three 

cases filed with the sadar police, 

OC Razzak said. 

Their arrest comes only 

days after Barisal police arrested 

six close associates 

of executed notorious JMB 

leader Siddikur Rahman, alias 

Bangla Bhai. 

Bangla Bhai, second-in-command 

of the militant 

group, was executed 

with its founder Shayakh Abdur 

Rahman and three members 

on March 29, 2007. 

Former Majlish-e-Shura 

member Salauddin alias Salehin 

now heads the old faction 

of the militant group, which 

was eventually banned on 

February 23, 2005. In June 

last year, it claimed responsibility 

for over 1,100 attacks 

killing over 70 people. Recently, 

a new faction of JMB, 

claiming to have ties with Islamic 

State. 

Recently, a new faction 

of JMB, claiming to have 

ties with Islamic State, has 

emerged and claimed credit 

for several attacks. • 

HC directs to accept Comilla 

mayoral candidate 


The High Court asked the 

Comilla district returning 

officer to accept the nomination 

paper of Md Mamunur 

Rashid, an independent mayoral 

candidate of the upcoming 

Comilla City Corporation 

election. 

An HC bench of Justice 

Naima Haider and Justice 

Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman 

passed the order yesterday 

hearing a writ petition filed 

by the candidate. 

Mamunur submitted a 

nomination paper on March 

2 to run in the election 

scheduled for March 30. The 

returning officer rejected 

the nomination on March 

5 and Mamunur moved an 

appeal with the Chittagong 

Divisional Commissioner, 

which was rejected on 

March 8. 

The candidate then moved 

with the High Court yesterday 

with a writ petition challenging 

the March 8 decision. 

The court heard the matter 

and passed the order. •

Razakar takes freedom 

fighter benefits in Jessore 

• Md Tauhid-Uz-Zaman, 

Jessore 

A man from Jessore, who allegedly 

sided with the Pakistan 

occupation forces during 

the 1971 Liberation War, 

has been availing amenities 

meant for freedom fighters 

for a year and a half. 

Locals branded Rois Uddin 

Ahmed, 65, a resident of 

Monirampur upazila’s Palashi 

area, as the only razakar 

among the locality’s 286 listed 

freedom fighters. 

Rois was included in the 

gazette notification in this 

regard in 2003 and was given 

a temporary freedom fighter 

certificate two years later. He 

received the freedom fighter 

allowance from July 2015 

until December last year. 

Villagers said he was a 

devoted Muslim League activist 

in his student days and 

terrorised the area during the 

war after joining the Pakistan 

forces to thwart Bangladesh’s 

struggle for freedom. 

Rois along with his two 

brothers Yunus and Abdul 

Mannan and their cousin Delwar 

allegedly helped razakars 

to seize a huge cache of firearms 

hidden by the freedom 

fighters in the Harihar River 

of the area. 

Both of his brothers were 

killed during the war but he 

survived. 

Abdul Quader, the son of a 

freedom fighter from neighbouring 

Rajbaria village, 

claimed Rois bragged about 

his past as razakar. 

“I went to the upazila sadar 

to fix a spelling error in 

my father’s name. Rois was 

there. He told me that my father 

was a real freedom fighter. 

So, why are we running 

around with papers? People 

like them are supposed to do 

that,” Quader said. 

Rohita union freedom 

fighter commander Liakat Ali 

said Rois’s father-in-law was 

in the army and a freedom 

fighter. 

“Rois obtained his 

freedom fighter certificate 

with his father-in-law’s 

assistance,” Liakat claimed. 

Hafizur Rahman Hafiz, 

president of Rohita union 

Awami League, claimed that 

Rois is a razakar. He got his 

freedom fighter certificate in 

exchange for money. 

The man in question 

denied the allegations but 

could not produce any 

documents to substantiate 

his version of the story. 

Contacted, Rois claimed 

that Hindus who had fled the 

village during the war had 

asked him take care of their 

livestock. “I used to sell these 

cows and goats and send 

them the money,” he said. 

Regarding his escape, 

he told that Dhaka Tribune 

that a group of masked men 

attacked his house in July 

1971, following a local dispute. 

“I escaped to Noakhali. There 

I joined the army on August 

1. I fought in Noakhali after 

receiving training in India,” he 

said. 

“Later, I retired as a Habildar 

in army. I fought for 

Bangladesh in India’s Assam. 

I received my freedom fighter 

allowance from July 2015 after 

submitting all necessary 

documents.” 

He went to take part in a 

hearing of the freedom fighter 

scrutiny committee on February 

12 on allegations filed by 

local freedom fighters on December 

18 last year. Several 

freedom fighters claimed Rois 

faced wrath of some freedom 

fighters present there and left 

the scene before the hearing 

had begun. 

The committee’s member 

secretary and Upazila Nirbahi 

Officer Atul Mondal said: 

“When we called Rois’ name, 

everyone shouted that he was 

a razakar. Moreover, he did 

not take part in the hearing. 

So, the committee decided to 

brand him a razakar.” 

Rois claimed he could not 

attend the hearing as he was 

sick. He said he would appeal 

against the decision. 

Manirampur upazila freedom 

fighter commander 

MM Nazrul Islam said: “Recommendations 

have been 

forwarded to the authority 

concerned to identify Rois as 

a razakar and take necessary 

steps against him.” • 

CEC: Next general election 

will be all-inclusive 

• Anwar Hussain, 

Chittagong 

The next general election will 

be inclusive of all political 

parties, Chief Election Commissioner 

(CEC) KM Nurul 

Huda said yesterday. 

Speaking with reporters 

after inaugurating the distribution 

of Smart National ID 

cards in Chittagong, the CEC 

said: “The next general election 

will be different from 

the previous one. Situations 

change over time. I believe 

what happened during the 

last election will not be repeated 

if all political parties 

participate in the upcoming 

election.” 

He said the Election Commission 

had been working to 

create an environment where 

voters could freely exercise 

their rights. 

“We are committed to 

hold credible elections. It will 

take us some time to discuss 

some issues with the political 

parties; we will do that before 

the election. However, the 

political parties should feel 

free and give us suggestions, 

if they have any. We will accept 

their suggestions regarding 

the election,” he added. 

Regarding the Comilla 

City Corporation election on 

March 30, the CEC said they 

did not plan to deploy armed 

forces, but they would remain 

on standby. 

“We met with top officials 

of law enforcement agencies 

on March 9 and they assured 

us that law and order would 

be upheld during the [Comilla 

City Corporation] elections. 

We are closely monitoring 

the situation to ensure 

that voters can cast their 

votes without fear,” he said. 

Earlier, the CEC distributed 

smart NID cards among distinguished 

personalities, including 

Chittagong Mayor AJM 

Nasir Uddin, former mayor 

ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, 

and eminent academic and 

sociologist Dr Anupam Sen. 

The ceremony was also addressed 

by Election Commissioner 

Brig Gen (Retd) Shahadat 

Hossain Chowdhury, 

AJM Nasir Uddin, NID wing 

Director General Saidul Islam 

and divisional Election Commissioner 

Abdul Baten. • 

News 7 


DT


8 

World 


SOUTH ASIA 

Sri Lanka seeks two more 

years to deliver war probe 

Sri Lanka has asked the UN for two 

more years to investigate war crimes 

as a previous deadline lapses, 

Colombo said Monday, fuelling 

international concerns of a “worryingly 

slow” probe. A UN Human 

Rights Council resolution in October 

2015 granted Sri Lanka 18 months 

to establish a credible investigation 

into abuses committed during the 

island’s 37-year ethnic war. AFP 

INDIA 

India lifts all cash 

withdrawal limits 

The limits on withdrawing cash 

from banks and ATMs end on Monday, 

four months after they were 

imposed following the demonetisation 

of old Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes. 

Ever since the surprise move to ban 

the high-value notes on November 

8, the Reserve Bank has been gradually 

relaxing the limits. THE HINDU 

CHINA 

Officials warn of global 

religious extremists threat 

to China 

Chinese officials are issuing new 

warnings about the spectre of 

global religious extremism seeping 

into the country, following reports 

of fighters from China’s Muslim minority 

fighting alongside militants 

in Syria and Iraq. Sharhat Ahan, a 

top political official in Xinjiang, on 

Sunday became the latest official 

from a predominantly Muslim region 

to warn about China becoming 

destabilized by the “international 

anti-terror situation” and calling for 

a “people’s war.” AP 

ASIA PACIFIC 

North Korea boycotts UN 

rights session 

North Korea boycotted a UN review 

of its human rights record on 

Monday, as an investigator said an 

escalation in hostilities on the divided 

peninsula had further closed 

off opportunities for dialogue with 

Pyongyang. “We are not participating 

in any meeting on human 

rights situation because it is 

politically motivated,” Choe Myong 

Nam, Pyongyang’s deputy ambassador 

to the UN said. REUTERS 

MIDDLE EAST 

Watchdog: 465,000 dead 

in six years of Syria war 

The Syrian Observatory for Human 

Rights said on Monday there 

are so far about 465,000 people 

killed and missing in Syria’s civil 

war. The war began six years ago 

on Wednesday with protests 

against President Bashar al-Assad’s 

government. REUTERS 

Balochis urge UN human rights 

probe on violations by Pakistan 


Refugees who fled fighting in neighbouring Myanmar stand in a disaster relief 

tent camp in the town of Nansan, China on March 12 

REUTERS 

Relief camp in China swells 

as thousands flee conflict in 

Myanmar 

• Reuters, Nansan, China 

Within earshot of mortar fire echoing 

from beyond a ring of hills, 

a sprawling relief camp in Southwestern 

China is swelling steadily 

after fighting erupted last week 

between a rebel ethnic army in 

Myanmar and government troops 

just across the border. 

In a recent Reuters visit to the 

rugged area in southwestern Yunnan 

province, aid workers and 

those displaced expressed fears of 

a more violent and protracted conflict 

than a previous flare-up in the 

Kokang region in early 2015. 

Blue disaster relief tents provided 

by the Chinese also dotted 

the terraced sugarcane, maize 

and tea terraces flanking the 

This file photo shows Baloch pro-independence supporters protesting during a 

rally in Karachi on April 12, 2009 

REUTERS 

mountainous winding road to 

Nansan. The town, close to the 

Kokang region of Myanmar’s 

Shan State, is providing refuge 

for a stream of refugees that Chinese 

authorities estimate number 

more than 20,000. 

The violence is a blow to efforts 

by Myanmar’s de facto leader 

Aung San Suu Kyi, to reach a 

comprehensive peace agreement 

with Myanmar’s ethnic minorities, 

some of them in rebellions 

spanning decades. 

The conflict is also fraying ties 

between China and Myanmar, 

which Beijing has hoped could be 

a key gateway in its multi-pronged 

“One Belt One Road” strategy to 

promote economic links between 

China and Europe. • 

Baloch political and human rights 

activists are demanding that a UN 

special rapporteur probe allegations 

of gross human rights violations in 

Pakistan’s Balochistan province. 

Baloch activist Ahmar Mastikhan 

on Monday described the condition 

of the Balochis as ‘graver’ than that 

of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims. 

“It has been delayed. It could 

have happened a long time ago 

and we have a situation of mass 

graves where there is no domestic 

redressed available to the people of 

Balochistan. Has there been some 

domestic mechanism for them to 

have their basic and birth human 

rights protected, we would not have 

raised this question. We are happy 

over the rapporteur in Myanmar, 

but I assure you, it is more serious 

issue than Rohingya issue. It is more 

multi-dimensional and multi-faceted,” 

Mastikhan told ANI. 

Baloch Republican Party member 

Abdul Nawaz Bugti said the renewed 

impetus to conduct investigations 

came after, he claimed, 

that a mass grave was discovered 

in Pakistan’s Dera Bugti in February 

this year where only women 

and children were buried. 

“We have always highlighted 

these issues we are facing in Balochistan, 

especially the human 

rights violation. In the past two 

years. Pakistan has been targeting 

and blackmailing Baloch activists 

in the UN and in Balochistan. They 

have now stated to abduct women 

and children, who are being tortured 

and facing problems like lack 

of food and medication,” Bugti said. 

Baloch political activists and 

human rights defenders raised the 

situation of deteriorating human 

rights in Balochistan and condemned 

the China Pakistan Economic 

Corridor (CPEC) at a side 

event during the 34th Session of 

UN Human Rights Council. 

“Islamabad has thrown to the 

winds at least 25 out of the 30 articles 

of the Universal Declaration of Human 

Rights in Balochistan. The execution 

style, extrajudicial killings, 

arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced 

disappearances, and kill and 

dump of thousands of Baloch, use 

of degrading forms of torture such as 

feeding feces and sodomy of the Baloch 

activists have taken place in the 

last 12 years, and is still continuing,” 

said Ahmar Musti Khan, founder of 

the American Friends of Balochistan. 

Khan also appealed to the UN 

to appoint a special rapporteur on 

Pakistan to uphold the Universal 

Declaration of Human Rights in 

Balochistan. • 

Trump adviser heads to 

Israel amid absence of 

coherent US policy 


A key foreign policy adviser to Donald 

Trump is to meet the Israeli and Palestinian 

leaders as part of efforts by 

the White House to formulate a more 

coherent vision of how it will proceed 

with the Middle East peace process. 

Jason Greenblatt, a Trump lawyer 

turned special envoy, was due to arrive 

in Israel on Monday for talks with the 

Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, 

and the Palestinian president, 

Mahmoud Abbas, on Tuesday. 

Greenblatt’s visit follows a 20-minute 

telephone conversation between 

the US president and Abbas on Friday 

during which Abbas was invited to 

Washington to meet Trump. 

The US president’s vision for peace in 

the Middle East, however, remains nebulous, 

with the White House saying on 

Friday after the Abbas conversation that 

“the president emphasised his personal 

belief that peace is possible and that the 

time has come to make a deal”. 

Greenblatt, who like Trump’s pick for 

US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, 

has no track record in diplomacy, 

was Trump’s chief legal officer dealing almost 

exclusively with real estate matters 

before being appointed as foreign policy 

Jason Greenblatt, left, and US President 

Donald Trump 

TWITTER 

adviser. One of the key issues to be discussed 

is reportedly guidelines for Israeli 

settlement construction in the occupied 

Palestinian territories, which Greenblatt 

has said in the past he does not regard as 

an obstacle to peace, though he supports 

a two-state solution. 

Greenblatt’s emergence as one of 

Trump’s key advisers on Israel last year 

also came as a surprise to the lawyer, who 

noted: “I knew that he was relying on me 

for certain aspects of Israel, but I didn’t 

know I was his top adviser,” he said responding 

to comments made by Trump. 

Trump has offered often confused 

and conflicting views on the Israeli-Palestinian 

question, both as candidate 

and president, including suggesting 

at a press conference with Netanyahu 

that he was not necessarily committed 

to a two-state solution. •

World 

Scotland plans new independence 

vote as May readies Brexit 

• AFP, London 

The risks to Britain of its vote to 

leave the EU were laid bare on 

Monday when Scotland’s nationalist 

government announced a new 

independence vote, pre-empting 

this week’s expected start of the 

Brexit process. 

Prime Minister Theresa May 

could announce as early as Tuesday 

that she is triggering the Article 

50 process of withdrawing 

from the EU, putting Britain on 

course to leave by March 2019 after 

four decades of membership. 

Scottish First Minister Nicola 

Sturgeon has long warned that 

largely pro-European Scotland 

would not accept a damaging 

break with the EU, and on Monday 

she made good on her threat. 

“I will now take the steps necessary 

to make sure that Scotland will 

have a choice at the end of this process,” 

she said at a hastily convened 

press conference in Edinburgh. 

The Scottish National Party (SNP) 

leader said she would next week begin 

seeking authority for a vote between 

autumn 2018 and early 2019, 

before Britain leaves the EU. 

May’s government has repeatedly 

made clear it does not believe 

there should be another vote after 

a first Scottish referendum in 2014 

in which a majority voted against 

independence, and she has the 

power to block Sturgeon’s request. 

“Another referendum would be 

divisive and cause huge economic 

uncertainty at the worst possible 

time,” a Downing Street spokesman 

said. 

However, rejecting Sturgeon’s 

request would likely only energise 

the Scottish nationalists’ cause, 

and is a major headache for May as 

she enters Brexit negotiations with 

the other 27 EU member states. 

‘Firmly on track’ 

May has promised to trigger Article 

50 by the end of March, a timetable 

her spokesman said on Monday 

the government was “firmly on 

track to achieve”. 

At a summit in Brussels last 

week, she said: “Our European 

partners have made clear to me 

that they want to get on with the 

negotiations, and so do I.” 

Once May has notified the EU of 

her decision by letter, the other 27 

EU leaders will take just 48 hours 

to issue their first draft proposal 

for the negotiations. 

EU leaders have planned a follow-up 

meeting on April 6, “provided 

that the prime minister 

moves Article 50, I think by March 

15th”, Irish premier Enda Kenny 

said. 

Article 50 provides only two 

years for Britain to unravel four 

decades of membership and forged 

new trade ties when it leaves the 

single European market. • 

Ex-Catalan leader banned from office in row over referendum 

• Reuters, Madrid 

The former head of Spain’s Catalonia region 

was barred from public office for two 

years on Monday for staging an informal 

referendum on independence in 2014 at 

a time when secessionist leaders are trying 

to drum up support for a fresh ballot. 

Artur Mas, who was regional governor 

in 2014 when pro-independence 

Japan plans to send 

largest warship to 

South China Sea 

• Reuters, Tokyo 

Japan plans to dispatch its largest 

warship on a three-month tour 

through the South China Sea beginning 

in May, three sources said, 

in its biggest show of naval force in 

the region since World War II. 

China claims almost all the disputed 

waters and its growing military 

presence has fuelled concern 

in Japan and the West, with the 

United States holding regular air 

and naval patrols to ensure freedom 

of navigation. 

The Izumo helicopter carrier, 

commissioned only two years ago, 

will make stops in Singapore, Indonesia, 

the Philippines, Indonesia 

and Sri Lanka before joining the 

Malabar joint naval exercise with 

Indian and US naval vessels in the 

Indian Ocean in July. • 

A protester wearing a mask depicting Prime Minister Theresa May joins others in 

a Brexit protest outside the Houses of Parliament, London, March 13 

AFP 

campaigners held a symbolic referendum 

in breach of a legal order, was 

found guilty of contempt of court, Catalonia’s 

Superior Court of Justice said in 

a ruling. 

The trial has further strained relations 

between pro-independence political 

parties in Catalonia and Spain’s 

central government as a long-running 

battle over the region’s attempts to 

Turkey, Netherlands crisis deepens after 

Erdogan’s Nazi jibe 

• AFP, Istanbul 

The diplomatic crisis between 

Turkey and the Netherlands deepened 

Monday as both sides traded 

bitter accusations after Turkish 

ministers were blocked from holding 

rallies to win support for plans 

to expand the powers of President 

Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

Erdogan at the weekend twice 

accused the Netherlands of acting 

like the Nazis, comments 

that sparked outrage in a country 

bombed and occupied by German 

forces in World War II. 

Dutch Prime Minister Mark 

Rutte, who faces a major challenge 

from the far-right in a key 

general election Wednesday, said 

Erdogan’s comments were unacceptable 

and it was Ankara that 

should apologise. 

The Turkish foreign ministry 

on Monday summoned the Dutch 

envoy to Ankara for the third day 

in a row, handing two separate 

protest notes over The Hague’s 

behaviour. 

The Netherlands on Monday 

also issued a new travel warning 

to Dutch citizens in Turkey, urging 

them to stay “alert across the 

whole of Turkey”. 

hold a referendum on secession reaches 

a tipping point. 

Leaders in Catalonia, a wealthy region 

with its own language and distinct 

culture, have vowed to move ahead 

with another referendum on secession 

in September in spite of opposition 

from Spain’s centre-right Prime Minister 

Mariano Rajoy. 

Separatist parties, which hold a majority 

in the local Catalan assembly, rallied 

behind Mas during his trial and the 

court case galvanised pro-independence 

supporters. 

The last referendum, held in November 

2014, was deemed illegal by 

Spain’s Constitutional Court, and the 

ballot was manned by volunteers and 

grassroot campaigners to get around 

the restrictions. • 

Supporters wave Turkish flags ahead of the start of a rally on Turkey’s upcoming 

referendum, in Metz, France on March 12 

REUTERS 

‘Excessive statements’ 

The EU urged Turkey to avoid “excessive 

statements” and actions 

that could increase tensions, in 

a row with the Netherlands and 

Germany over the blocking of rallies 

by Turkish ministers. 

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg also 

urges Turkey and the European allies 

to ‘de-escalate’ tensions. • 

9 


USA 

Pence to tour Asia next 

month 


US Vice President Mike Pence will 

visit Japan and Indonesia next 

month, sources said on Monday, 

as part of an Asian tour amid concerns 

the Trump administration 

is rolling back Barack Obama’s 

“pivot to Asia”. President Donald 

Trump has already withdrawn 

from the Trans-Pacific Partnership 

(TPP) agreement, which was 

seen as an economic pillar of the 

strategy. REUTERS 

THE AMERICAS 

Thousands flee central 

Chile forest fire 

A forest fire swept through central 

Chile over the weekend, forcing 

the evacuation of 6,000 people 

and destroying more than a dozen 

dwellings, emergency officials 

said Monday. The blaze began in 

forested areas of Vina del Mar, a 

popular resort area in the Valparaiso 

region, about 120km west 

of Santiago, where hundreds of 

poor families live in illegally-built 

houses of wood and tin. AFP 

UK 

Scotland seeks new 

independence vote 

Scotland’s first minister on Monday 

announced she would seek permission 

from the Westminster government 

to hold a second independence 

referendum. Nicola Sturgeon 

said it would take place between 

autumn 2018 and spring 2019. Calls 

for a fresh independence referendum 

came following the UK’s 

decision to leave the EU. EFE 

EUROPE 

Russia impatient for 

improved dialogue with US 

A Russian government spokesman 

expressed impatience Sunday 

that bilateral relations with the US 

have not improved more quickly 

since US President Donald Trump 

took office. Kremlin spokesman 

Dmitri Peskov said his country’s 

government is eager for improved 

US-Russian relations, calling it 

“unpardonable not to be in dialogue,” 

as Moscow presses the new 

US leader to make good on vows to 

improve ties. AFP 

AFRICA 

Senegal extradites Guinean 

soldier wanted over massacre 

A Guinean soldier wanted over the 

massacre of more than 150 people 

in a Conakry stadium has been extradited, 

ending years on the run in 

neighbouring Senegal and paving the 

way for his trial. Aboubakar Sidiki 

Diakite, also known as Toumba Diakite, 

was an aide de camp to Guinean 

coup leader Dadis Camara when 157 

people were killed in September 

2009 at an opposition rally. AFP


10 

Business 


CAPITAL MARKET SNAPSHOT: MONDAY 

DSE Broad Index 5,659.7 -0.3% ▼ Index 1,307.3 -0.1% ▼ 30 Index 2,043.4 -0.6% ▼ Turnover in Mn Tk 10,013.3 -22.1% ▼ Turnover in Mn Vol 338.2 -12.9% ▼ 

CSE All Share Index 17,549.3 -0.2% ▼ 30 Index 15,259.7 0.0% ▲ Selected Index 10,639.2 -0.2% ▼ Turnover in Mn Tk 626.9 -20.2% ▼ Turnover in Mn Vol 23.6 -9.7% ▼ 

DCCI for cut in VAT, corporate tax 

• Tribune Business Desk 

BGMEA gets land to build office at Uttara 

• Ibrahim Hossain Ovi 

BGMEA is going to establish its new 

building in the capital’s Uttara as 

the government has confirmed an 

NBR holds pre-budget talks with DCCI in the city yesterday 

VAT exemption on the internet use will 

help foster the dream of being Digitised 

Bangladesh soon 

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and 

Industry (DCCI) yesterday urged 

the government to reduce value-added 

tax (VAT) to 7% instead 

of 15% in the upcoming new VAT 

Act 2012, which will be implemented 

from July next. 

The trade body also suggested 

reducing corporate tax rate for 

merchant bank to 35% from existing 

37.5%, 30% from 35% for 

non-public trade company, 22.5% 

from 25% for public trade company 

and 32.5% from 35% for brokerage 

operations. 

DCCI president Abul Kasem 

Khan made the proposals while 

placing their recommendations 

to the National Board of Revenue 

(NBR) for the next budget in the fiscal 

year 2017-18 at pre-budget talks 

held at NBR headquarters. 

NBR Chairman Nojibur Rahman 

presided over the meeting while 

DCCI president put forward a total 

of 49 budget recommendations. 

While placing the recommendations, 

Kasem proposed to keep taxfree 

income ceiling up to Tk3.5 lakh 

for common people and Tk4.75 

lakh for wounded freedom fighters. 

He also proposed to keep research 

and development activities 

free from VAT and tax. 

The DCCI president also proposed 

tax exemption on the company’s 

profit re-invested in the 

same business to expedite local 

investment in the economy. 

“For small traders, DCCI demands 

no VAT up to Tk50 lakh 

turnover and 3% VAT for the turnover 

above Tk50 lakh to Tk1.2 crore.” 

He said: “Frequent changes to 

duty structure sometimes hamper 

the momentum of industrialisation, 

so the chamber is requesting 

allocation of 5.5 bighas of land for 

relocation. 

The apex trade body of clothing 

industry has to shift its office 

from the BGMEA Bhaban located 

the government to formulate a 

static duty structure at least for 3-5 

years.” 

The business leader proposed to 

give six categorised (Green, Green 

Plus, Silver, Gold, Gold Plus, and 

Platinum card) electronic smart 

at Karwan Bazaar since the Appellate 

Division of the Supreme Court 

dismissed review petition, saying 

the building was built illegally, and 

therefore it must be pulled down. 

Later, based on the petition for 

time, the court granted six months 

to demolish the building. 

The government has given Bangladesh 

Garment Manufacturers and 

Exporters Association the nod and 

everything is set to get the allocation 

for a 5.5-bigha plot at Uttara 

to raise a new building for the BG- 

MEA office, a highly placed BGMEA 

source told the Dhaka Tribune. 

“The registration of land in the 

name of BGMEA would be done 

shortly in a board meeting of Rajdhani 

Unnayan Kartripakkha (RA- 

JUK),” the source said, asking not 

to be named. 

RAJUK is the authority to allocate 

cards to the valued tax payers. 

He also proposed introduction 

of VAT Smart Card as tax cards ass 

out of 8.4 lakh BIN holders, only 

30,000 pay VAT. 

“VAT exemption on the internet 

use will help foster the dream of 

being Digitised Bangladesh soon.” 

Speaking at the meeting, DCCI 

senior vice-president Kamrul Islam 

also urged the authority to ease online 

tax payment system and create 

awareness among tax payers. 

land in the vicinity of the capital. 

The ready-made garment sector 

is the largest foreign currency 

earner which contributes over 82% 

to the total export earnings, RAJUK 

said in its opinion, responding to 

the letter of BGMEA, according to 

the source. 

“Considering the contribution 

to the society, we should cooperate 

with RMG sector and provide land 

complying with rules and regulations,” 

he said, quoting RAJUK official. 

“Based on the current market 

price of land, BGMEA has to pay 

some Tk33 crore,” another source 

at BGMEA told the Dhaka Tribune, 

seeking anonymity. 

“We do not want to have the 

land free of cost and not repeat the 

same thing that happened to the 

existing building,” he said, adding 

COURTESY 

Nojibur Rahman said NBR will 

organise workshops on tax issues 

to create awareness among mass 

people even in remote areas of the 

country. 

He thanked DCCI since all its 

members are tax compliant. 

NBR members Farid Uddin, 

Parvez Iqbal and Barister Jahangir 

Hossain, DCCI vice-president Hossain 

A Sikder and Director Asif A 

Chowdhury were, among others, 

present at the meeting. • 

that everything would be done as 

per the law of the land. 

On the other hand, the apex 

trade body is going to form several 

committees to expedite the process 

of relocation. 

The committees would be comprised 

of former BGMEA leaders 

and office bearers headed by its 

president Siddiqur Rahan. 

The new committees would 

work on approving plans for the 

new building, its design and construction. 

For that purpose, the trade body 

will hold Extra-ordinary General 

Meeting (EGM) this week. 

The 15-storey BGMEA headquarters 

stands on a crucial spot in 

Dhaka and blocks the connection 

between the two large water bodies 

in the city – Hatirjheel lake and 

Begunbari canal. •

Business 11 



SME fair begins tomorrow 


A five-day National Small and Medium 

Enterprise (SME) Fair 2017 

will kick off in the city from tomorrow 

to bring local small and medium 

entrepreneurs under a single 

umbrella. 

Industries Minister Amir Hossain 

Amu will inaugurate the fair at 10am 

at Bangabandhu International Conference 

Centre in the capital, said 

Managing Director of SME Foundation 

M Safiqul Islam at a press conference 

at the foundation’s conference 

room in the city yesterday. 

State Minister for Women and 

Children Affairs Meher Afroze 

Chumki, senior secretary to the 

Industries Ministry M Mosharraf 

Hossain Bhuiyan and Federation 

of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce 

and Industry (FBCCI) president 

Abdul Matlub Ahmed will be 

present in the inaugural function 

as special guests. 

Around 200 SME 

institutions will 

exhibit their SME 

products at the fair 

SME Foundation is organising the 

exhibition with an aim to promote 

SME products, exhibition and introduction 

of SME goods for expanding 

business, trade and commerce. 

Around 200 SME institutions 

will exhibit their SME products, 

including Jute, agriculture and 

leather products and electrical 

and Information and Technology 

goods, said SME Managing Director 

Safiqul Islam. 

The fair will remain open 10am 

to 8pm, he added. 

Safiqul also said three-seminar 

on “Business Diversification: Preparation 

of Women Entrepreneurs”, 

“SME Friendly Measures in the New 

VAT Law” and “Non-Financial Services 

to Customer for Sustainable 

SME Financing” will also be held on 

the sidelines of the fair. 

He said SME Foundation will 

give “National SME Entrepreneurs 

Award 2017” at the inaugural ceremony 

of the fair to SME entrepreneurs 

for their outstanding contribution 

to the country’s economy. • 

Two economic zone 

proposals go to Ecnec 

meeting today 

• Asif Showkat Kallol 

Proposals to acquire lands for two 

economic zones in Narayanganj and 

Chittagong will be placed at the Executive 

Committee of the National 

Economic Council meeting today. 

Bangladesh Economic Zones 

Authority will place the proposals, 

which involve a total of Tk761.78 

crore, for Ecnec approval. 

The economic zones include one 

for Japanese investors in Araihazar 

in Narayan and another in Mirsarai 

in Chittagong. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 

will preside over the Ecnec meeting. 

“We want to develop the Araihazar 

economic zone with a business-friendly 

environment for Japanese 

investors,” BEZA official said. 

Japanese investors will invest 

in Bangladesh under Japan government 

initiative titled “Bay of 

Bengal Industrial Growth Belt” or 

BIG-B, officials said. 

A couple of months ago, Ecnec 

approved the proposed Chinese 

Economic and Industrial Zones for 

developing the economic zones on 

a 774.25-acre land at Anwara in Chittagong. 

The project, which is exclusively 

for Chinese investors, involves 

Tk420.37 crore. • 

PRAN-RFL creates 18,000 

jobs in Habiganj 


PRAN-RFL has created some 

18,000 jobs in Habiganj Industrial 

Park in the last three years 

that contributed much to socioeconomic 

development in 

the area. 

This industrial park will 

create more jobs especially for 

the young people in the upcoming 

days. 

Kamruzzaman Kamal, director 

(marketing) at PRAN- 

RFL Group, said this yesterday 

at a view exchange meeting 

with Habiganj journalists held 

at the conference room of the 

industrial park. 

“The area has witnessed a 

massive socioeconomic development 

because of the establishment 

of industrial park. 

80% of the total staff are local 

while 55% are women,” Kamruzzaman 

said. 

PRAN-RFL Group’s factory 

came into being in March, 

2014. Presently the factory has 

37 production lines and 8-10 

lines will be added by next 

year which will create jobs for 

5-7 thousand people. 

HM Manjurul Islam, general 

manager of the group, said the 

company is working not only to 

create employment but also to 

extend scope of education by 

establishing a school in the area. 

“Now 600 students are studying 

in the school. Moreover, we 

offer scholarship to meritorious 

students in the area. Various activities, 

including road construction, 

are going on for smooth 

movement of local people which 

will continue in the future. 

President of Bangladesh 

Federal Union of Journalists 

and CEO of Ekushey Tv, Monjurul 

Ahsan Bubul were present 

at the programme. • 

Oil prices fall to threemonth 

low 

• Reuters 

Oil prices dropped to their lowest 

in three months yesterday 

despite OPEC efforts to curb 

crude output, dragged down 

as US drillers kept adding rigs. 

Brent crude LCOc1 was 

down 11 cents, or 0.21%, at 

$51.26 per barrel by 0755 

GMT, its lowest since Nov 30. 

It closed the previous session 

down 1.6% at $51.37. 

US West Texas Intermediate 

crude (WTI) CLc1 declined 19 

cents, or 0.39%, to $48.30 a barrel, 

also the lowest since Nov 30. 

Brent crude is set to drop 

for a fifth day, its biggest losing 

streak since a six-day slump that 

ended on Nov 4. During this 

streak, the price has slumped 

8.5%, its worst performance 

since the middle of June 2016. 

WTI is set to decline for a 

sixth day, during which is has 

dropped 9.3%. 

The slump in prices has 

occurred as more rigs are deployed 

to look for oil in the 

United States and as crude 

inventories in the US, the 

world’s biggest oil consumer, 

have surged to a record. •


12 

Editorial 


TODAY 

Our days are 

numbered 

Are we also headed towards a narrative 

which will become to be known as 

a commemoration which ended up 

supporting the wrong side in history? 

PAGE 13 

Two wheels are 

better than four 

Due to the horrendous traffic congestion 

in Dhaka, a bicycle is much faster 

compared to other available ones 

PAGE 14 

FOCUS BANGLA 

Bangladesh ready to go deep 

What happens 

behind closed doors? 

Police officers often harbour 

chauvinistic attitudes and do not 

consider domestic violence a priority 

area 

PAGE 15 

Be heard 

Write to Dhaka Tribune 

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, 

Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 

Send us your Op-Ed articles: 

opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com 

www.dhakatribune.com 

Join our Facebook community: 

https://www.facebook.com/ 

DhakaTribune. 

The views expressed in opinion 

articles are those of the authors 

alone and they are not the 

official view of Dhaka Tribune 

or its publisher. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s pledge to protect 

Bangladesh and its sovereignty at all costs is a 

pledge the country’s citizens can get behind. 

The addition of two submarines to the Navy 

arsenal shows that the Bangladesh navy is a force to be 

reckoned with. 

These vessels serve as an important symbol of our 

strength, but also serve to protect our ships and offshore 

assets. 

They are also crucial for improving the quality of training 

provided to our military personnel, ensuring that our war 

platforms are provided a more integrated approach. 

In a rough and tumble world there will be those who will 

wish to bully our country and destroy the values we hold 

dear, and we need to be prepared for any and all threats. 

With our nation moving faster and faster towards 

middle-income status, and becoming a significant player 

on the world stage as a result of our economic progress, the 

PM’s directive to beef up our military makes perfect sense. 

Recently, extremism has also become a matter of 

concern for the government, both from within and outside 

the country, and a stronger military sends the message that 

Bangladesh takes its security seriously. 

As the prime minister herself has said: “We will give a 

befitting reply if someone dares to attack our country.” 

This move is a bold step forward for Bangladesh -- it lets 

citizens know that the security of the nation is a priority, 

and that we are about to become a more important player in 

the global arena. 

These vessels serve as an 

important symbol of our 

strength, but also serve 

to protect our ships and 

offshore assets

Our days are numbered 

Our nation has a knack for focusing on the wrong things 

Opinion 13 



are we not running out of days 

-- to make space for the multitude 

of events and happenstances, 

tragedies and battles -- with which 

to commemorate? 

When so much of our history 

is closed for closer inspection, 

what do we do? America suffers 

this with Christopher Columbus 

Day, a national holiday named 

after a slave king, though they are 

afforded the freedom to criticise 

Columbus as they wish. 

Are we, with all these Days with 

Are we, with all these 

Days with capital Ds, 

also headed towards 

a narrative which, 

decades later, will 

become to be known 

as a commemoration 

which ended up 

supporting the 

wrong side in 

history? 

party states such as ours, that 

is common. Bangladesh is no 

exception. But sometimes, our 

propensity for focusing on the 

wrong thing, is worth a mention. 

Work towards constant 

economic growth? Good. Develop 

the IT sector? Good. Try to remove 

the Lady of Justice statue from 

the Supreme Court grounds? Not 

good. Focus on solar-powered 

energy? Good. Mobile banking? 

Good. Ban pornography because 

it’s ruining our nation’s morality? 

Not good. 

Think about new ways we can 

hold on to our past when there 

are enough days and enough 

narratives and enough boomboxes 

reiterating speeches? Well, still on 

the fence about that one. 

But, maybe, in the end, I’ll 

just don my overworked Dhaka 

service-holder’s cap. I’ll get up at 7 

in the morning, cursing my alarm. 

I’ll fight with the conductor over 

the bus fares from Mouchak to 

Bashundhara. I’ll wait impatiently 

for the day to end. I’ll get home 

and lie down on my bed and sleep 

a sweet sleep. 

And every year, when March 

comes around, I’ll be excited for 

the two-day government holiday 

that awaits me, a little over three 

weeks away. • 

Just another day 

THE 

WORLD IN 

PARENTHESES 

• SN Rasul 

Parliament has announced 

that, henceforth, March 

25 will be recognised 

as Genocide Day. As a 

person with a job, I couldn’t be 

more excited. Two back-to-back 

government holidays? Who needs 

long weekends? 

This is assuming, of course, 

that the commemoration of this 

day is such that it leads to some 

sort of break for the overworked 

masses of the country which, I 

romantically believe, includes me. 

However, as an occasional 

observer of the nation’s politics, I 

am slightly more on the fence. 

For me, as a post-Independence 

child, brought up within the 

confines of walls in which I was 

privileged enough to not have 

witnessed a bloody war, my 

relationship with our shared 

history is one of great conflict. 

BIGSTOCK 

There is a part of me, naive as 

that may sound, that wishes to 

have experienced the war firsthand, 

and even before that, the 

linguistic battles, so that I could 

have a better understanding of 

what had passed. 

This is especially true for 

someone who has been spoonfed 

history as if it were truth, 

as if the mere recollection of 

the past doesn’t change what 

had happened, as if memory is 

objective, set in stone, as if a 

re-telling doesn’t alter the facts 

simply through the way it is told. 

This is not to reiterate some 

sort of Trump-like “alternative 

facts” narrative. But merely to 

understand our history as it was, 

unblemished, untainted, unutilised 

for political agenda. 

Not that my own personal 

recollection would change what 

had happened. Not that my own 

personal agendas and emotions 

and biases would bleed into the 

narrative that I would spew when 

I, too, find myself with a voice, and 

find at the end of its utterance an 

attentive ear. 

But that is besides the point, 

perhaps. Perhaps, with the advent 

of a new day to be recognised, 

capital Ds, also headed towards a 

similar narrative which, decades 

later, will become to be known as 

a commemoration which ended 

up supporting the wrong side 

in history? Interesting to be on 

either side, really, when it comes 

to historical events. History, to 

paraphrase/quote the muchtouted 

adage, is written by the 

winners. And, as such, no matter 

how evident it seems, it is difficult 

to spew as fact. 

This is, I suppose, what they 

(who are they? Academics and 

know-it-alls) mean by this era of 

post-truth. Despite discovering 

and inventing so much which 

allows us to track our past, to 

have undeniable proof of what 

had happened, we find ourselves 

constantly doubting ourselves (or, 

at least, we should) because we are 

bombarded by newer information, 

adding more and more context. 

That’s why, each time the 

ruling party changes, so do 

the holidays, so do the days 

to be commemorated by the 

government and the nation. That’s 

why with each turning of the tides, 

we find ourselves drowning under 

the tsunami of a new narrative. 

Well, in (formerly) two- 

SN Rasul is an Editorial Assistant at the 

Dhaka Tribune.

14 



Opinion 

Two wheels are 

better than four 

Switching to bicycles may save us 

from one of Dhaka’s biggest binds 

• Ridwan Quaium 

The city buses in Dhaka are 

unsafe, shabby, overcrowded, 

and difficult 

to access by women, the 

elderly, and people with special 

needs. The buses also do not cover 

many commonly travelled routes 

in the city. 

Riders have to regularly 

deal with harassment and rude 

behaviour from the bus staff and 

regular illogical increase in ticket 

prices. 

Many of the buses are unfit 

and highly unsafe as they are 

recklessly driven by drivers who 

have very little knowledge of 

traffic rules and very little concern 

for road safety. 

Above all, the service is 

extremely unreliable, as the bus 

operators often call off their 

service to force the authority 

to comply with their unethical 

demands such as to stop 

conducting raids against unfit 

buses or to stop penalising bus 

operators for charging extra for 

fares or to stop penalising drivers 

features of a livable city, Dhaka 

has been unable to provide it for 

decades. 

In fact, the lack of quality 

public transport is one of the 

prime reasons as to why Dhaka is 

considered one of the least livable 

cities in the world. 

In the recent past, the authority 

has taken some steps to improve 

the public transport service in 

the diplomatic zones of the city. 

However, the service is highly 

inadequate. 

Now, the question stands: Is 

there any other viable mode of 

transport that the city-dwellers 

can avail, to improve their daily 

commuting experience? 

Certainly, there is, and the 

solution is by commuting by 

cycling. 

In the past few years, several 

people in the city have taken up 

cycling as a mode of transport. It 

may seem that a bicycle is a slow 

mode of transport compared to 

motorised vehicles, but due to the 

horrendous traffic congestion in 

Dhaka, during rush hour, a bicycle 

is a much faster mode of transport 

It may seem that a bicycle is a slow mode of 

transport but due to the horrendous traffic 

congestion in Dhaka, a bicycle is much faster 

compared to other available ones 

A trend that needs catching on 


for committing traffic accidents. 

When the bus operators call off 

their service, the rickshaw-pullers 

and CNG drivers take advantage 

of the situation by charging 

unbelievably high fares, leaving 

city-dwellers without personal 

modes of transport in a helpless 

situation. 

In fact, city-dwellers without 

personal modes of transport have 

now become hostage to the public 

transport operators such as buses, 

rickshaws, and CNGs, as their fate 

of daily travel depends on the 

public transport operators. 

Although quality public 

transport is one of the basic 

compared to other available ones. 

In fact, in an online survey, 

it was revealed that 75% of 

the people who switched to 

commuting by cycling from other 

modes in Dhaka are now saving 

more than an hour in their daily 

commute. 

Cyclists can use this extra time 

to get more sleep in the morning, 

spend time with their family and 

friends, and do other activities. 

Another big advantage of 

commuting by cycling is financial 

savings. 

There is no doubt that buying 

a bicycle and the necessary 

accessories costs money, but 

depending on the price of the 

bicycle and on the amount used 

to spend for commuting prior to 

commuting by cycling, a cyclist 

may be able to recover the costs of 

the bicycle in about six months. 

Thus, at the end of the year, 

the cyclist will most likely enjoy 

substantial financial savings. In 

addition, cyclist commuters will 

not have to wait in long queues, 

travel in overcrowded buses, have 

their pockets picked, bargain 

about the fare, stress about rude 

behaviour and harassment from 

the operators, stress about public 

transport strikes etc. 

Furthermore, the exercise they 

will get will help them to stay 

healthy and fit. 

Thus, overall they will have a 

peaceful mind and a healthy body. 

The average distance that most 

people commute in Dhaka can be 

easily travelled by cycling. 

Therefore, rather than being 

dependent on the unreliable and 

unsafe public transport, citydwellers 

in Dhaka may consider 

commuting smartly by commuting 

by cycling, which will help them 

to live healthier lives and build a 

green and livable Dhaka City. • 

Ridwan Quaium is a transport engineer 

working in Thailand.

Opinion 15 



What happens behind closed doors? 

Four out of five women suffer domestic violence 

More needs to be done to protect women at home 

BIGSTOCK 

procedures, and including 

women’s participation. 

Legal services should be made 

free and accessible to all even in 

remote areas through satellite 

legal camps. Awareness needs to 

be increased; divorced women 

often do not know that they 

are entitled to alimony through 

salish (informal) and court cases 

(formal). 

Most police stations do not have 

female staff and nor does it host 

a women-friendly space. Police 

officers often harbour chauvinistic 

attitudes and do not consider 

domestic violence a priority area. 

They do not know details about 

the DV Act and Rules, nor do 

they have a register for domestic 

violence complaints. 

The Ministry of Women and 

Children’s Affairs said it would 

re-activate union, upazila, and 

district-level committees to handle 

violence against women cases. 

Perhaps one legal counsellor 

should be assigned in each upazila 

to play a pivotal role in DV Act 

implementation. 

Upazila Women Affairs Officers 

should be trained to support 

victims of domestic violence. Lists 

of victims should be maintained at 

the union level. 

Service providers who can help 

them should be mapped. The 

attitudes of union chairman, UNO, 

and district commissioners have 

great influence on the extent to 

harassment in public states that 

a sexual harassment “Complaint 

Box” should be set up in all 

education institutes. Evidence 

shows that this box and the 

awareness training that goes 

along with it can help reduce the 

incidence of harassment. 

Poverty is a major cause of 

vulnerability; child brides are 

most vulnerable. Adolescent girls 

need skills and incomes to gain 

independence. 

Social protection programs 

could consider targeting survivors 

of domestic violence, delivering 

cash, and training benefits 

to help them gain economic 

independence. 

No safety support is available 

to women survivors of domestic 

violence. Programs described as 

“transformative social protection” 

that aim to change lives through 

empowerment, equality, social 

inclusion, and the realisation of 

human rights, could play a role in 

empowering survivors. 

To see rapid and sustainable 

change, coordinated action 

across sectors is needed. 

The responsibility is not the 

government’s alone. 

Private sector companies 

should also be more genderinclusive 

and can play a lead role 

in guiding vocational training 

institutes about their needs. 

Media can play a role in increasing 

awareness around this issue 

• Farhana Afroz and 

Shazia Omar 

The Domestic Violence 

Prevention and Protection 

Act 2010 and its rules 

adopted in 2013 make 

domestic violence a punishable 

offence, and yet, it continues. 

Four out of five married women 

suffer some form of violence at 

the hands of their spouses in 

Bangladesh (BBS 2015). 

The average age of victims 

to such violence is 27. Dowry 

and polygamy are the leading 

causes of violence and often 

husbands demand dowry when 

looking to divorce and re-marry. 

Husbands and in-laws are the lead 

perpetrators of violence. 

Other factors contributing 

to violence include jealousy, 

control over mobility, and lack 

of permission to go outside (for 

pleasure, work, or to visit parents), 

unemployment of the husband 

and financial hardships, alcohol 

and other substance abuse. 

Use of mobile phones was also 

cited as a source of suspicion and 

then abuse (data collected from 

Promoting Human Rights project 

study, June 2016). 

Women are four times more 

likely to file a case in an upazila 

where an NGO assists in the 

process. The majority of cases 

filed under the Domestic Violence 

Act are brought to court with 

the assistance of NGOs; very few 

cases are filed privately. Survivors 

require door-to-door assistance to 

break the silence. 

Victim-blaming attitudes 

contribute to a home environment 

tolerant of extreme violence, 

making it difficult for women to 

seek help. A cadre of doorstep 

counsellors trained in psychosocial 

and paralegals counselling 

can play a critical role in 

empowering these women. 

Judges and lawyers are not 

interested in pursuing cases under 

the Domestic Violence Act because 

these cases are not lucrative. 

To date, in some districts of 

Bangladesh, not a single case has 

been filed in the relevant courts 

since the Act’s enactment. 

Performance indicators 

should be set for courts to ensure 

women’s needs are served. 

A new post in the District Legal 

Aid Committee office is needed 

to handle cases from survivors of 

domestic violence. 

All cases should be digitally 

recorded and tracked. Grievance 

mechanisms should be set up. 

Salish, or alternative dispute 

resolution, plays a very important 

role since more than 60% of 

domestic violence cases are dealt 

with through this method. 

The salish members are in 

critical need of capacity-building 

and mindset change in order to 

perform their roles within the 

required gender-equal framework. 

Evidence shows that most 

salish members and lower-tier 

local government members do 

not know about their duties 

and responsibilities related to 

protecting the rights of women. 

Salish proceedings need to be 

monitored to ensure that they 

are maintaining standards such 

as women-friendly, unbiased 

environment, receiving written 

complaints, documenting 

Most police stations do not have female staff 

and nor does it host a women-friendly space. 

Police officers often harbour chauvinistic 

attitudes and do not consider domestic 

violence a priority area 

which human rights are upheld 

in their regions. Key leaders such 

as these should be specifically 

trained on gender equality. 

Public schools have now 

included gender-based violence in 

the national curriculum -- dowry, 

child marriage, sexual harassment. 

This should be replicated at the 

madrasa level. Youths, teachers, 

and parents should be taught to 

value gender equality. 

The 2009 High Court Guidelines 

on the prevention of sexual 

and shaping more gender-equal 

attitudes. 

The Domestic Violence Act is 

a step in the right direction, but 

more targeted capacity-building 

and awareness is needed to ensure 

effective implementation. • 

Farhana Afroz is a development worker, 

currently working as Deputy Chief of 

Party for USAID’s Protecting Human 

Rights Program, Plan International 

Bangladesh and Shazia Omar is an 

activist, yogini, and author.

16 



Downtime 

CROSSWORD 

ACROSS 

DOWN 

1 From a distance (4) 2 Venom teeth (5) 

5 Given shoes (4) 3 Liable (3) 

10 Summit (4) 

4 Treat with consideration 

(7) 

11 Metal-bearing rock (3) 

12 Tinges (5) 

6 One entertaining (4) 

13 Wrongdoing (3) 7 Prayer (6) 

14 Agreements (5) 8 Lair (3) 

16 Corroded (6) 

9 Main actor (4) 

18 Bondage (6) 

15 Sticks (7) 

21 Angry (5) 

17 Combined (6) 

23 Greek letter (3) 19 Accustom (5) 

24 Reddening agent (5) 20 Prophet (4) 

26 Lump on the skin (3) 22 Chimed (4) 

27 Expensive (4) 23 Female sheep (3) 

28 Irritable (4) 

25 Cereal grass (3) 

29 Slender support (4) 

CODE-CRACKER 

How to solve: Each number in our 

CODE-CRACKER grid represents a 

different letter of the alphabet. For 

example, today 12 represents H so fill H 

every time the figure 12 appears. 

You have two letters in the control 

grid to start you off. Enter them in the 

appropriate squares in the main grid, then 

use your knowledge of words to work out 

which letters go in the missing squares. 

Some letters of the alphabet may not be 

used. 

As you get the letters, fill in the other 

squares with the same number in the 

main grid, and the control grid. Check 

off the list of alphabetical letters as you 

identify them. 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 

CALVIN AND HOBBES 

SUDOKU 

How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the 

numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must 

contain all nine digits with no number repeating. 

PEANUTS 

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS 

CODE-CRACKER 

CROSSWORD 

DILBERT 

SUDOKU

What’s on 

17 



EVENTS AROUND TOWN TODAY 

THEATRE 

EXHIBITON 

MOVIE 

STAR CINEPLEX 

Where Bashundhara City, 

Dhaka 

What Movie showtime 

(March 14) 

KANJUS 

When 7pm 

Where National Auditorium, Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka 

What Part of the Dui Banglar Natyamela 2017. Production of Dhaka 

theatre troupe Loko Natyadal, directed by Liaquat Ali Lucky. 

CLASSROOM THEATRE 

When 11am 

Where Mohammadpur Girls High School, Mohammadpur, Dhaka 

What Drama and story-reading by Kolporekha and Tamanna Tithi; 

drama Abak Jalpan staged by Loko Natyadal. Organised by People’s 

Theatre Association. 

TALK 

XXX: Return of Xander Cage 

(3D): 1:40pm, 6:40pm 

Kong: Skull Island (3D): 

10:50am, 11:10am, 1:20pm, 

2pm, 4:45pm, 7:30pm 

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2D): 

11:20am, 1:50pm, 4:30pm, 

7:10pm 

Bhubon Majhi (2D): 11am, 

1:30pm, 4:20pm, 6:50pm 

Split (2D): 11:15am, 4pm 

Logan (2D): 10:50am, 

1:45pm, 4:10pm, 4:50pm, 

7pm, 7:20pm 

BLOCKBUSTER 

CINEMAS 

Where Jamuna Future Park, 

Dhaka 

What Movie showtime 

(March 14) 

‘HERE, FOR NOW’ 

When 5-8pm 

Where Kalakendra, 1/11 Iqbal Road (3rd Floor), Mohammadpur, 

Dhaka 

What Solo photography exhibition by Hadi Uddin. 

‘POETRY OF 

DARKNESS’ 

When 3-9pm 

Where Alliance Française 

de Dhaka, 26, Mirpur Road, 

Dhaka 

What Solo painting exhibition 

by Rashedul Huda. 

IN SEARCH OF HARAPPA 

When 5-6:30pm 

Where Civil Seminar Room, BUET 

What Hosted by Bose Science Club, BUET, the session is open for all. 

La La Land: 5pm, 7:20pm 

Split (2D): 11:40am, 7:35pm 

Rings: 11:40am, 2:30pm, 5pm 

The Shack (2D): 12pm, 

1:55pm, 7:20pm 

The Great Wall (2D): 5pm 

Kong: Skull Island (3D): 

11:50pm, 2:25pm, 7:35pm 

Bhuban Majhi (2D): 2:30pm, 

5pm 

Logan (2D): 11:30am, 2:15pm, 

4:55pm, 7:45pm 

WORKSHOP 

PROTIBIMBO PROTIKRITI 

When 5-8pm 

Where Training Room 3, National Auditorium, Shilpakala Academy, 

Dhaka 

What Dance arrangement workshop, directed by Urmimala Sarkar.


18 

Sports 


Mahmudullah to fly 

back home despite 

being in ODI side 

This break will benefit him, says Mahmud 

• Ali Shahriyar Amin 

from Colombo 

On the eve of their 100th Test match, 

scheduled to get underway tomorrow 

at Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium, 

Colombo Oval, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh's 

practice session turned gloomy 

when news broke out that Mahmudullah 

has been dropped from the second 

and final five-dayer. 

“Mahmudullah is not being considered 

for the second Test. So he is going 

back to Bangladesh. Riyad has been informed 

about the omission [Sunday]. 

He has been dropped due to underperformance,” 

Bangladesh team manager 

Khaled Mahmud told the media yesterday 

afternoon. 

Mahmud informed that Mahmudullah 

would head home today or tomorrow, 

subject to availability of air ticket. 

“We have not been able to confirm 

the air ticket for [today]. If we are unable 

to get the ticket, then he will leave 

Sri Lanka [tomorrow],” said Mahmud 

to Dhaka Tribune at 7pm local time. 

Mahmudullah however, was included 

in the ODI squad that was announced 

yesterday. But even after 

the ODI team announcement, it was 

still not clear whether Mahmudullah 

would leave the island nation or stay 

behind for the three ODIs. 

Bangladesh started training at 

10am local time in Colombo under 

BCB president Nazmul Hasan 

addresses the media at his Dhanmondi 

office yesterday 

MD MANIK 

the watchful eyes of trainer Mario Villavarayan. 

Mahmudullah was present 

there for light running. 

But Mahmudullah was absent after 

the warm-up session when the team 

went for fielding and net practice. Later, 

it was revealed that the experienced 

all-rounder has been dropped from the 

squad and will head back home. 

A visibly dejected Mahmudullah 

then left the ground around 12pm for 

the team hotel. 

At that time, the rest of the team 

were practising hard in the net session 

ahead of the second and final Test. 

Mahmud though informed that 

Mahmudullah took the matter sportingly 

and believes the Mymensingh 

cricketer will soon script a comeback. 

“It’s a tough situation for every 

player. But I think he is a matured 

player. Obviously, he is frustrated 

but he has taken it positively. I hope 

he will bounce back strongly,” said 

Mahmud. 

Mahmud said the Mahmudullah 

decision was taken for the sake of the 

team. 

“Players are a bit sad and it is natural 

as Mahmudullah is a senior player. 

But there is no other option as we are 

trailing in the series. We want to win 

the Test match. So there is no chance 

of emotion here. There is no issue regarding 

senior-junior as well,” said 

Mahmud. • 

BCB president clears Mahmudullah stance 

• Minhaz Uddin Khan 

The whole incident regarding 

Bangladesh all-rounder Mahmudullah 

has been nothing but a panorama 

of twisted tales. 

It has been nothing short of 

amazing as to how the issue has developed 

since the selection meeting 

held last Sunday afternoon. 

Just when Bangladesh were about 

to celebrate their 100th Test match, 

Mahmudullah's exclusion has cast 

a shadow over everything. 

It would have been totally understandable 

if Mahmudullah was 

given a break from the Test arena 

following his poor run of form in 

the format. However, the national 

team and the entire cricketing arena 

was literally shaken when word 

got out that he was excluded from 

all three formats of the game. 

The decision was apparently 

Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal chats with Sri Lanka’s coach Graham Ford and fast bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake 

during a practice session at P Sara Oval in Colombo yesterday 

AFP 

taken in the selection meeting and 

it is understood that the decision 

was pressed from Sri Lanka over 

teleconference. 

The incident first came in the 

media “officially” yesterday afternoon 

when team manager Khaled 

Mahmud, currently in Colombo, 

informed that Mahmudullah 

would not be a part of the second 

Test against Sri Lanka, starting tomorrow 

at P Sara Oval. 

Mahmud, the former Bangladesh 

captain and currently a BCB 

director, also said Mahmudullah 

would head back home. 

But in a press conference hours 

later in Dhaka, BCB president Nazmul 

Hasan said he is unaware of the 

decision to send him back home. 

“I have no idea of him coming 

MAHMUDULLAH INT’L CAREER 

M I Runs Ave SR HS Wkts Ave ER BBI 

Tests 33 62 1809 30.15 51.46 115 39 44.71 3.45 5/51 

ODIs 134 117 2858 32.85 74.52 128* 70 44.04 5.10 3/4 

T20Is 56 49 775 19.87 115.84 64* 21 30.9 7.27 2/5 

back. It may be that he wants to 

come back for a break as he is not 

playing the second Test. He would 

join the team later for the ODI series. 

But I do not know anything 

and there is no discussion of sending 

him back home for good,” Nazmul 

told the media at his private 

corporate office in Dhanmondi. 

When queried if sending 

Mahmudullah back home meant he 

is out from the limited-over leg of 

the Sri Lanka tour, Nazmul said, “Because 

it was not discussed with me, 

I think no such thing has happened. 

“As far as I know, we have not 

told him to come back. And he is 

supposed to be a part of the ODI 

squad. No one has yet said hat he 

will not be a part of the ODI squad. 

He is not part of the second Test 

but he is definitely part of the ODI 

squad,” said Nazmul. •

Sports 19 

Autocratic Hathurusingha continues regime of fear 



• Mazhar Uddin 

Over the last 48 hours or so, things 

suddenly heated up with regards to 

the national cricket team selection 

after news spread that Mahmudullah 

was excluded from the second 

and final Test match against Sri 

Lanka. Rumours were also doing 

the rounds that he would fly back 

home. 

Earlier last Sunday, a selection 

committee meeting took place 

where Tigers head coach Chandika 

Hathurusingha joined through 

tele-conference. 

And it was learnt that decision 

to axe Mahmudullah from Bangladesh's 

upcoming 100th Test was 

taken in order to give him some rest. 

The news spread rapidly and the 

reaction was mostly negative as 

questions were raised as to why the 

team management would send one 

of their most experienced cricketers 

in the middle of a series, and 

more importantly, ahead of a landmark 

Test. 

The decision however, depended 

on the green signal of BCB president 

Nazmul Hasan, who was out 

of the country. Upon his arrival yesterday, 

the BCB chief immediately 

announced a press conference. 

In his immediate reaction, Nazmul 

said he is unaware over whether 

Mahmudullah would head back 

home. He added that Mahmudullah 

can indeed ask for a break. In 

that case, he would join the team 

in Sri Lanka before the three-match 

ODI series. 

So, the question remains. Was 

the decision to send back Mahmudullah 

come from the team management? 

It was also being rumoured that 

the 31-year old was not named in 

the ODI squad, finalised by the selection 

committee. But later in a 

press release, BCB announced the 

50-over squad where Mahmudullah 

was named in the 16-member party. 

Meanwhile, it was also understood 

that Hathurusingha has 

urged for a transformation in the 

T20 format. During discussions, 

questions regarding appointing a 

‘No pressure after replacing 

Mushfiq behind stumps’ 


from Colombo 

Bangladesh’s Liton Das said replacing 

Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim 

behind the stumps in the longer 

version of the game did not put him 

under any sort of pressure as he has 

done it throughout his career. 

“I wasn’t under any sort of 

pressure when I replaced Mushfiq 

bhai in the keeping role. I actually 

played as a keeper in Tests before, 

so it was nothing new for me,” 

Liton told the media at P Sara Oval 

in Colombo yesterday. 

The 22-year old said his performance 

should have been better in 

the Galle Test where he scored five 

runs in the first innings and 35 in 

the second essay. In the second innings, 

he got out while playing an 

attacking shot against the spin. 

“I could not quite perform the 

way I wanted to. I contributed with 

my keeping but wasn’t able to contribute 

fully with the bat. I think I 

could have done without that shot. 

But it happened. Sometimes there 

is nothing you can do. And overall, 

when you lose the match, there is 

nothing much to say,” he said. 

“Since we lost the match, we 

played badly. The wicket we had in 

the first Test was a 500-wicket and 

we were behind by 150-200 runs 

in the first innings. In the (fourth) 

innings, if we had batted well, we 

could have scored 350-365 runs, 

but we failed to do that,” he added. 

Liton however, said he will try 

to give his hundred percent when 

Bangladesh contest their historic 

100th Test match, starting tomorrow. 

“It is a big thing for Bangladesh 

cricket and for me as well that I am 

in the squad for the 100th Test. I 

will try to give my hundred percent, 

I think every team member 

will do the same,” he said. • 

new T20 captain in place of limited-over 

skipper Mashrafe bin Mortaza 

were raised. 

Earlier, it was Hathurusingha 

who asked Test captain Mushfiqur 

Rahim to bat at No 4 and relieved 

him from keeping duties. 

According to sources, left-handed 

batsman Mominul Haque is 

also likely to be dropped from the 

second Test after scoring just one 

fifty in his last five innings. Opening 

batsman Imrul Kayes, who has 

already joined the Test squad, will 

return to the playing XI, along with 

Sabbir Rahman. And perhaps, leftarm 

spinner Taijul Islam is also expected 

to return in place of pacer 

Subashish Roy. 

As a result, the coach “fear” 

among the members of the Bangladesh 

team has reached another 

level. 

It was learned that even the 

senior members of the team get 

surprised at times by some of the 

coach’s decisions. 

According to sources, Hathursingha 

is often termed Saddam 

Hussein (former Iraqi president) in 

the dressing room for his autocratic 

personality and strictness. One 

can't help but agree. • 

Walsh: Hard work taking 20 Test 

wicket due to inexperience 


from Colombo 

Bangladesh pace bowling coach 

Courtney Walsh believes inexperienced 

lineup is the main reason 

why Bangladesh often fail to take 

20 wickets in Test matches. 

“It is not unjustified to demand 

20 wickets from bowlers because 

they are going to learn at some 

point in time. When you play Test 

cricket, you have to take 20 wickets. 

It is going to be hard work because 

of the inexperience,” Walsh 

told the media at P Sara Oval in Colombo 

yesterday. 

“They will get better the more 

they play, but the other factor is 

that they are playing in different 

tracks. By the time they realised 

what happened in New Zealand 

and India, we had left those places. 

And now we are here. It is about 

adapting quickly. So far, I think 

we are getting reasonable batting 

tracks. With more experience, you 

will only get better,” he said. 

The former West Indian fast 

bowler also said the Tigers coaching 

stuff is working on the physical 

fitness of the bowlers as the pacers 

often find it difficult to bowl long 

spells, especially in the final sessions 

of a Test. 

“We are looking to convert the 

bowlers ready physically, and I 

think that they can do it. They are 

not fully experienced on how to 

come back in the third spell. You 

get it by playing a lot. It is something 

that we have been working 

on, how to bowl that last spell. Our 

seamers have been little bit jaded 

in the last session of most of the 

Tests we’ve played. It is obviously 

an area of concern and it is something 

that we are looking to fix,” 

said Walsh. 

Bangladesh played three pacers 

in the Galle Test whereas host Sri 

Lanka opted for three spinners in 

the playing XI. Walsh however, said 

head coach Chandiaka Hathurusingha 

made the right call as he knows 

the Sri Lankan condition well. 

“It is the head coach and selectors’ 

job to decide the playing XI. 

I am sure with his experience, he 

will be looking at the playing conditions, 

and how it played in the 

last game; he is in the best position 

to look at what he thinks is the best 

combination. He knows it better 

than anybody else. Whatever goes 

with, he will have my and everyone’s 

full support,” said Walsh. 

Walsh is of the opinion that 

Bangladesh will turn it around in 

the second and final Test, starting 

tomorrow in Colombo, after losing 

the Galle five-dayer by 259 runs. •

20 



Sports 

Abahani's 'Europa League' 

begins on Tuesday 

• Shishir Hoque 

Bangladesh Premier Football 

League champion Dhaka Abahani 

Limited will begin their AFC Cup 

2017 campaign with the Group E 

match against Maldives top-flight 

winner Maziya Sports and Recreation 

Club at Bangabandhu National 

Stadium in Dhaka today at 6:10pm. 

The Sky Blues have never played 

against Maziya, nicknamed The 

Green Boys, but they did face one 

of the most in-form sides from Maldives 

recently in the 2nd Sheikh 

Kamal International Club Cup at 

the end of last month where Abahani 

conceded a narrow 1-0 defeat 

against eventual champion TC 

Sports Club, who play in the same 

Dhivehi Premier League as Maziya. 

Having roped in Croatian tactician 

Drago Mamic at the beginning 

of February as head coach in place 

of the veteran George Kottan, Abahani 

got 10 days to prepare themselves 

for the Club Cup. 

With that said, Abahani's main 

focus was always on the AFC Cup 

in recent weeks. 

The standard of Maldives football 

has been improving significantly 

and they outplayed Bangladesh 

more often than not in recent 

times. The domestic clubs are also 

following in the footsteps of the 

national team. Having been formed 

in 1996, it took Maziya 10 years to 

Ramos strikes again as Real prosper from Barca hangover 

• AFP, Madrid 

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos 

struck another late winner as the 

European champions usurped Barcelona 

at the top of La Liga with a 

hard-fought 2-1 win over Real Betis. 

Earlier, Barca boss Luis Enrique 

accepted his side had struggled to 

shrug off the euphoria of a remarkable 

Champions League comeback 

against Paris Saint-Germain as the 

Spanish champions slumped to a 

shock 2-1 defeat at Deportivo. 

Victory for Madrid moves Real 

two points clear of Barcelona and 

with a game in hand still to come. 

However, Madrid's win was 

mired in controversy as goalkeeper 

Keylor Navas was extremely lucky 

to avoid an early red card before 

making a brilliant stoppage time 

save to deny Antonio Sanabria. 

Navas clearly cleaned out Darko 

Brasanac on the edge of the Madrid 

area as he raced from his goal 

after just 20 minutes, but referee 

Antonio Mateu Lahoz inexplicably 

waived play on. 

The hosts didn't benefit from 

Navas's presence just four minutes 

2017 AFC CUP 

WHAT THEY SAID 

Drago Mamic, Dhaka Abahani 

Limited head coach 

The game is very important for us 

because AFC Cup competition is 

very high in Asia. For Bangladesh, 

we will give our best to achieve 

good result and stay in the track to 

pass the hurdles. We have tried to 

prepare the squad. 

Marjan Sekulovski, 

Maziya Sports and 

Recreational Club head coach 

I think we are fully prepared for 

[today's] match. We are trying to 

take some information about Dhaka 

Abahani. We know about them as 

they have a group of foreign players 

and a foreign coach and lots of 

national players. 

get promoted to the First Division 

for the first time in history. 

It was only last year they won 

their first ever top-flight title 

whereas Abahani have already 

been triumphant five times. Abahani, 

being one of the most successful 

clubs in Bangladesh, have a 

lot to prove on the field. 

Mamic hoped his “finishers will 

be more sharper” than what they 

were in the Club Cup. 

Abahani will miss the services 

of one of their best attackers this 

season, Lee Andrew Tuck, but they 

have brought in Nigerian Emeka 

Darlington, a prolific striker who 

scored numerous times for Sheikh 

Jamal Dhanmondi Club in the last 

couple of seasons. 

If Emeka is able to gel with his 

new teammates, including youngster 

Rubel Miah and English forward 

Jonathan David, Abahani 

have what it takes to penetrate the 

Maziya defence. In the absence of 

defenders Ariful Islam and Tapu 

Barman, Abahani hired Yeasin 

Khan, Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, 

Yeamin Munna and Rayhan Hasan 

as replacements. 

Abahani's historic unbeaten 

Premier League campaign last 

season was orchestrated by Austro-Hungarian 

Kottan. But Mamic 

is not a new face to the Abahani 

players, as well as the opposition, 

as he coached Maldives in 2014-15. 

“I know lot of players playing in 

Maziya. They are the best team (in 

Maldives) with quality players. It is 

good to see our selection against 

them. I can say we can play at the 

same level. The first match will be 

good for us,” Mamic, born in Serbia, 

said. 

Meanwhile, AFC Cup can be 

labelled Asia's Europa League. A 

total of 36 clubs, divided into nine 

groups, will take part in the AFC 

Cup. • 

later, as he bundled Sarabia's shot 

into his own goal having appeared 

to have the effort under control. 

Cristiano Ronaldo ensured Madrid 

went in level at the break as 

he rose unmarked to power home 

Marcelo's cross from close range 

for his 26th goal of the season. 

The visitors' chances of escaping 

with a point were dealt a huge 

blow when Cristiano Piccini saw 

a second yellow card 12 minutes 

from time. 

And just three minutes later, 

fresh from scoring two vital away 

goals at Napoli to ease Madrid into 

the Champions League quarter-finals 

on Tuesday, Ramos powered 

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo is tackled by Real Betis’ German Pezzela during 

their La Liga match at Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on Sunday 

AFP 

Abahani’s Rubel Miah heads the ball during training while coach Drago Mamic 

looks on in Dhanmondi yesterday 

MD MANIK 

home another Toni Kroos header 

for the winner. 

Betis could still have salvaged a 

point, but Navas made amends for 

his early mistakes with a brilliant 

stop from Sanabria's header. 

At Riazor, a much-changed 

Barcelona side from the one that 

hammered PSG 6-1 suffered a body 

RESULTS 

Sociedad 0-2 Bilbao 

Garcia 28-P, Williams 56 

Deportivo 2-1 Barcelona 

Joselu 40, Bergantinos 74 Suarez 46 

Celta 0-1 Villarreal 

Soldado 45 

Real Madrid 2-1 Betis 

Ronaldo 40, Ramos 81 

Navas 25-og 

POINTS TABLE 

Teams P W D L GD Pts 

Real Madrid 26 19 5 2 42 62 

Barcelona 27 18 6 3 54 60 

Sevilla 27 17 6 4 20 57 

Atletico 27 15 7 5 27 52 

Villarreal 27 13 9 5 20 48 

Real Sociedad 27 15 3 9 4 48 

blow to their hopes a third successful 

title with a first league defeat 

since October. 

Joselu had fired Deportivo into 

a first-half lead before Luis Suarez 

levelled in the first minute of the 

second period. 

However, Alex Bergantinos rose 

highest from a corner to seal Deportivo's 

first victory over Barcelona 

since 2008. 

"Obviously it was difficult. Only 

those that have experienced what 

we have this week knows what it 

means, but as professionals we 

know nothing is gifted to you," said 

Enrique. 

Two-goal hero in midweek Neymar 

was one of five changes to the 

Barca side due to an injury. 

It took Deportivo 40 minutes to 

force Marc-Andre ter Stegen into a 

serious save as the German leapt to 

his left to brilliantly turn Joselu's 

volley behind. 

However, from the resulting 

corner Ter Stegen was found wanting 

as he spilled Javier Mascherano's 

miscued clearance and Joselu 

was on hand to smash into an unguarded 

net. •

Sports 

21 



Depay 

delighted with 

halfway strike 

• AFP, Paris 

Former Manchester United outcast 

Memphis Depay rejoiced in his 

contender for goal of the season as 

the Dutchman scored twice to seal 

Lyon’s 4-0 thrashing of Toulouse in 

Ligue 1. 

Christophe Jallet and Maxwel 

Cornet put Lyon in control at Parc 

OL on Sunday before Depay stole 

the show with a second-half brace, 

the latter of those coming from just 

inside the Toulouse half. 

Depay picked up the ball in the 

centre circle and spun round a defender 

before lofting the ball over 

the head of Toulouse goalkeeper 

Alban Lafont for his fourth goal in 

three matches. 

“It’s incredible for me to have 

scored a goal like that. I had tried 

one like that a few years ago and it 

hit the bar,” said Depay. 

“I’m very happy, it’s a magnificent 

goal. I’m very happy with this 

victory.” 

The 23-year-old, who joined 

Lyon from United in January after 

rarely featuring under Jose Mourinho, 

admitted picking up on Lafont’s 

tendency to drift from his 

goal earlier in the game. • 

Klopp has no problems 

winning ‘ugly’ 

• AFP, Liverpool 

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp 

said he is happy for his team to win 

“ugly” during the remainder of the 

Premier League season if it brings 

results such as the fortunate 2-1 

victory over Burnley at Anfield on 

Sunday. 

Klopp’s team improved their 

chances of finishing in the top 

four, and qualifying for next season’s 

Champions League, thanks to 

Emre Can’s superb long-range shot 

after 60 minutes. 

But, against a Burnley side with 

just two points away from home 

Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a forehand against Guido Pella of Argentina in their second round match during day seven of the 

BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Sunday in California 

AFP 

this season, Liverpool were forced 

to work hard to come back after 

Ashley Barnes had shot the visitors 

into a shock, early lead. 

“I would say you need to be 

ready for both,” said Klopp when 

asked if it was important for his 

team to learn how to win ‘ugly’ 

games. 

“You cannot plan an ugly game. 

But this was not our best game 

so, yes, if we want to stay where 

we are, then we need to win football 

games and we can’t make the 

choice and say ‘yes or no we want 

to play this way’,” the German added. 

• 

Shakespeare pens new act in 

Leicester fairytale 

• AFP, London 

A relative unknown on the global 

football scene just weeks ago, Craig 

Shakespeare now stands poised to 

steer Leicester into the quarter-finals 

of the Champions League. 

The jocular coach was promoted 

from his role as assistant manager 

following Claudio Ranieri's shock 

dismissal last month, which he said 

left him feeling like a "pantomime 

villain". 

But Leicester have won their 

two games under Shakespeare's 

stewardship and will attempt to 

overturn a 2-1 deficit in today’s last 

16 second leg at home to Sevilla 

with confidence fully restored. 

"He is a top coach, a top guy and 

he has taken it on naturally," says 

Leicester right-back Danny Simpson. 

"He has kept it simple and told 

us what he wanted to do, which 

was simple and basic, and we've 

done that, so let's hope we can carry 

it on for him." 

Leicester's players were said to 

have been unsettled by Ranieri's 

tactical tinkering as the club slid 

towards the Premier League relegation 

zone and Shakespeare has 

unashamedly gone back to basics. 

Djoker, Fedex, 

Rafa advance at 

Indian Wells 

• AFP, Indian Wells 

Novak Djokovic launched his bid 

for a sixth ATP Indian Wells Masters 

crown with a two-set triumph 

over Kyle Edmund as the stars 

shone Sunday in California. 

The 46th-ranked Edmund 

served for the second set at 5-3, but 

world number two Djokovic broke 

him en route to a 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) win. 

His reward is a tough thirdround 

clash with former US Open 

champion Juan Martin del Potro, a 

7-6 (7/5), 6-3 winner over fellow Argentine 

Federico del Bonis. 

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal 

also reached the third round, 

Federer flying through with a 6-2, 

6-1 victory over France's Stephane 

Robert in just 51 minutes. Nadal 

opened his account with a 6-3, 6-2 

win over Argentina's Guido Pella. 

The three stars are packed together 

in a remarkable bottom 

quarter of the draw. But Djokovic 

said he can't afford to think about 

a possible quarter-final clash with 

either of his long-time rivals. 

While Djokovic has won 12 of 

their 16 meetings, the Argentine 

handed him a two-tiebreak defeat in 

the first round of the Rio Games. • 

He has reverted to the starting 

XI that won the title last season, 

with January signing Wilfred Ndidi 

taking the place of N'Golo Kante, 

now of Chelsea. 

Leicester produced a stirring 

display in Shakespeare's first 

game, Jamie Vardy scoring twice in 

a 3-1 home win over Liverpool, and 

came from behind to beat Hull City 

3-1 on their last outing. 

The squad subsequently spent 

time training and relaxing in Dubai, 

before Shakespeare was confirmed 

as manager until the end of 

the season on Sunday. It is his first 

full-time managerial role. • 

DAY’S WATCH 

FOOTBALL 

TEN 1 

1:45AM 

UEFA Champions League 2016/17 

Juventus v Porto 

TEN 2 

1:45AM 

UEFA Champions League 

Leicester v Sevilla 

TEN 3 

11:30PM 

German Cup 2017 

QF2: Lotte v Borussia Dortmund 

Primeasia University founder MA Khalek speaks during the prize giving ceremony 

of the inter-division cricket tournament yesterday 

COURTESY 

Dzeko leads Roma to second 

as Inter hit seven 

• AFP, Milan 

Edin Dzeko came off the bench to 

hit his 20th goal of the campaign 

as Roma moved back up to second 

in Serie A on Sunday with a crucial 

3-0 win at struggling Palermo. 

Dzeko is still two behind Serie A 

leader Andrea Belotti, who will look 

to add to his impressive 22-goal tally 

for Torino at Lazio yesterday. 

But the Bosnian's 76th minute 

poke put the match beyond reach 

for the Sicilians, and got Roma 

back to winning ways after a recent 

rough patch featuring three defeats 

spread over the Italian Cup, league 

and Europa League. 

"It hasn't been a great week for 

us," Dzeko told Premium Sport. "So 

it was important to win tonight, 

and not to concede any goals. •

22 



Showtime 

Mira, the proud housewife 

• Showtime Desk 

After Mira Rajput’s first public 

appearance in Koffee With Karan, 

the Delhi born wife of superstar 

Shahid Kapoor infiltrated the 

news with her speech at an Event 

and Entertainment Management 

Association (EEMA) program, 

where she declared her happiness 

in being a homemaker. 

Mira said that she wears 

the label of housewife with 

pride. “Why can’t you be an 

accomplished homemaker?” she 

asked. Mira told the audience 

that it was tough on her when 

she was pregnant with Misha, 

the couple’s seven months old 

daughter. Now she loves being at 

home where she can spend time 

with the child. 

“I don’t want to spend an hour 

with her and then rush to work. I 

don’t want to spend one hour in 

the day with my child and then 

rush off to work,” Mira said. Saying 

that the whole point of having a 

baby was to be able to see it grow 

up. Mira exclaimed that Misha “is 

my baby, not a puppy!” 

The gossip columns got 

instantly busy theorizing that 

her statement about rushing to 

work may have been a jibe at her 

husband’s famous ex, Kareena 

Kapoor. Kareena, who has also had 

a baby recently, was back at work 

within a month after the birth of 

Taimur, Saif Ali Khan and Bebo’s 

son. 

Shahid Kapoor and Kareena 

Kapoor’s much publicised 

relationship ended nearly a 

decade ago, when Kareena left 

Shahid for Saif Ali Khan. Shahid 

got married to Mira last year. 

Mira Rajput, who is an outsider 

in the industry, has apparently 

forged a strong marriage with the 

Bollywood star, who said that 

Mira was the necessary “normal” 

part in his life and he loves 

coming back home to her. • 

Shokh and Sumon sign contract 

for Mr. White Detergent Powder 


Anika Kabir Shokh and ABM 

Sumon are set to appear as 

the models for a new line of 

detergent powder called Mr. 

White. 

On March 13 Quazi 

Enterprises Limited signed a 

contract with Shokh and Sumon 

to be the face of the new brand 

of detergent. 

The model stars will act 

as the faces of the brand 

throughout the following year 

in all of the brand’s promotional 

campaigns including print ads, 

television commercials, and 

activations. 

Istiaque Nahid, senior brand 

manager; Md Sohel Howlader, 

head of sales; and Abdullah 

Al Monsur, senior executive 

of Quazi Enterprises Limited 

were present during the signing 

ceremony. 

A Mr. White TV commercial is 

scheduled to appear soon on the 

airwaves featuring Shokh and 

Sumon. • 

Tyra gets America’s Got 

Talent gig 


Tyra Banks has replaced Nick 

Cannon, who has served as the 

host of America’s Got Talent 

since 2009. Cannon announced 

last month that he was leaving 

the show after a falling out with 

the network over a joke told on a 

Showtime comedy special. 

Tyra Banks, 43, the model 

and television personality has 

been named the new host of 

America’s Got Talent as of March 

12. The NBC talent competition 

show has named Tyra Banks as 

its new host. Banks replaces Nick 

Cannon, who announced his 

resignation from the show in a 

Facebook post. 

Howie Mandel, 61, 

who serves as one of the 

judges, announced the 

huge news via Twitter. 

“Please welcome @ 

TyraBanks to the @ 

NBCAGT family! She’s 

our new host. 

#TyraBanks 

#AGT,” he 

wrote. 

This confirms she’ll be taking 

Nick Cannon‘s place after he 

abruptly quit in February 2017. 

As the network previously 

revealed, Simon Cowell, Heidi 

Klum, Mel B and Howie will be 

returning as judges. 

This shocking announcement 

comes after it was reported 

that Brandon Mychal Smith, 

27, was “all but signed” to 

become the next official host of 

America’s Got Talent, according 

to TMZ on March 8. They also 

expressed interest in Marlon 

Wayans, 44, but he allegedly 

wanted more money than the 

show was willing to offer. 

Marlon was their first 

choice, since he’s got 

a huge following 

and has previously 

served as a guest 

judge before, 

sources told the 

publication. •

Showtime 

Parambrata, Paoli and Tisha 

together in Holud Bani 

Parambrata Chatterjee posts a selfie from a shooting location 


Recently Parambrata Chatterjee, 

Paoli Dam and Nusrat Imrose 

Tisha, three celebrated acting 

talents from Kolkata and 

Bangladesh, joined in a filming 

of a Bangladesh-India joint 

venture film, titled Holud Bani. 

Last week, the stars were spotted 

at several filming locations at 

Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, India. Its 

directors Mukul Roy Chowdhury 

and Taher Shipon plan to depict a 

love triangle in the back drop of a 

picturesque countryside. 

The story of the film revolves 

around a middle-class man who 

travels to a place along with a 

woman in search of a job. The 

place they are travelling to, is 

called Holud Bani. There, his 

meeting with a girl would change 

his life completely. 

Based on a story written 

by Sukanta Gangopadhyay, 

the film is jointly produced by 

Bangladesh’s Impress Telefilm 

Ltd and India’s Telecine and 

Entertainment Ltd. 

Parambrata, Paoli and Tisha 

portray the film’s major three 

roles, Polash, Kosturi and Onu, 

respectively. 

After Moner Manush, it’s 

Paoli’s second Bangladesh-India 

joint venture film, while it is 

Bono and the Obamas 


The former US president and first 

lady, was recently seen having 

lunch with U2 frontman and 

activist, Bono and his daughter 

Jordan Hewson in New York City. 

The trio sat in a private dining 

room downstairs at Upland in 

Manhattan. 

A source revealed that, 

when Bono and the Obamas 

walked out of the eatery, “the 

whole restaurant stood up and 

applauded and cheered for them.” 

According to videos posted to 

social media, the Obamas were 

greeted with sweeping cheers and 

applause from diners. 

Since the meeting took place in 

a private setting, there’s no word 

on what the Obamas and Bono 

actually talked about. 

Bono has a long-standing 

relationship with the Obamas 

as his band also performed at 

his presidential inauguration 

in 2009 in Washington DC, and 

evidently their reunion was welldocumented 

by dozens of fellow 

diners over the weekend. 

In 2010, the U2 frontman 

Parambrata’s first. Parambrata’s 

debut Bangladeshi feature 

Bhuban Majhi is now in theatres 

with another one, Voyonkor 

Sundor, on its way to the 

cinemas. After Doob with Irrfan 

Khan, this is Tisha’s second film 

shooting in India. 

Some filming for Holud Bani 

will take place in Dhaka in 

April.• 

PHOTO: EI SAMAY 

met Obama to discuss foreign 

aid and came out proud that he 

spoke with “the first BlackBerry 

president.” A year later, Bono 

visited the White House again and 

played the Beatles’ “Norwegian 

Wood” for the then-president. 

After the incident, Obama 

tweeted: “How cool is this?” 

Last January, U2’s guitarist, 

The Edge, told Rolling Stone 

that the band was delaying the 

release of its upcoming album as a 

result of Trump’s election victory 

because “suddenly the world 

changed.” • 

Indiana Jones and the Last 

Crusade 

Zee Studio, 5:15pm 

This film is set three years after 

Indiana Jones recovered the 

Ark of the Covenant. He comes 

across the history of yet another 

biblical artefact in the form of 

The Holy Grail. Jone’s father, 

Henry goes missing while also 

searching for The Holy Grail. 

Now it is up to Indiana Jones 

to find both his father and the 

artefact. 

Cast: Harrison Ford, Sean 

Connery, Alison Doody, John 

Rhys-Davies, River Phoenix 

Clash of the Titans 

Movies Now, 7:25pm 

Perseus is the mortal son of 

the Olympian god Zeus and the 

leader of a band of heroes who 

embark on a new adventure 

destined to be told for ages as 

the unforgettable mythology of 

the ancients. 

Cast: Sam Worthington, Liam 

Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason 

Flemyng, Gemma Arterton 

The Jungle Book 

Star Movies, 9:30pm 

The Jungle Book is an all-new 

live-action epic adventure 

about Mowgli, a man-cub who 

has been raised by a family of 

wolves. But Mowgli finds he 

is no longer welcome in the 

jungle when fearsome tiger 

WHAT TO WATCH 

23 


Shere Khan, who bears the scars 

of Man, promises to eliminate 

what he sees as a threat. Urged 

to abandon the only home 

he has ever known, Mowgli 

embarks on a captivating 

journey of self-discovery, 

guided by panther-turnedstern 

mentor Bagheera, and the 

free-spirited bear Baloo. Along 

the way, Mowgli encounters 

jungle creatures who don’t 

exactly have his best interests at 

heart, including Kaa, a python 

whose seductive voice and gaze 

hypnotises the man-cub, and 

the smooth-talking King Louie, 

who tries to coerce Mowgli 

into giving up the secret to the 

elusive and deadly red flower 

fi r e . 

Voice: Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, 

Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o 

The Time Machine 

WB, 7:53 

Alexander Hartdegen (Guy 

Pearce) is a scientist and 

inventor. He works hard 

to prove that time travel is 

possible. The girl he is in 

love with is tragically killed. 

Alexander is determined to go 

back in time and change the 

path and bring his girlfriend 

alive. He creates a time machine 

that takes him 800,000 years 

ahead in time instead of a few 

months behind. 

Cast: Guy Pearce, Samantha 

Mumba, Mark Addy, Sienna 

Guillory, Phyllida Law • 


PHOTO: THE IMAGE DIRECT.COM

24 



Back Page 

HIGH COURT: PRISONERS CANNOT BE 

PRODUCED IN COURT IN FETTERS › 4 

PARAMBRATA, PAOLI AND TISHA 

TOGETHER IN HOLUD BANI › 23 

Another accident plagues Moghbazar flyover 

• Kamrul Hasan 

The accident at the Moghbazar-Malibagh 

flyover construction 

site yesterday killing one person 

and injuring two others marked 

another case of negligence this 

construction work is fraught with 

since its inception. 

The construction operated by 

Toma Construction and Company 

Limited has seen four accidents 

since last April and four people 

killed. 

Yesterday’s accident took place 

at 2:30am killing Swapan Miah, 42, 

a carpenter who was made to stand 

guard for four hours during the 

hauling of the girder onto the flyover 

that eventually fell and took 

his life. 

Two others injured in the accident 

are Nur Nabi Helal, a driver 

from Noakhali, and Palash Baran 

Dhar, an LGED engineer. They were 

taken to Dhaka Medical College 

Hospital (DMCH) by fire fighters 

who rescued them. 

Deputy Director of DMCH Khaja 

Abdul Gafur said Swapan died at 

3am while undergoing life saving 

treatment. 

Hotelier detained over harassment of US photojournalist 

• Probir Kumar Sarker and 

Kudrote Khoda Sobuj, 

Kushtia 

The owner of a hotel in Kushtia was 

detained yesterday after an American 

female freelance photojournalist 

claimed he repeatedly tried 

to gain access to her room in the 

middle of the night. 

Boston-born photojournalist 

Allison Joyce told the Dhaka Tribune 

that she went to Kushtia to 

cover a story on child marriage 

and checked in to the Kheya Hotel 

around 4pm on March 5. 

Her “nightmare” experience 

started when she was woken at 

about 12:30am because one of the 

four proprietors, Bishwanath Das 

Bishu, and his staff were being loud 

in the hallway outside her room. 

“I went out to tell them to be 

quiet, but Saha (Bishwanath Das 

Bishu) came and stood in my doorway, 

preventing me from closing 

the door. He was drunk and rambling 

incoherently, telling me not 

to shout in the hallway,” Joyce said. 

“After about two minutes, I 

managed to convince him to go 

and let me shut the door. I went 

A girder of the under-construction Mouchak-Malibagh flyover at Malibagh rail 

gate area crashed to the ground yesterday, killing one person and injuring two 

others 


Nur Nabi lost his right leg and 

Palash lost his left leg from the 

knee below, he added. 

The accident occurred when 

they were placing the girder – the 

main horizontal support beam 

used in construction which supports 

smaller beams. Once the girder 

was put on and the smaller support 

beams were removed – which 

back to sleep and 30 minutes later 

this whole thing started,” she said. 

According to Joyce’s subsequent 

complaint emailed to Kushtia Sadar 

OC Shahabuddin Chowdhury 

and Awami League leader Sufi 

Faruq Ibn Abubakar on March 9, 

Bishwanath had tried to break into 

her room at 1am. 

“He was sh*t-faced drunk. For 

30 minutes he knocked, called my 

phone, tried to open the door and 

demanded the master key from the 

hotel staff. I was a woman travelling 

alone,” she wrote. 

a construction worker said was out 

of balance – it fell immediately. 

The girder was 100 feet long and 

eight feet wide; it fell on the rail 

line halting train movement for 

five hours before it was removed 

by Fire Service and Civil Defence 

at 7am, said Senior Station Officer 

of Fire Service control room Nazrul 

Islam. 

Allison Joyce taking the photograph of an underage girl she met in Khulna area on 

March 7, 2017. The photo is used with her permission 

COURTESY 

She had also enclosed screenshots 

of her mobile’s call records. 

Bishwanath Das Bishu was picked 

up by police around 1pm yesterday 

from the Chhoy Rasta intersection in 

the town and taken to Sadar police 

station for several hours of questioning 

over the allegation. 

Bishu denied the accusations, 

claiming that he and some staff had 

gone to talk to Joyce about a complaint 

she had made about noise 

pollution from nearby places. 

He was detained following an 

executive magistrate order issued 

Dhaka South City Corporation 

(DSCC) Mayor Sayeed Khokon visited 

the site of the accident and 

said: “The LGED and government 

has formed a three-member committee 

to look into the cause of this 

accident.” 

He said the government would 

compensate the family of the deceased 

and would also compensate 

and bear the medical costs of the 

two injured. 

When asked about the allegations 

of low quality construction 

material and lack of public safety, 

he said: “The investigation committee 

will look into it. No one 

or no organisation will be spared 

if they are found guilty of negligence.” 

The investigators have been 

asked to submit their findings as 

soon as possible, he added. 

It is mandatory for the construction 

sites of large scale structures 

like the flyover to cordon off the 

site for safety. 

Swapan was offered Tk500 yesterday 

to guard against people entering 

the construction zone as opposed 

to taking the safety measure 

of cordoning off the area entirely. • 

on March 6, asking police to investigate 

the matter. 

According to OC Shahabuddin, 

sometime during the late afternoon, 

Bishu was produced before 

the Cognisance Court of Judge Mesbah 

Uddin, which sent him to jail 

under section 54 of CrPC. 

Police did not seek his remand. 

“We will investigate the case 

and submit a report to the court,” 

Shahabuddin added. 

Joyce’s trials, however, did not 

end there. Local journalist Ali Ahsan, 

who was working with her on 

a story, helped her check out and 

look for a different hotel. 

Progress at a 

human cost? 

• Kamrul Hasan 

Forty two year old Swapan who 

died in the Moghbazar-Malibag 

flyover accident yesterday came to 

Dhaka when he was just 7 years old 

to make his fortune. 

A carpenter by profession, he 

saved every penny he made to send 

his two sons to school. His friend 

Abdul Kuddus Babu said Swapan 

was called into work at 1am and offered 

Tk500 extra to work as guard 

at the construction site. 

Hearing the news of his death, 

this wife of 17 years Ruby Akhter 

fainted at her brother’s house unable 

to process the news of the only 

breadwinner of the family passing 

away. 

His two sons Imon an SSC 

student in Kishoreganj and Imran 

a madrasa student will bury their 

father in Pakundia, Kishoreganj 

today. • 

However, when they went to Rose 

View Hotel at 3am, Joyce was refused 

a room. “They refused to accept me 

as a guest as I am a woman,” she said. 

Police are now verifying this allegation. 

With Ahsan’s help, Joyce finally 

managed to get a room at an NGO 

dormitory at around 4:30am. 

“Please tell me, how much do 

women in Bangladesh need to put 

up with? The incident with Mr Saha 

and the Rose View Hotel need to be 

looked into and I trust that you will 

take these incidents very seriously,” 

she stated in her email to Shahabuddin 

and Faruq. • 

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, 

8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

DT e-Paper 14 March 2017

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?