D H A K A W E D N E S D AY D E C E M B E R 1 , 2 0 2 1

SECOND EDITION

REGD. NO. DA 781 VOL. XXXI NO. 310 AGRAHAYAN 16, 1428 BS RABIUS SANI 25, 1443 HIJRI 16 PAGES PRICE : TK12.00

“The Awami League is not responsible for “If Khaleda Zia is harmed, the people “Iran must return without delay to
the legal complication regarding Khaleda Zia’s will not spare the government.” compliance with all its commitments
treatment abroad.” BNP SECRETARY GENERAL MIRZA FAKHRUL and obligations...”
AWAMI LEAGUE GENERAL SECRETARY OBAIDUL QUADER ISLAM ALAMGIR FRENCH PRESIDENT MACRON ON 2015 NUKE DEAL

More deaths, A father in

disbelief
more outrage SHAHEEN MOLLAH and
MOHAMMAD JAMIL KHAN
Abdur
Rahman
Young protesters won’t leave streets as Bhandari was
demand for safe roads get louder; struggling
to accept
another student dies in crash that his son
would never
come back. Mainuddin
As everybody in his
family and relatives
gathered in their village
home in Brahmanbaria
yesterday, he kept looking
for his son, Mainuddin
Islam Durjoy, who was
run over and killed by a
recklessly driven bus in
the capital’s Rampura late
Monday night.
“Why my son isn’t
here? Ask him to come
STAFF CORRESPONDENT right now,” said a frantic
Abdur. At one point, he
A total of 3,502 people got killed in road crashes by the end of August this broke down and wept,
year, which means 14 individuals died every day. While life goes on as is “Mainuddin left [our] shop
for the powers that be, it is the students again who decided that enough with only 10 Taka. Why
is enough. hasn’t he returned yet?”
The demonstrating students left the roads over the weekend after being Mainuddin, who had
offered platitudes by the custodians of the city. They were back in greater just finished his SSC exams
numbers yesterday. two days ago, was killed on
For them, SSC examinee Mainuddin Islam’s death on Monday night his birthday. The incident
was another death too many.
Monir Hossain, elder brother of Mainuddin Islam Durjoy, breaks down at the morgue of Dhaka Medical PHOTO: happened around 9:50pm
Unfortunately, it was not the last. As protests raged on in Dhaka, College yesterday seeing the body of his brother while his relative tries to console him. Durjoy, an SSC PALASH KHAN on Monday when the
SEE PAGE 2 COL 3 examinee, was run over and killed by a bus in the capital’s Rampura on Monday night. SEE PAGE 5 COL 4

Nat’l professor
Rafiqul Islam
no more
1934-2021
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
He was a man of many hats: a writer, a
linguist, a teacher, a researcher, and a
Language Movement veteran.
As a champion of secularism and one
of the most distinguished researchers
on National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, he
enriched the country’s education and
culture.
He is National Professor Rafiqul Islam,
the recipient of both Swadhinata Padak
and Ekushey Padak, the country’s highest
SEE PAGE 2 COL 6
KHALEDA ZIA’S MEDICAL CONDITION
Khaleda starts
bleeding again
Moment for PM’s
BNP stages demo at
Nayapaltan
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
magnanimity
MAHFUZ ANAM
BNP Chairperson Khaleda
Zia, now undergoing
treatment at the capital’s
Evercare Hospital, started
bleeding again on Monday
When it comes to the BNP is it at all possible for the ruling party to see it night and her condition
through any other prism but political? Can the decision to allow Khaleda was still unpredictable.
Zia to go abroad for medical treatment be seen as a humanitarian case “She did bleed again.
rather than party politics? Can doctors’ views stand any chance of being Doctors were worried
seen purely from a professional point of view rather than contrived? about her condition.
Can medical facts, gleaned from tests conducted by doctors of a hospital Due to frantic efforts of
managed by an international franchise, be taken for what they state? The the physicians, the crisis
answer, I am afraid, will be an instant and emphatic no. is tackled for now,” said
Nothing about the BNP as a political party and Khaleda Zia as its chief
be ever considered for anything else other than its political implications,
Mirza Fakhrul Islam
Alamgir, secretary general
even when the latter is most seriously ill with doctors making dire
of the party.
The party organised a
predictions in case of not being allowed medical treatment in countries rally in front of the party’s
like the US, UK and Germany. Nayapaltan headquarters
There is a whole history of bitter, fractious, rivalrous and destructive demanding the release of
relations between these two political parties. The BNP in its heyday did Khaleda and permission
not view anything to do with Awami League and its president, Sheikh to send Khaleda abroad
Hasina, in any light other than political. She was not allowed to seek for better treatment in an
justice, which is a fundamental right of any person especially the children, advanced centre.
for her parents’ murder and not even allowed to lodge a case. The injustice Referring to the
of that reality and the sense of helplessness on the part of Sheikh Hasina physicians, Fakhrul said
and Sheikh Rehana must be felt by us all. Khaleda’s condition
The saddest example of it is the assassination attempt on Sheikh Hasina was not good and still
on August 21, 2004 that left 24 AL leaders and activists killed while the SEE PAGE 2 COL 3
SEE PAGE 2 COL 4 PHOTO ON PAGE 12
‘No vaccine,
no service’
Govt decides to introduce campaign
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
as Omicron threat looms
The government yesterday introduced a
‘no vaccine, no service’ policy and a 14-day
institutional quarantine for those arriving
from countries where the Omicron variant
has been detected, as it scrambles to put its
guard up against the new potentially more
contagious strain of the coronavirus.
Booster doses for those above the
age of 60 and with morbidity are also
being considered to reinforce the public’s
OMICRON
immunity against what the World Health NEW WORRY
Organisation labelled a “variant of
concern”, its most serious category. to vaccination and natural infection, than
“Many people died and our economy was prior versions of the virus.
hit badly -- we don’t want a repeat of that Still, the vaccines will continue to ward
episode,” Health Minister Zahid Maleque off severe illness and death, which is why
told reporters after an inter-ministerial the ‘no vaccine, no service’ policy was put
meeting yesterday at the secretariat, where in place to encourage people to get the jabs.
the decisions were taken. “We have taken our vaccination
First detected in South Africa on campaign to the grassroots level but there
November 25, a total of 19 countries have are many who are yet taken the jabs. We
so far reported cases of the highly mutated have seen a drop in the eagerness among
variant, which is said to be better able to people in inoculation,” Maleque said.
evade the body’s immune responses, both SEE PAGE 5 COL 4

SOHEL MURDER CASE

2 suspects The unbridled
killed in
‘gunfight’ joy of freedom
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Cumilla Santal freedom fighter shares
Two murder case accused
were killed in a “gunfight”
wartime memories, 50 years
with police in Cumilla city after victory
early yesterday.
RABIUL HASAN
The dead are
Mohammad Sabbir Every December,
Hossain, 28, and Sajon, Amin Hemrom
32, both accused in a is overpowered
case filed over the murder by emotions -- so
of then councillor Syed powerful that, on
Mohammad Sohel. occasions, they lead
Anwarul Azim, officer- him to tears of joy.
in-charge of Cumilla On those days, he
Kotwali Police Station, said
says, his heart beats
11 people, including the
faster and his breaths
duo, were named in the
get heavier as he
case documents.
recalls the wartime
Sabbir and Sujon had
memories.
been on the run ever since
the slain councillor’s brother In May 1971, when VICTORIOUS
filed the case, he added.
On information,
attacks on Bangalee
homes and killings DECEMBER
police conducted a raid in of Bangalee people
Cumilla city’s Shangraish by Pakistan occupation forces were escalating in
and Nabagram areas different parts of the country, his parents were
around 12:15am, he deeply worried.
further added. Seeing many of their neighbours heading for
Kamal Krishna Das, India, his parents wasted no time to flee from their
inspector (investigation) of Santal village of Rudro Kunda in Nachole upazila in
the police station, claimed, Chapainwabganj and cross the border.
“A group of criminals After a perilous journey, mostly on foot, they
opened fire on police as An exhausted Tahmina, 62, sits on the road in Fulbarigate of Khulna city yesterday. She had been PHOTO:
reached Malda of West Bengal and took shelter in
they reached Shangraish waiting for five-hour to buy rice from a TCB dealer. Lines before dealer shops, which sell rice for HABIBUR RAHMAN SEE PAGE 2 COL 1
SEE PAGE 5 COL 6 Tk30 a kg, have grown as prices of the staple have gone up recently.
 City
2 NEWS DHAKA WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 16, 1428 BS

273 15,76,284 27,981 15,40,965 5,228,963 262,656,063

New cases in 24hrs Total cases Deaths Recoveries Deaths Total cases

Germany jails Iraqi jihadist More deaths, more outrage
for life for Yazidi genocide
AFP, Frankfurt
A Frankfurt court yesterday handed
a life sentence to an Iraqi man who
joined IS for genocide against the
Yazidi minority, in a historic first
verdict worldwide to use the label.
Taha Al-Jumailly, 29, was found
guilty of genocide, crimes against
humanity resulting in death, war
crimes, aiding and abetting war crimes
and bodily harm resulting in death
after joining the so-called Islamic
State group in 2013.
Proceedings were suspended as the
defendant passed out in court when
the verdict was read out.
The Yazidis, a Kurdish-speaking
group hailing from northern Iraq,
have for years been persecuted by IS
militants who have killed hundreds
of men, raped women and forcibly
recruited children as fighters.
In May, UN special investigators
reported that they had collected “clear
and convincing evidence” of genocide
by IS against the Yazidis.
FROM PAGE 1
a college student was killed after a
truck and a motorcycle collided on
Station Road, Chattogram, early
yesterday.
Joydwip Das of Cox’s Bazar was a
student of Mirsarai Degree College.
He was supposed to sit for the coming
HSC exams.
Sub-inspector Belayet of Kotwali
Police Station who visited the scene
told The Daily Star that Joydip and his
two friends were on the motorcycle.
“The motorcycle was overtaking the
truck when the latter hit it near the
Riazuddin Bazar area. The incident
happened around 3:30am,” he said,
quoting witnesses. Joydip died at the
scene and the others were seriously
valid papers.
The discoveries resulted in an
uproar as the students chanted:
“Shame, shame! Police don’t have
papers!” They also sprayed graffiti to
mark the vehicles.
The on-duty traffic police seized
vehicles of their own. “Police seized
a [policeman’s] car and brought it to
Rampura traffic police box in response
to the students’ demands,” said
Khilgaon Zone Additional Deputy
Commissioner of Police Mohammad
Nurul Amin who was present at the
scene.
The driver informed police that the
car belonged to an additional SP of
Police Headquarters.
The demonstrators later stopped a
fares collected every day. So they
routinely compete with each other
to get the highest number of trips
and passengers.
One of the main demands of the
2018 road safety protests was an end
to this practice. Bus owners agreed to
this on paper but the reality remains
the same.
Khandaker Enayet Ullah, general
secretary of Dhaka Road Transport
Owners’ Association, admitted that
“some” buses were still being operated
in the old way. The association is
working to stop it, he added.
Students protesting at Motijheel’s
Shapla Chattar vandalised
bus of Midline Paribahan. They
demonstrated for almost two hours,
Nat’l professor
FROM PAGE 1
civilian honours, for his contribution
to education.
The 87-year-old breathed his last
at the capital’s Evercare Hospital
yesterday. He was on life support since
Thursday, said Rafiqul’s son Borshon
Islam.
He was admitted to Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujib Medical University
(BSMMU) with abdominal pain on
October 7. Doctors had confirmed
that water had accumulated in his
lungs, and it was extracted, added
Borshon.
a The first namaz-e-janaza of the
eminent educationist was held at
Uttara Sector-10 mosque last night.

The unbridled joy of freedom injured.

Joydip’s elder sister Srabontee Das
said the family would not file a case
rented police bus and four motorcycles
used by policemen for not having
valid papers.
bringing traffic to a standstill.
Traffic Inspector Fazlur Rahman
said normal traffic resumed by lunch.
His body was kept at the hospital
mortuary.
FROM PAGE 1 battles, he said, their group attacked a The mortal remains of the national
a camp called Camp Pukur. The next Pakistani military camp in his home and her brother’s body had been The students also stopped a vehicle HALF-FARE FOR STUDENTS professor will be taken to the Bangla
day, they were sent to a school at town in Chapainawabganj and killed a cremated without an autopsy. bearing a sticker of the Ministry of Transport companies yesterday agreed Academy about 1:00pm today and
Bangitola, where they stayed for about collaborator. In the capital, students Information because the driver had an to accept half-fare from students with Shaheed Minar about 2:00pm for
a month. On that day, one group of 14 demonstrated for safer roads at several expired licence. identity cards between 7:00am and
Later, they were transferred to Kutub freedom fighters led by Commander paying last respects.
places throughout yesterday. Sohagi Samia, a student of 8:00pm in Dhaka city from today.
Shohor camp in Malda where Hemrom, Abdus Samad and another group of The Rampura intersection was Khilgaon Model College, said she However, the benefit can’t be He will be buried at Azimpur
then in his mid-20s, met Sangram equal number of freedom fighters led by where Mainuddin was crushed to and her fellows would continue the availed on weekends and holidays. graveyard in his father’s grave.
Majhi, an indigenous community Commander Idris entered Bangladesh Rafiqul took photographs of the
death by a bus of Anabil Paribahan on demonstration until the demands for Enayet made the announcement
leader from Rajshahi’s Godagari area. crossing Kolabagan border of Language Movement when it reached
This chance meeting changed the Sonamasjid area of Chapainawabganj, his birthday. safer roads are realised. at a press briefing at the association’s
course, and the way Hemrom sees it, the some 70-80km from his home. As students started stopping Mainuddin was killed by one of office. The decision comes after weeks the pinnacle on February 21, 1952
meaning of his life. The two groups attacked the vehicles and checking the licences and two buses racing to get passengers, of protests by students in the face of a and portrayed the history of the
“One day he [Sangram] held a Pakistan forces and their collaborators registrations at Rampura intersection witnesses said. hike in bus-fares. movement and Liberation War in his
meeting with indigenous youths like simultaneously from two sides at Argara after 10:30am yesterday, it became It has been reported many times He urged the government to writings, paving a way for the next
me and called upon us to join the Hat of Shibganj upazila, forcing the apparent just how many vehicles did that bus drivers and conductors are consider the association’s demand for generation to know about them.
Liberation War,” Hemrom told The occupation army to retreat, he said. not have fitness certificates. not paid a steady salary. Instead, an incentive in exchange for giving He also actively took part in the
Daily Star recently. Their group also At least six police vehicles had no they are given a cut from the students the benefit.
I m m e d i a t e l y, launched multiple Liberation War.
Hemrom and five other attacks on the Pakistan “My father was held captive by the
indigenous young men
went to the Muktijodhha
Camp at Gour Bagan
forces in Gomostapur,
Bholahat, Krishtopur
and Rohonpur and
Khaleda starts bleeding again Pakistan occupation army for two
months during the Liberation War,”
FROM PAGE 1 Centring the rally, thousands of administration cannot do their work Borshon Islam told The Daily Star.
area in Malda, where drove them away. unpredictable. “Doctors said clearly party leaders and activists thronged rightly, he said. A former vice chancellor of
they took basic training After the war was that her treatment is not possible in at the meeting venue and chanted He made the remarks at a BNP
for about 15 days. The over, Hemrom and all University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh
the country. She must be sent abroad slogans demanding the release of gathering that demanded the release (ULAB), Rafiqul had been the Bangla
camp authorities then his family members, for treating her and it should not be
sent them to Shiliguri Khaleda Zia. and medical treatment of Khaleda at Academy president until death. He
including his parents
where they took training delayed.” Regarding the foreign minister’s the KB Convention Hall in Bakalia
and siblings, returned was made national professor in 2018.
on guerrilla warfare. home. Saying that the physicians are statement that medical documents Kalamia Bazar in the city.
concerned about the health condition of Khaleda were sent abroad, Fakhrul The 76-year-old former prime Rafiqul, a teacher of Prime Minister
After the training “I cannot express
of Khaleda, Fakhrul said the former said, “He [foreign minister] made minister was diagnosed with liver Sheikh Hasina, was the chairman of the
was over, they were how I felt on the day I
sent to the frontline returned home. When premier was still fighting for her life in such comment before the diplomats. cirrhosis and to treat her she needs to National Implementation Committee
under Sector 7 under Amin Hemrom the Critical Care Unit of the hospital. Diplomats have already mounted be sent abroad immediately. for Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
we left the country,
the leadership of Birshreshtha Captain our land was occupied by Pakistan Issuing a note of warning, the BNP pressure on the government to send Khaleda has long been suffering Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s 100th
Mohiuddin Jahangir, one of the seven forces. But now our land was free,” said leader said if anything happens to Khaleda abroad for better treatment.” from arthritis, diabetes, as well as Anniversary Celebration.
greatest war heroes. Hemrom, now 75. Khaleda, the people of the country The BNP leader urged the people dental and eye problems. She was A pall of gloom descended on the
Born in Barisal, Captain Jahangir Memories of the war are often filled will not spare the ruling Awami of the country to get united to mount admitted to the hospital on November
incidentally fought his last battle with dread, but it makes him proud, he academic arena and well-wishers of
League. pressure on the government to release 13 and moved to the CCU on the the national professor soon after the
in Hemrom’s hometown in says. Khaleda and send her abroad. following day, nearly a week after
Chapainawabganj, on December 13, “You [government] are talking news of his death spread.
But sometimes Hemrom gets Meanwhile, in Chattogram, BNP she was discharged from the same
1971. Shot in the head while trying to frustrated because of the growing about the law. It is a lie. According President Abdul Hamid, Prime
to 401 provision of CrPC, only organised a protest rally where healthcare facility.
attack the Pakistani military camp in communal intolerance, inequality Minister Sheikh Hasina, Speaker
Rehaichar Moholla, he breathed his last and rights violation of minority government can send her abroad.” BNP standing committee member Khaleda was sent to jail on February
The BNP leader said now the Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said 8, 2018, in a corruption case. Due to Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, ministers,
the next day. communities.
“He [Captain Jahangir] always “Sometimes, it feels like our country responsibility of Khaleda lies with the AL destroyed all institutions of the the coronavirus pandemic, she was distinguished personalities, top
inspired us. I feel proud that I fought is independent, but we are not,” he said. the Awami League. “If she does not country only to stay in power. given a temporary release on certain leaders of different political and
under his leadership,” said Hemrom, a After 50 years of the country’s get proper treatment and anything Today, judges cannot judge conditions on March 25 last year. The socio-cultural organisations, Bangla
listed freedom fighter. independence, Hemrom says he wants harmful happens to her, you would be independently. The police cannot term of her release has been extended Academy as well as educational
In one of his most memorable everyone to live in peace and harmony. blamed for everything.” function independently. The four times so far. institutions, including Dhaka
University and ULAB, expressed deep
shock at the demise of the cultural
Moment for PM’s magnanimity personality.
Born on January 1, 1934 in
FROM PAGE 1 treatment in BSMMU – and apply
AL chief had an unbelievable Chandpur, Rafiqul completed
from there? How practical is that
escape. Equally condemnable was graduation and post-graduation from
expectation and with what credibility
the farce that the post-event official will such statements be received by Dhaka University. He earned MA in
investigation was turned into. Starting the general public? Linguistics at Cornel University, USA.
from washing away evidence from With each passing day the logic of He taught Bengali and linguistics
the crime scene and inexplicably treatment abroad is getting stronger at Dhaka University from 1957-1958
destroying the grenades that remained and the government’s resistance to it and 1961-2004. He had his PhD
unexploded -- all sorts of actions looking increasingly weak. degree on the thesis on “Life and
were taken so that the truth couldn’t What political risks does the Poetry of Kazi Nazrul Islam”.
be unearthed. We noticed with government face by allowing the BNP He had been the director general of
increasing incredulity the discussions chief to go abroad for treatment? Bangla Academy from April-December
in parliament at that time trying to Let us assume Begum Zia would 2001.
suggest that it was a result of Awami completely recover and then indulge
League’s internal feud, statements of Rafiqul, also the former chairman of
in politics from abroad. Even then
ministers implying the same and the the Nazrul Institute Trustee Board, has
what could she effectively do?
so-called one-person judicial inquiry Hold press conferences and issue authored more than 30 books on the
that came out with the finding that it statements against the ruling party? Language Movement, Liberation War,
could be the work of a neighbouring The international press would pick it history of Dhaka University, language,
country. once or twice but would later treat it literature, culture of Bangladesh and
Such was the farce made of the as déjà vu and spike it as they usually other topics.
most diabolical attempt to kill a do. How much harm could that cause He was the chief editor of Nazrul
political rival since the brutal murder a government which is being lauded Rachanbali (Nazrul Omnibus)
of Bangabandhu and most of his by the international community and published by Kabi Nazrul Institute
family members back in 1975. recognising whose achievements the and Nazrul birth centenary edition
The miraculous survivor of that UN has just passed a resolution. There of Nazrul Rachanabali published
day’s dastardly event and today’s are many examples of exiled leaders by Bangla Academy. He was also the
prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, made trying to influence internal situation
her sentiments clear during her latest co-editor of the academy’s Pramita
of their own countries. Their success Bangla Bhashar Byakaran.
press conference the other day. She said rate is literally non-existent.
she is a human being and has feelings Some of Rafiqul’s notable
Contrarily, the political cost of
like everybody else and cannot be books include Nazrul Nirdeshika,
not sending Khaleda Zia abroad
expected to set aside everything when could be high. It could galvanise the Bhashtottya, An Introduction to
attempts were made to eliminate her opposition into action which they Colloquial Bengali, Bangladesher
from politics by murdering her. have miserably failed to do so far. Swadhinota Sangram, Bhasha
We understand and fully respect In the event of anything remotely Andolan O Shahid Minar,
the prime minister’s deep feelings of tragic, the government will not be Dhakar Kotha, Bhasha Andolan o
betrayal, and bitterness. able to brush aside the blame for the Muktijhuddher Shahitya, Swadhinotar
As everything about the relations eventuality. The international press is Sangrame Dhaka Biswabidyalaya,
between these two rivals is considered more likely to pick such stories than Dhaka Biswabidyalayar Ashi Bosor
through a political prism, then let us anything Khaleda Zia could do while
politically analyse the implication and others.
abroad. He also edited several books --
of what is happening now with the Just as politics is the art of the
question of Khaleda Zia’s medical Adhunik Kobita, Kazi Nazrul Islam:
possible, so also politics is known to A New Anthology, Gitee Sangkalan:
treatment abroad. be full of unpredictable consequences.
We think politically the Kazi Nazrul Islam, Collections of
What triggers what always remains an
government and the ruling party Abul Mansur Ahmad, Hajar Bochorer
open and perplexing question.
is facing a serious challenge in Bangla Shahitya and A Documentation
Let me end by recollecting an act
the public sympathy battle. It had of the Bengali Language and Literature
by Nelson Mandela, who termed the
done the right thing by suspending of the last millennium by ULAB.
Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) of South
Khaleda Zia’s sentence and allowing For his immense contribution
Africa, as a “surrogate of the apartheid
her to be with the family. By this to education and literature, Rafiqul
regime” and yet made its chief
action the government gained received several prestigious awards
Buthelezi – a man known for killing
substantial public goodwill, which is
many ANC leaders including attempts including, Nazrul Academy Award,
now eroding on the treatment issue.
on Mandela’s life – his first home Churulia, West Bengal (1987),
It was said by the law minister
minister in his first cabinet in 1994. Nazrul Institute Award (1987),
earlier and repeated by the foreign
minister on Monday that for the This stunned the world and added to Bangla Academy Award (1994),
BNP chief to avail the opportunity Mandela myth. Ekushey Padak (2001), Shwadhinota
to go abroad, she has to go to jail Politics that make everlasting Purushkar (2012), Bangla Academy
first and apply from prison for the contribution and which is remembered Shommanona (2017).Rafiqul is
necessary permission. For argument’s and quoted the world over is almost
one of the recipients of the first-
sake, this position could have been always based on forgiveness.
ever International Mother Language
tenable before she became critically If Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
is able to bring herself to forgive Award, introduced by International
ill. Can it be expected that a patient Mother Language Institute. He was
who is fighting for her life and who Khaleda Zia at this moment, she
will be remembered for this act given the award for his contribution
is in Coronary Care Unit (CCU)
of magnanimity as she will be for to preservation and promotion of
since November 14th actually goes
to prison - whose sick prisoners are leading the country into global mother language nationally and
routinely sent outside to obtain recognition. internationally.
DHAKA WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 16, 1428 BS CITY City 3
3 held for PRESERVATION OF PAHARTALI BADDHYABHUMI
pushing
teacher off SC verdict yet to be
moving bus
STAFF CORRESPONDENT, Ctg effective after 7yrs
SANJOY KUMAR BARUA, Ctg
Rapid Action Battalion
(Rab-7) yesterday detained
three transport workers Right in the heart of the port city stands Pahartali Baddhyabhumi, the
over pushing a primary- largest mass killing ground in Chattogram -- on 1.75 acres of land.
school teacher off a moving To preserve this site of immense historical value, the Supreme Court’s
bus and running the Appellate Division passed an order seven and a half years ago. However, no
vehicle over him, leaving effective initiative has been taken regarding this.
him critically injured, in In March 2014, the SC ordered to acquire and preserve the Baddhyabhumi
port city’s Station Road area after hearing a petition of eight prominent citizens of the country, according
last Saturday. to Manzill Murshid, their lawyer.
The arrestees were One of the petitioners, Prof Muntassir Mamoon, said, “We have grown
identified as Mohammad old trying to realise our demand. We are no business mafia, and we have no
Hossen (25), Mohammad muscle power. Even section officers don’t pay heed to us.”
Liton (35) and a 13-year- “I don’t think they care about the Supreme Court’s judgment. They are
old helper. employees of the republic, but now it seems like they run the country. Even
Liton is the driver and if the verdicts of most of the petitions people’s favour, they will not be
effective if there is no monitoring cell in the High Court,” he added.
Hossen the conductor of a
Rashed Hasan, a cultural activist in Chattogram, said, “Late Dr Gazi Saleh
bus of Showrav Paribahan
Uddin, who was a professor of Chittagong University, even received death
in the city.
threats on multiple occasions as he protested to save the Baddhyabhumi.”
Addressing a press
In his book “Pramanyo Dalil Muktijodde Chattogram”, Dr Saleh Uddin
briefing at Chandgaon
mentioned that more than 5,000 people were killed there. “It is very
camp yesterday, Rab-7 unfortunate that despite the Supreme Court direction, the implementation is
Commanding Officer being delayed for so many years. The departments or individuals responsible
Lt Col MA Yusuf said for the delay should be brought under accountability,” said Rashed.
Hossen had locked into an “In 2004, the then government formed by BNP-Jamaat alliance built a
altercation with the teacher, memorial in another place instead of the actual Baddhyabhumi site. Later,
Rahmat Ullah, over fare. At University of Science and Technology Chattogram constructed a building at
one point, they harassed the site,” said Prof ABM Abu Noman of CU. “The Appellate Division ordered
and manhandled Rahmat. to preserve the Baddhyabhumi after acquiring the land from USTC in 2014.
“Later, they pushed We have been demanding it’s preservation for a long time,” he added.
him off the running bus Pahartali Baddhyabhumi, the largest mass killing ground in Chattogram during the
Contacted yesterday, Prof Md Jahangir Alam, vice chancellor of USTC,
and ran the vehicle over Liberation War in 1971, lies in negligence. During the tenure of BNP-Jamaat, University of said they bought 1.73 acres of land in the area in 2001. “We donated 20
him, leaving him critically Science and Technology Chattogram (USTC) constructed a building at the site. In March decimals of the land, where a monument was built to mark the killing site.”
injured,” the official said. 2014, the SC ordered that the 1.75 acres of land of immense historical value be acquired He declined to comment further on the issue or the SC order.
Rahmat, who teaches at from USTC and preserved. However, no such initiative has been taken over the last seven Regarding the land acquisition, assistant commissioner Ehsan Murad
Habibullah Govt Primary
School at Panchlaish, was
VICTORIOUS years. of Chattogram district administration, said, “We have sent a letter to the
Liberation War ministry asking for allocation of around Tk 6.5 crore for
undergoing treatment at a
private hospital.
DECEMBER PHOTO: STAR
acquisition and preservation of Pahartali Baddhyabhumi.”
SEE PAGE 4 COL 5

Laws need reforms, A day of gridlock COURT CORNER

implementation Papia, husband indicted in

Say speakers on ending gender-based

violence at BMP event
and suffering graft case
COURT CORRESPONDENT
A Dhaka court yesterday framed
STAFF CORRESPONDENT charges against Jubo Mohila League’s
STAFF CORRESPONDENT expelled leader Shamima Nur Papia
The student movement for safe roads, and her husband Mofizur Rahman
Although there are various laws in the which escalated after the death of Sumon in a case filed over amassing
country to prevent violence against SSC candidate Mainuddin Islam on
Despite various initiatives Monday night, caused gridlocks and
about Tk 6.24 crore illegally.
women, questions remain as to what Judge Muhammad Ali Hussain
extent these laws can provide justice to
taken by the government long tailbacks in some major parts of read out the charges to them and
the victims, said speakers at an event and NGOs to combat the capital yesterday. dismissed petitions submitted for
yesterday. gender-based violence, Thousands of students from discharging the couple and fixed
Existing laws, including the various institutions blocked roads in December 22 for starting the trial.
the incidents are ever Rampura, Motijheel, Mohammadpur,
Domestic Violence Protection and Charge framing hearing
Prevention Act 2010 and rape laws,
increasing. There are still Dhanmondi, Science Lab and Banani
need to be reformed to ensure justice many obstacles towards areas from 10:30am. against Mohtesam Dec 12
As roads leading to the protest
for the victims of gender-based justice. spots were blocked with traffic, many COURT CORRESPONDENT
violence, they argued.
commuters had to walk to their A Dhaka court yesterday set
The event was organised by
Bangladesh Mahila Parishad at the
BMP GENERAL destinations. However, ambulances December 12 for hearing on charge
SECRETARY and other emergency medical vehicles framing against 10 people, including
capital’s Shegunbagicha, as part of the
were allowed to pass through. Khandaker Mohtesam Hossain Babar
organisation’s 16 Days of Activism MALEKA BANU Road blockades in Rampura and -- brother of former AL minister
campaign. Dhanmondi created major traffic
“Despite various initiatives taken Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain -- in a
jams, as movement of vehicles was case over laundering Tk 2,000 crore.
by the government and non-government halted for hours. The blockade also Former GS of Faridpur town AL
organisations to combat gender-based violence, the incidents are ever triggered huge traffic gridlocks in PHOTO: RASHED SHUMON
Sajjad Hossain alias Barkat and his
increasing. There are still many obstacles towards justice,” said BMP Rampura, Malibagh, Mouchak and Finding no vehicles, commuters were seen going to their homes and brother, former president of Faridpur
general secretary Maleka Banu. adjacent areas. workplaces on foot, amid long tailbacks and gridlocks in major roads of the Press Club, Imtiaz Hasan alias Rubel,
The speakers also called to repeal section 155 (4) of the Evidence Act, The students allowed private are among the accused.
which will shift the burden of proof to the perpetrators, and take necessary capital yesterday. This photo was taken from Mirpur Road.
vehicles to pass through a lane, after
initiatives to publicise and implement judgments and directives of the checking driving licences. No bus was HC hands over UPDF member
Supreme Court. allowed to pass. fearing jams and other hassles. until their nine-point demand is to cops in laundering case
According to a few studies, victims are yet to know the laws properly. Rasel Ahmed, who was going to Shirin Akhter, who was waiting for met.
Lawyers and prosecution teams need to be more active in this regard, while Malibagh from Natun Bazar by bus, STAFF CORRESPONDENT
a vehicle for half an hour at Rampura’s The protests for safe roads and half
police stations need to be more women-friendly to deal with incidents of said the bus got stuck at Badda. After Hatirjheel intersection in the fares have been continuing for several An HC bench yesterday handed over
rape and sexual violence, the speakers recommended. a long wait, he decided to reach his afternoon, said she started walking to days. Amid the demonstrations, UPDF member, Shankadas Barua, to
While addressing the event as chief guest, MD Shahiduzzaman Sarkar, office on foot. Banani after finding no vehicle. Nayeem Hasan, a student of Notre police after he surrendered before it
chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Azmal Ali, a trader from Gazipur, Rampura Police Station Officer- Dame College, was rammed and killed for anticipatory bail in Tk 1.3 crore
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, said, “There is dissatisfaction with said he came to Malibagh in the in-Charge (OC) Rafiqul Islam said by a Dhaka South City Corporation money laundering case. HC asked
the justice system -- but we need to rely on many things before finalising morning, but struggled to find a police were deployed to control the (DSCC) garbage truck, which was Shahbagh police to arrest Shankadas,
a verdict.” vehicle to go home around 2:30pm. situation. driven by a cleaner, on November 24, member of Jana Sanghati Samity, over
“If a chain is weakened intentionally or unintentionally during the Auto-rickshaw and motorbike The agitating students said that and Mainuddin Islam was crushed to having connection with militancy.
SEE PAGE 4 COL 3 drivers refused to go to some places, they would continue their protest death under a bus.

DU centenary RAIL STATION BOOK STORES

celebrations
start today Tales of journeys bygone
DU CORRESPONDENT
The opening ceremony of
the celebrations for Dhaka
University’s (DU) centenary
and the golden jubilee of
the independence of the
country will be held today
at the central playground of
the university.
PHOTO: STAR

President Md Abdul
Hamid, also chancellor
of the university, will
inaugurate the festival as
chief guest.
Prime Minister of The two bookshops at the capital’s Kamalapur Rail Station barely get any
Bhutan Lottay Tshering, customers nowadays, but they’re still trying to keep the tradition alive.
also a DU alumnus, will
deliver a virtual greeting
DIPAN NANDY natural fit. Travellers could spend
speech at the opening
their waiting times there, while books
ceremony.
There’s this historical relationship bought from the stores could keep
Speaker Dr Shirin
between train travel and literature. For them occupied during the long hours
Sharmin Chaudhury
a journey that requires long hours of inside iron compartments.
will address the opening
sitting still, travellers had always found But with the passage of time, these
ceremony as guest of
companions in books. Until, of course, bookshops now find themselves in a
honour and vice-chancellor
smartphones and the internet arrived. quagmire.
Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman
Rail travel is a much romanticised At Kamalapur Rail Station, the
will preside over the
idea in Bangladesh. From country’s main station, thousands
opening ceremony.
Rabindranath Tagore to Nirmalendu upon thousands of people can be seen
Although the university’s
Goon, numerous poets wrote countless every day, but almost none of them
golden jubilee was on July
poems about this voyage. In fact, one can be found at its two bookstores --
1, 2021, the celebrations
can even find a few dramas and films Camelot Book Stall and Srijani.
were postponed as a
that are solely based on train rides. “We started our journey back in the
safety measure against
Since the inception of trains in the ‘30s. The first Camelot Book Stall was
coronavirus. subcontinent, rail stations became
PHOTO: ASIFUR RAHMAN set up at Phulbaria Station,” said owner
Education Minister
Dhaka University is all set to celebrate its centenary starting from today. As part of the two-week-long festivity, the a great host of bookstores. It was a SEE PAGE 4 COL 4
Dr Dipu Moni will speak
SEE PAGE 4 COL 4 campus is adorned with lights and colours as seen in this picture taken in front of Curzon Hall yesterday night.
4 CITY
CITY DHAKA WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 16, 1428 BS

IUB holds Three get life term Man shot

peace confce in UP polls
CITY DESK for raping woman, violence dies
A conference on regional
and global peace was held
at Independent University,
and daughter OUR CORRESPONDENT, M’singh

A man, who sustained bullet

Bangladesh (IUB) in
Bashundhara yesterday,
said a press release.
The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and the
Centre for Bay of Bengal
Studies at IUB organised
the conference at the
university’s auditorium.
Addressing the event
as chief guest, State
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Md Shahriar Alam said
empowered by the peaceful
resolution of maritime
disputes, Bangladesh is
looking to benefit from the
resources of Bay of Bengal.
Prime Minister’s adviser
Gowher Rizvi and IUB VC
Tanweer Hasan also spoke.
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Bogura
wounds during clashes
Three men were sentenced to life term imprisonment for between supporters of
raping and abetting rape of a woman and her daughter Awami League and its rebel
Gaibandha’s Gobindaganj upazila in 2018. Judge Md Abdur candidates on Sunday amid
Rahman of Gaibandha’s Women and Children Repression UP polls in Kishoreganj’s
Prevention Tribunal-2, gave the verdict yesterday. Kuliarchar, died at a Dhaka
The convicts are Belal Hossain (40), Emdadul Haque hospital yesterday.
(42) and Khaja Mia (45). Two other accused in the The deceased Delwar
charge-sheet -- Asadul Islam and Azizul -- were aquitted, Hossain (38) and three
said AKM Mohibul Haque, special public prosecutor. others were injured at South
The court also fined each of the convicted Tk 1 lakh. Goboria Govt Primary
Khaja was punished for assisting the other two. School centre in Goboria
According to the case statement, the accused were Abdullahpur union.
members of a fraud group, locally known as “Jiner Badsha’’. Delwar was referred to
They lured the victims from Jamalpur to Gobindaganj on Dhaka as his condition
May 12, 2018. After the victims got off their bus that night, deteriorated, said his cousin
the gang took them to a remote area and raped them. Mahbub Hossain.
This father-daughter duo were retuning home after catching a wide variety of small fish from a pond in a winter
morning. Just like them, many in Jhalakathi regularly indulge in this activity for managing daily meals. This photo
was taken on Monday from the district’s Shatpakia area. PHOTO: TITU DAS

Laws need reforms

FROM PAGE 3
judicial process, the case does not close
quickly,” he added.
“We have reached the point where we
need to start a movement to demand
justice for all forms of violence against
women. Due to the flawed implementation
of the laws, we are unable to get justice,”
said BMP President Fauzia Moslem.
Among others, joint secretaries of the
cabinet division Md Sabirul Islam and
Anar Kali Mahbub, DMP additional deputy
commissioner Laila Ferdowsi, OGSB
president Dr Ferdousi Begum, and Dhaka
University’s associate professor of law
Taslima Yasmin spoke at the event.
It was moderated by advocate Maksuda
Akhter, advocacy and lobby director of
BMP.

DU centenary
FROM PAGE 3
as special guest at the ceremony while Foreign
Minister AK Abdul Momen, UGC chairman Prof Kazi
Shahidullah, president of DU Alumni Association AK
Azad, pro-VC (administration) Prof Muhammad Samad
will be present.
Renowned artists and cultural figures, as well artists
and alumni from the university’s music, theatre and
dance departments will perform in the two-week-long
celebration.
On the occasion of the university’s centenary, Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina congratulated all the students,
teachers and staffers of DU in a message issued last
night.

Tales of journeys
FROM PAGE 3
of the store Hannan Khan Mukul. “We named it after
Lord Camelot.”
“After the station was shut down in 1968, we
shifted to Kamalapur and have stayed here ever since.
Bangabandhu’s classmate MA Saleh Ahmed was our
founder,” he said.
“But all this is mere history now. There was a time
when we couldn’t handle customers’ pressure. They
came before departure time, and even bought a lot of
books. But as they’re no longer there, we’re on the path
towards slow extinction,” he lamented.
“Why are you still running the store despite all the
adversities?” this correspondent asked. He said it has
become a matter of habit now.
His shelves are stacked with books of a diverse range.
A large section is taken up by newsprint paperbacks --
Masud Rana, Tin Goyenda, adventures, westerns, and
the like. There’s Humayun Ahmed, there’s Muhammad
Zafar Iqbal. Another eye-catcher comes in the form of
recent and classic Eid editions of various newspapers.
At the adjacent stall of Srijani, Rabindranath, Kazi
Nazrul Islam, Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay take
centre stage. It was founded in 1972 by Amal Kanti Nath.
Its manager Md Shafiullah said, “It’s really hard to
get customers these days. Everyone is on their phones,
on Facebook. We’re barely surviving amidst all of this.”

SC verdict
FROM PAGE 3
“Had the ministry allocated
the money, we could have
started working on it,” he
added.
“We also sent a letter
to the Chattogram district
administration last month
excusing the time extension
to start working on the
project. They sent us a
letter a year ago, which is
no longer valid,” said Md
Zahangir Alom, deputy
secretary of the Liberation
War affairs ministry.
Regarding the letter,
Masud Kamal, additional
commissioner of land
acquisition department
in Chattogram, said,
“We don’t get why the
Liberation War affairs
ministry sent us a letter
excusing time extension.
There is no need for this.”
“The acquisition and
requisition of immovable
property act 2017 mentions
that individuals or
organisations concerned
shall pay the estimated
amount within 120
working days after receiving
the estimation,” he further
said.
According to Liberation
War researcher Dr
Mahfuzur Rahman, there
were around 100 such mass
graves in Chattogram, but
not a single one of them
has been preserved.
However, the
Chattogram district
administration
website mentions 61
Baddhyabhumi in the port
city.
 City
DHAKA WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 16, 1428 BS COUNTRY 5

Rozina’s footstep in an all-men Three to

MIRZA SHAKIL
Rozina Akter set out to take care of
the needy family when her husband
was unable to earn a living due to
physical illness. Now she is the only
female among the drivers of nearly
10,000 battery-run auto rickshaws
plying in Tangail town every day.
The thirty-year-old is seen
transporting passengers by a rented
auto-rickshaw from one end of the
town to the other.
Where a male driver struggles to
drive an auto rickshaw in the busy
town with traffic jam, Rozina has
been doing this job for the last three
years.
Nizam Uddin, a passenger, said
that he got into the auto-rickshaw
despite of its driver is a woman as
Rozina drives the vehicle very well.
Praising Rozina’s bravery,
The blossomed bright red water lilies in once-abandoned Kamrunnahar Munni, a local
PHOTO:
waterbodies in Kalyanpur area of Chapainawabganj are RABIUL HASAN woman organiser, said, “I salute
drawing a good number of visitors in recent time. Rozina as she has proved that a
woman is in no way inferior to a
Rozina bought a piece
of land in adjacent
Basail upazila, taking
loan from an NGO to
cut her living cost at
rented house.
youth of Golora village in Tangail’s
Kalihati upazila. One of Rafiqul’s
eyes was completely damaged in an
accident during his boyhood.
After marriage, two daughters
were born. Husband Rafiqul was
running the family by his daily wage.
But with time, Rafiqul’s another eye
was damaged partially. As the only
bread earner of the family became
disabled, the family came to a
standstill.
Bewildered Rozina then
started working to other houses
In such a situation, Rafiqul rented
an auto-rickshaw from a villager
to drive it. But at one stage, the
work became risky due to his poor
eyesight.
Rozina then expressed her interest
in driving the auto-rickshaw and
learnt driving from her husband.
While driving the vehicle on the
road, she suffers from a problem
and that is the lack of toilets for
women in the town, said Rozina.
Shahadat Hossain, a neighbour
of Rozina, said seeing her driving
the auto, earlier some villagers used
to laugh at her but they now fell
silent seeing her determination.
Last year, Rozina bought a piece
of land at Aishora village in adjacent
Basail upazila taking loan from an
NGO to cut the cost of living in a
rented house. Later, the government
gave her a house under the Prime
Minister’s Ashrayan Project.
Rozina’s two daughters now
read in a local government primary
school.
die for
murder in
Madaripur
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Faridpur
A Madaripur court
sentenced three people to
death for killing a five-
year-old girl allegedly over
personal enmity with the
victim’s family in 2015.
The convicts are Rajib
Hawladar, 41, and Rimon
Hossain, 32, of Madaripur’s
Rajor upazila, and Shafikul
Islam Mollah, 31, of
Pirojpur Sadar upazila.
Madaripur District
and Session Judge Nitai
Chandra Saha delivered
the verdict on Monday
afternoon in presence of
Rimon, while the other
two convicts were tried in
absentia, Public Prosecutor
(PP) Siddikur Rahman Sing
said.
The court also fined the

Town gets lively man.”

In 2010, Rozina, the eldest of
three daughters and two sons of
a day labourer, was married off to
as housemaid and also borrowed
money from NGOs to manage
livelihood of her four-member
family. But it was not enough against
“I want to get my daughters
educated. So I know no fatigue or
obstacle. I know I have to earn to
keep everything going,” Rozina
convicts Tk 50,000 each,
and acquitted another
accused of the case as
charges brought against

with water lilies

OUR CORRESPONDENT, C’nawabganj
Tourists are thronging an abandoned canal
and a pond in the town’s Kalyanpur area
where thousands of bright red water lilies
have blossomed.
The Chapainawabganj Horticulture
Centre took the initiative of planting the
water lilies in the waterbodies -- a half-
kilometre long canal and a pond on two
bighas of land -- that used to emit foul
smell due to indiscriminate dumping of
garbage.
Scientists at the horticulture centre
said wild water lilies grow naturally in
the country’s low-lying areas such as
marshlands and ponds, but many of
its varieties have gone extinct due to
commercial fish cultivation there.
Utilising abandoned waterbodies to
plant water lilies might protect some of
their varieties, they also said.
Abdul Alim, a resident of the town
and a twelfth grader at Chapainawabganj
Technical School and College, was visiting
the site with his friends. He said last time
he visited the place, there were bushes all
around and one had to remain wary of
snakes.
But now, as the blossomed water lilies
has changed the atmosphere entirely, they
visit the place often, he added.
College teacher Rawshan Ara, from Char
one eyed Rafiqul Islam, an orphan the needs. went on. him was not proved, the PP
added.
According to the case
statement, Aduri Akter,
daughter of Tuku Sardar
Scientists at the horticulture of Sendia area in Rajor
upazila, went out of her
centre said wild water lilies grow house to take Arabic lesson
naturally in the country’s low-ly- at a local mosque on
ing areas, but many of its varieties September 20, 2015, and
did not returned home.
have gone extinct due to commer- Police detained Shafikul,
cial fish cultivation there. imam of the mosque, for
interrogation after victim’s
father filed a general dairy
(GD) with Rajor Police
Jotprotap area in the town, said without Station the same evening.
any recreational facility or park to visit Later, according to
in the town, she frequently brings her Shafikul’s confession,
daughter to the place to enjoy the sight of police recovered Aduri’s
the blossomed red water lilies. body from a place beside
Chapainawabganj Horticulture Centre the mosque on September
Deputy Director Mozdar Hossain said 22.
they collected rhizomes of water lily from The same day, Tuku field
different areas of Pabna, Natore, Rajshahi a case against six identified
and Chapainawabganj and planted those and four to five other
in the abandoned canal and the pond in unidentified people with
the town. the police station.
Located in front of the horticulture After investigation,
centre, the waterbodies had turned into Sayeed Hasan, the then
dumpsite and became a source of putrid inspector of Crime
smell. Investigation Department
After planting the water lilies, the (CID) in Madaripur,
abandoned waterbodies are not only submitted the charge-sheet
attracting visitors, but many species of Akter is the only female among the drivers of hundreds of battery-run auto-rickshaws PHOTO: against four on January 10,
STAR
birds as well, he also said. plying in Tangail town every day. 2018.

Tajuddin condemns plan PCJSS

FROM PAGE 12
ON THE WAR FRONT
Mukti Bahini attacked Pakistan army
today at Shamsernagar in Sylhet at the
break of dawn. The rigorous assault forced
Pakistan Army to retreat. Mukti Bahini
declared Tengratila and Duarabazar areas
independent. Their continuous operations
forced the occupation army to retreat from
some other parts of Sylhet -- Gara, Alirgaon
and Pirijpur.
Freedom fighters also kept the fight
up against the Pak army in Mymensingh,
Jashore, Khulna, Kushtia, Chattogram and
Dinajpur sectors and inflicted heavy loss on
the occupation force.
A Pakistani spokesman today said
the aggressive pressures mounted by the
Pakistan Army at four war zones in East
They’re all in it together
FROM PAGE 12
for Doha and then on to Lebanon and had
each paid Tk 3-4 lakh.
A case was filed against Khorshed and
five other agents following this incident.
On July 21, eleven migrants heading for
Iran were stopped by immigration officials.
When their documents were inspected
closely, it was found that they had forged
documents and visas. They had each paid
Tk 3.5 lakh to their recruiting agencies, said
CTTC officials.
All 11 have been accused in a trafficking
case.
On July 17, four migrants heading to
Iran with forged documents were stopped
by immigration officials.
Pakistan were continued.
People’s Party office in Dhaka was
damaged in a bomb attack. The office was
opened by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto months
earlier, an AFP report said.
Freedom fighters killed two Muslim
League supporters during an operation
in Dhaka. Two others were injured in the
attack.
As guerrilla activities increased, West
Pakistani armed forces started killing and
burning villages according to the junta
order, a report of the New York Times said.
At least 87 guerrilla suspects, including
women and children, were killed at Jinjira
in Dhaka.
Shamsuddoza Sajen is a journalist
and researcher. He can be contacted at
sajen1986@gmail.com
During interrogation, the workers said
they were each to pay Tk 5 lakh for a safe
passage to Iran. They had each already paid
between Tk 50,000 to Tk 2 lakh.
A case was filed with the Airport Police
Station in this connection against three
agents.
A month before that, two migrants
heading for South Africa were stopped as
they produced an unsigned document that
said, “OK to board”.
A majority of these workers held BMET
cards.
Tohidul Islam, additional deputy
commissioner of CTTC, said they found
five people from this syndicate. He said
there were several circles involved.
FROM PAGE 12
political parties based
in the Chittagong Hill
Tracts. Besides, numerous
abductions and assaults
have taken place during the
period.
Pakistan win
FROM PAGE 12
breakthrough and sent
back Shafique, who had
scored his second fifty of
the match, for 73. But it
was already too late for the
hosts.
Man of the match Abid
missed out on a second
hundred of the match by
just nine runs, departing
for a 148-ball 91 that
featured twelve fours, after
being trapped leg before by
Taijul Islam.
Bangladesh posted
330 in the first innings
after Liton Das struck his
maiden Test century and
Mushfiqur Rahim scored
91. Taijul then bagged
seven wickets to bundle
Pakistan out for 286, which
gave Bangladesh a 44-run
first-innings lead.
But batting failures
once again proved costly
as a quality Pakistani pace
attack bowled the Tigers
out for just 157 in their
‘No vaccine, no service’
FROM PAGE 1
Bangladesh has so far vaccinated about 20
percent of its population.
The government will also be stipulating
those arriving in Bangladesh present a
negative RT-PCR test taken 48 or 24 hours
before the flight’s take-off, down from 72
hours at present. The directive will arrive
soon, according to Maleque.
The Delta variant, the most aggressive
strain of the coronavirus yet, had spread
in the country as the government could
not prevent the returnees from abroad,
Maleque said, while discouraging
inbound passengers from southern
Africa, the epicentre of the Omicron
variant.
“The health ministry can give treatment
and make suggestions, but how do we
prevent infected returnees if the other
government departments do not cooperate?
We have to take a multilateral approach.”
The quarantine centre may be set up
at Diabari on the outskirts of Dhaka, he
said, adding that its management would be
handed over to the armed forces.
There will also be about 100 hotels
for institutional quarantine purposes,
with the cost of the stay borne by the
inbound passenger. “There will be special
consideration for those who fail to pay at
once,” he said.
The bordering areas have also been
asked to strengthen their monitoring and
tests as a good number of people commute
A father in disbelief
FROM PAGE 1
19-year-old was crossing the DIT Road.
2 suspects
FROM PAGE 1
to and from India regularly.
Also at the meeting, which was Beribadh area around
attended by secretaries of 25 ministries 12:45am, forcing the
and top officials of intelligence and health policemen to retaliate.
departments, instructions were given to “Once the firing
district and field level committees to take stopped, police found two
measures to limit social, political and bullet-hit bodies on the
religious gatherings.
The committees will also monitor
spot. The law enforcers
also recovered guns and
whether any returnee from abroad is ammunition from the
maintaining home quarantine. If necessary, spot.”
flags will be hoisted on the residences, Three policemen
Maleque said, while expressing his were injured during the
surprise over people’s non-compliance to “gunfight” and received
government directives. treatment at a hospital, he
“About 240 people came from South further said.
Africa in the last one month. Shockingly,
The bodies were sent to
we could not trace them. They kept their
Cumilla Medical College
mobile switched off. We gave directives to
the local administration to trace them but Hospital for autopsies.
Meanwhile, Sajon’s
their addresses were also found fake,” he
said.
But the district administration in
father Kakon Mia claimed
that his son was detained
by police before he was
Brahmanbaria has been able to trace seven
killed in the “gunfight”.
of the returnees and hoisted red flags
He said, “If any accused
outside their homes.
in any case is detained by
The Election Commission has also been
asked to ensure health guidelines during police, the accused should
the polling, Maleque said, adding that be sent to jail, but police
there are no plans to increase the number killed my son in the name
of in-person classes. of crossfire.”
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has been Besides, the house of
removed from the ‘red list’ of India another accused Sabbir
following a request from Dhaka, said was vandalised allegedly by
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen. the followers of the slain
councillor.
This correspondent
found the house empty
Dhaka?” said an angry Rasheda. “I pray to while visiting yesterday.
Allah that no parents have to go through Sabbir along with his

World’s first living robots can second essay.

FROM PAGE 12
Inspired Engineering said they have
discovered an entirely new form of
biological reproduction different from any
animal or plant known to science.
“I was astounded by it,” said Michael
Levin, a professor of biology and director
of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts
University who was co-lead author of the
new research.
“Frogs have a way of reproducing that
they normally use but when you ... liberate
(the cells) from the rest of the embryo and
you give them a chance to figure out how
to be in a new environment, not only do
they figure out a new way to move, but they
also figure out apparently a new way to
reproduce.”
Bangladesh
FROM PAGE 12
Hasina said the two
countries now have to
remain cautious to tackle
Covid-19.
Doraiswami thanked
Hasina for helping his
country by providing
medical equipment during
The death sparked a protest. Angry locals
vandalised and torched at least 12 buses in
the area.
such a tragedy.”
Meanwhile, two cases were filed over the
incident on Monday night. One of them
brother Samad and his
wife used to live in the
house for the last three
After an autopsy at the Dhaka Medical was by Rasheda against the driver of the bus years. All of them, however,
College morgue around 11:30am and the other by police over vandalising went into hiding after the
yesterday, his family took the body to the and torching 12 buses, said Rafiqul Islam,
councillor murder, said
Brahmanbaria village for burial. officer-in-charge of Rampura Police Station.
Talking over the phone from there, Monir locals.
“Police have arrested the bus driver
Hossain, elder brother of Mainuddin, said, On November 22,
named Sohel. Locals caught and handed
”We only showed my brother’s face to my Syed Mohammad Sohel,
him to us,” he said.
father. He has seen it but I don’t think he is 48, councillor of ward-
in a state to realise anything.” 17 of Cumilla City
Abdur is a tea seller in Molla Bari area of Ethiopia PM claims Corporation, and his

20 injured in post-polls the Covid-19 pandemic.

FROM PAGE 12
fire to five houses, four motorbikes and a
car.
Police brought the situation under
control around 10:00pm.
Injured by bullets, Yusuf Mia and Renu
Mia, both from Naora village, were sent to
Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Abir Hossain, assistant police
superintendent in Narayanganj, said it
was a post-polls violence over establishing
supremacy in the area.
In Pabna, at least 10 people were injured
as supporters of two rival UP member
candidates in Lakshmikunda UP polls
clashed in Ishwardi upazila.
Masud Alom, additional superintendent
of Pabna police, said the clash broke out
in Charkur area around 9:30pm when
supporters of defeated UP member
candidate Rekat Ali and winner Asadul
Islam came across each another. Both the
candidates are involved in AL politics.
Armed with sharp weapons, the two
groups clashed to establish supremacy in
the area, the additional SP said.
Three of the injured were in critical
condition.
The third phase of the staggered UP
polls was held on November 28.
Our correspondents in Narayanganj and
Pabna contributed to this report.
He handed over a very
rare photograph of the
Father of the Nation in
which he is seen taking a
security man to his home
for lunch with him in 1972.
Omicron
FROM PAGE 12
the sample of a man who
tested positive for Covid-19
after recently returning
from South Africa to
see if he is infected with
the Omicron or another
variant.
East Rampura. Mainuddin was his youngest
among three children. He had left the stall
minutes before the accident.
war gains, urges
close aide Haripada Das,
45, were shot dead by
masked gunmen at the
After Mainuddin was killed, Abdur said
while having lunch on Monday, his son rebels to ‘surrender’ councillor’s office in the
city’s Pathuriapara area.
told him that his SSC exams went well and AFP, Addis Ababa The slain councillor’s
that he wanted to study at a good college. “I younger brother Syed
told my son that I would definitely get him Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
Mohammad Roman filed
yesterday urged Tigrayan rebels to surrender,
into a good college, even if I have to beg...,”
said the father. claiming government forces were nearing
the murder case with
Kotwali Police Station
At their home in Rampura earlier victory just one week after he vowed to lead
yesterday, Mainuddin’s mother Rasheda military operations at the front. on November 24. Eleven
Begum kept sobbing. “The youth of Tigray is perishing like named persons and some
“My son had to sell Halim by the road to leaves. Knowing it is defeated, it is being eight to ten persons were
support his education. He had been doing led by one who does not have a clear vision made accused in the case.
it since he was in class 8,” she told these or plan,” Abiy, winner of the 2019 Nobel A total of six persons
correspondents. Peace Prize, said in comments aired on have so far been arrested in
“Are bus owners out to kill students in state media. this case.
6 INTERNATIONAL DHAKA WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 16, 1428 BS

NEW UKRAINE AGGRESSION MORE NEWS

US warns Russia
of ‘serious
consequences’
AFP, Riga
The United States yesterday warned Russia of “serious
consequences” if it launches an invasion of Ukraine, as
Nato ministers looked to counter a military build-up by
Moscow on its neighbour’s border.
The long-scheduled meeting of Nato top diplomats in
Latvia’s capital Riga comes at a volatile moment along the
bloc’s eastern flank as allies also grapple with a migrant
crisis the West says is fuelled by Kremlin-backed Belarus.
Western countries spearheaded by the United States
worry that Moscow could be planning an incursion into
Ukraine after accusing the Kremlin of massing tens of
thousands of troops and heavy armour close to the frontier.
“Any escalatory actions by Russia would be of great
concern to the United States...and any renewed aggression
would trigger serious consequences,” US Secretary of State
Antony Blinken told journalists ahead of the meeting.
“We have seen Russia’s playbook many times over.”
Moscow, which seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014
and backs separatists fighting Kiev, has strongly denied it
is plotting an attack and blames Nato for fuelling tensions.
Nato diplomats say the bloc remains uncertain of
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions -- but
ministers will discuss contingency plans should Russia
invade. The US-led alliance is looking to show the Kremlin
it faces severe costs if it threatens Ukraine, while stopping
short of provoking Moscow into further aggression.
Convicted Maldives ex-leader
released from house arrest
Former Maldives president Abdulla Yameen
was released from house arrest yesterday after
winning an appeal on his money laundering
conviction. The former strongman ruled the
Indian Ocean archipelago -- best known for
opulent beachside resorts and their frequent
celebrity guests -- until his shock election
loss in 2018. He was convicted a year later
for illegally holding millions of dollars in his
bank accounts that had allegedly been stolen
from a tourism development agency. But the
Supreme Court freed the 62-year-old after
finding the earlier trial had not established
a proven link between the agency and the
money in Yameen’s accounts.
News agencies create joint
‘European Newsroom’
Sixteen news agencies are to operate a joint,
EU-funded “European Newsroom” that, from
January 2022, will put out information on
the bloc and aspiring member states, officials
said on Monday. The combined initiative is
led by DPA and includes AFP, Spain’s EFE and
A staff member (C) wearing protective equipment guides a Europapress agencies and the main agencies
traveller at the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport, South from other EU countries Austria, Belgium,
Korea yesterday, amid growing concerns about the Omicron Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Romania, Slovenia
and Slovakia. News agencies from non-EU
Covid-19 variant. Inset, British Transport Police officers patrol the
countries Albania, Bosnia, North Macedonia
platform to check that passengers are wearing face coverings on
and Serbia are also participating, according to
a Picadilly Line tube train at Hammersmith underground station in a list from the European Commission.
west London yesterday. PHOTO: AFP
SOURCE: AFP, REUTERS

Quote
of the day
Take ‘rational’ measures
WHO urges countries as world races to contain Omicron variant
AFP, Geneva
The World Health Organization
yesterday called for countries to keep
calm and take “rational” measures in
response to the new, fast-spreading
I mean the Covid variant Omicron, which has
mutual sparked global panic.
“We call on all member states
recognition of to take rational, proportional risk-
vaccines and reduction measures,” WHO chief
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in
vaccination a briefing to countries.
certificates, the “The global response must be calm,
coordinated and coherent.”
availability of First reported to the WHO in
vaccines for all southern Africa less than a week ago,
the new strain has rapidly spread across
regions of the continents, with dozens of countries
planet...” announcing travel restrictions.
The UN health agency has
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT cautioned against such restrictions,
VLADIMIR PUTIN ON fearing that blocking travel from
MUTUAL APPROVAL OF countries where new variants are first
COVID VACCINES spotted could be unfair and dissuade
surveillance.
“I thank Botswana and South
Africa for detecting, sequencing and
reporting this variant so rapidly,”
Tedros said, adding that it was “deeply
concerning to me that those countries
are now being penalised by others for
doing the right thing.”
Scientists in South Africa said they
had detected the new variant with at
least 10 mutations, and WHO has
cautioned that it poses a “very high”
risk globally.
At the same time, Tedros stressed
that it remains unclear how dangerous
the variant is.
“We still have more questions
than answers about the effect of
Omicron on transmission, severity of
disease, and the effectiveness of tests,
therapeutics and vaccines,” he said.
The WHO chief said it was
understandable that countries wanted
to protect their citizens “against
a variant that we don’t yet fully
understand”.
“But I am equally concerned that
several member states are introducing
blunt, blanket measures that are not
evidence-based or effective on their
own, and which will only worsen
inequities.”
Tedros also highlighted the
glaring vaccine inequity that has
seen abundant supplies in wealthy
countries, which are rolling out
booster shots, as even many of the
most vulnerable in poorer nations are
still waiting for their first jabs.
SUU KYI TRIAL
Myanmar
court defers
first verdicts
REUTERS
A court in military-ruled
Myanmar yesterday
deferred the first verdicts
in the trial of ousted leader
Aung San Suu Kyi to Dec. 6,
a source familiar with the
proceedings said.
The Nobel Peace
laureate has been held
incommunicado and on
trial since June, with court
hearings behind closed
doors. Yesterday, the court
had been due to rule on
charges of incitement and
violations of Covid-19
protocols under a natural
disasters law, among nearly
a dozen cases against Suu
Kyi, 76.
Iran nuclear talks
restart in Vienna
AFP, Vienna
Fresh talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran
and world powers restarted on Monday, with the EU chair
saying he felt “extremely positive” while admitting that
“difficult issues” have yet to be tackled.
The talks in Vienna are the first since Iran paused them
in June after the election of ultraconservative new President
Ebrahim Raisi. Diplomats at the time had said they were
“close” to an agreement.
Iran ignored appeals from Western countries to restart
the talks for several months, all the while strengthening the
capabilities of its nuclear programme. In August, Raisi said
Iran was again open to talks.
Along with Iran, diplomats from Britain, China, France,
Germany and Russia attended the meeting.
Enrique Mora, the EU official chairing the talks, said
there was “a sense of urgency in bringing the JCPOA back
to life” and added that he felt “extremely positive”.
However, he admitted that “there are still difficult issues
ahead”.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Raisi
to return to fulfilling Tehran’s obligations under the 2015
nuclear deal “without delay”, his office said.

China, Russia racing CHILDREN LIVING IN CONFLICT ZONES

to master AI 1 in 8 at risk of becoming

British MI6 spy chief warns
REUTERS, London
child soldiers: report
THOMSON REUTERS that in the shadow of
FOUNDATION
The chief of Britain’s foreign spy service warned yesterday Covid-19 and the UN’s call
that the West’s adversaries such as China and Russia were One in eight of the world’s for a global ceasefire, more
racing to master artificial intelligence in a way which could children - more than 300 children than ever before
revolutionise geopolitics over the next decade. million - live in conflict are caught in the crosshairs
The world’s spies, from Langley and London to Moscow zones where they are at risk of the deadliest war zones
and Beijing, are trying to grapple with seismic advances of becoming child soldiers, ... and more likely to be
in technology that are challenging traditional human-led injured, recruited or killed,”
a charity warned yesterday,
spying operations which dominated for thousands of years. said Inger Ashing, Save the
saying boosting school
Richard Moore, chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, Children International’s
access was vital in fighting charity Save the Children chief executive.
known as MI6, said quantum engineering, engineered
biology, vast troves of data and advances in computer forced recruitment. said that during 2020 some The exact number of
power posed a threat that needed to be addressed by the The United Nations 337 million children were child soldiers is unknown,
West. called for a global ceasefire living near armed groups but in 2020 more than
“Our adversaries are pouring money and ambition into last year to help fight and government forces that 8,500 children were
President of Barbados Dame Sandra Mason (C) receives the New Colours during mastering artificial intelligence, quantum computing and Covid-19, but armed recruit children. recruited and used as
the ceremony to declare Barbados a Republic and the Inauguration of the President synthetic biology, because they know that mastering these groups have continued Nearly 200 million of fighters or in other roles
technologies will give them leverage,” Moore, who rarely fighting in countries them live in the world’s by mostly non-state armed
of Barbados at Heroes Square in Bridgetown, Barbados, yesterday. Fireworks filled including Afghanistan, the
surfaces for speeches, said yesterday. deadliest war zones, up groups, according to UN
the sky over Barbados as the Caribbean island nation declared itself the world’s Moore, a former diplomat who became MI6 chief in Democratic Republic of 20% from 2019, the report data, a 10% increase from
newest republic, lowering Queen Elizabeth’s flag as it severed colonial-era ties to 2020, said technological progress over the next decade Congo, Nigeria and Yemen. said. the previous year.cases, the
the British throne to the sound of jubilant gun salutes. PHOTO: AFP could outstrip all tech progress over the past century. Yesterday’s report by “It’s simply horrifying charity’s report said.
DHAKA WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 16, 1428 BS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 7

Equal pay for women in showbiz

becoming a reality: Raveena Tandon
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT DESK
Noted Indian actress Raveena Tandon is
currently busy with her debut web series
“Aryanak” and amidst it, she discussed the
trend of women receiving equal pay in the
industry and credited the OTT boom for
being a driving force, as per reports.
“The industry has most definitely
changed for the better. And it is
what I completely work for and
I do find the change now,
which is happening. Women are getting
almost, I am not saying we (women) have
got there, but we are getting an equal
pay scale kind of situation,” shared the
“Mohra” actress.
She further added, “It is because of the
kind of roles that women are getting and
the kind of cinema that is being
made. Also, it is because the
global audiences
have opened up”.

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BSA

Portraying genocide across 64 districts

Commemorating the struggle of our Liberation
war, Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence
and birth centenary of the Father of The Nation,
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. noted cultural
and theatre personality Liaquat Ali Lucky, Director
General of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), has
conceptualised and organised ‘Gonohotta Poribesh
Theatre’. Based on the mass genocides in 1971, the plays
are being staged in 64 districts across the country.
“Kamanna Tragedy”, a play written by Prashanta
Hawlader and directed by Tanvir Nahid Khan, was

PHOTO: COLLECTED
presented by Zila Shilpakala Academy Jhenaidah
Repertory Natyadal, in Kamanna 27 Shahid Samadhi,
Jhenaidah, recently.
The event began with a formal session where State
Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid was present
virtually, alongside Liaquat Ali Lucky, Jhenaidah-1
Member of Parliament Abdul Hyee and Superintendent
of Police, Muntasirul Islam. The production features
performers from Jhenaidah and Shailkupar.

Goutam Koiri’s From Bollywood to

Dhallywood: Sadia Nabila
new series RAKSHANDA RAHMAN MISHA

‘Friendbook’ From rom-com to action movies, Sadia Nabila is ready to

showcase her tough avatar with the much-anticipated film,
“Mission Extreme”.
The young actress, who debuted in Bollywood with

airing on NTV “Pareshaan Parinda”, will now be seen as a cop, showcasing

some daring stunts in the movie.
In a conversation with The Daily Star, Sadia opens up about
her role in “Mission Extreme”, her Bollywood venture, and
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT DESK many more.
After garnering appreciation for web film “Bagher Tell us about your role in “Mission Extreme”.
Bachcha”, director Goutam Koiri’s “Friendbook” has I am playing a cop named ‘Ira’ in this movie. Arifin
begun airing from yesterday (Tuesday) on NTV. Shuvoo, Sumit and I are team members, who are on a
Written by Matia Banu Shuku and conceptualised by mission to find militants who are trying to create havoc in
the director, the plot of the series revolves around three the country.
roommates, portrayed by Tasnuva Tisha, Rafah Nanjeba How did you prepare for the role?
Torsa, and Mim Chowdhury. We had to attend an acting workshop conducted by
The story showcasing their personal and social
struggles, since they come from different backgrounds.
“One of these girls is a badminton player, who focuses
on her dreams of playing internationally, and has to face
Baba Nyza eminent actor, Tariq Anam Khan. Prior to shooting,
Sunny bhai (Sunny Sanwar), our director also gave me
bunch of links for Netflix series, which would help me to
grasp my character well.

aims for
hard times because of their parents’ divorce,” says the
director. “Adding to it, her coach, played by Irfan Sajjad,
also harasses her in many ways.” Goutam informs that for
the first time, Irfan Sajjad will be seen in a negative role.
The story progresses with the growing bond of these
girls and unfolding their stories.
The series, consisting of 26 episodes, will be aired on
NTV every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 9.30 pm
simultaneously on the channel’s online version. It will
a global
also be available on NTV’s official YouTube channel.
audience
PHOTO: COURTESY

Produced by Kazi Riton, the series also features

Labonnyo Chowdhury, Khairul Bashar, Imtiaz Barshon,
Fakhrul Basher Masum, Shamima Naznin, Shilpi Sarkar
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Apu, and Hindol Roy. DESK

Arneeb Mahbub,
better known by
his stage name Baba
Nyza, is a promising
Bangladeshi fusion
artiste based in Los
Angeles, California. His new
single, “O Sonia”, has generated
over 1.5 million streams on Spotify, a huge
milestone on a relatively more alien platform
to Bangladeshi musicians.
The artiste is inspired by afro beat,
dancehall, and reggaeton, and likes to infuse
them in his bilingual music.
His songs, including the likes of “Miss
Maverick”, “Baare Baare”, “The Act” and
“Rack Like Spice”, often feature in official
Spotify playlists, and are quickly becoming
cult hits among the younger audience.
Having worked with a diverse team
of international musicians, Arneeb
now looks to collaborate with more
promising young talent in the
Bangladeshi music industry. His next
track, titled ‘Baare Baare’, is set to
release soon.
The poster for ‘Friendbook’. PHOTO: COURTESY OF BABA NYZA
We also got a first-hand experience of what goes
through the life of a cop, when we visited our real-life cop
and director, Sunny bhai’s office. He helped us analyse
the situation from the eyes of a law enforcement officer.
Several incidents from the movie have been taken from
his life.
How is Arifin Shuvoo as a co-star?
Many people assume that Arifin Shuvoo is scary, but on
the contrary he is really friendly and supportive. I have
shot 90 percent of my scenes with him and at one point,
my movement started to resemble a man’s. Shuvoo bhai
even teased me once that I have actually become a man
(laughs).
How did you debut in Bollywood?
In 2017, I participated in a pageant “Miss India World
Wide”. I was the first Bangladeshi contestant there and I
ended up becoming first-runner up. The director of the
film has to know about me from there and I auditioned
for the role.
Speaking in Hindi was tough but I had a person who
would help me with the script. In this movie, I played a
fashion designer in “Pareshaan Parinda” and the movie
revolves around a triangle love story.
Bollywood or Dhallywood? Which industry would you
like to work in?
“Mission Extreme” felt like my first film, as I go to speak
in my own mother tongue and got to act with my own
people. The whole experience felt so real. I have a got
a lot of offers but due to travel restrictions in Australia,
I could not say yes. If everything goes well, I will come
to Bangladesh by 2022, as I want to work more in
Bangladeshi movies.
8 EDITORIAL
DHAKA WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 16, 1428 BS
Reckless driving
takes another life
Nothing will change if we cannot
bring the guilty drivers to justice
N
OT even a week has passed since Nayeem
Hasan—a second-year student of Notre Dame
College—was killed in a road accident in the city,
that we came to know about another student’s death in
a road crash in the capital’s Rampura area. Mainuddin
Islam Durjoy, a student of Rampura Ekramunnessa High
School, was run over by a bus of Anabil Paribahan in
Rampura on November 29. The 19-year-old just finished
his SSC exams and was hoping to get enrolled in a good
college when reckless driving took away his life. The
accident happened at a time when students have been
demonstrating for safer roads in the city, demanding the
enforcement of the Road Transport Act, 2018, as well as
justice and compensation for Nayeem and other road
crash victims.
Besides these two accidents that got people’s attention,
several other accidents also took place in the last one
week. Among them, the killing of Ahasan Kabir Khan, an
employee of the Daily Sangbad, by a garbage compactor
vehicle of the Dhaka North City Corporation, and the
death of three students in Chandpur as a BRTC bus hit
their CNG-run auto-rickshaw, were reported in The Daily
Star. What we have seen in Nayeem, Mainuddin and
Ahasan’s cases is that the drivers first hit them, and as they
fell on the street, they ran over them. The lives of all three
victims could have been saved if the drivers had stopped
their vehicles on time instead of running them over. The
sheer indifference shown by the drivers towards human
lives is truly abhorrent.
As the number of road accidents rises in the country,
we want to ask the authorities: What is the point of
formulating a law if it remains largely unenforced? Do the
authorities really care about people’s lives or are they just
trying to serve the interests of the transport owners and
workers? Why did the government make amendments—
which is in the draft form—to the Act even before
enforcing it?
It is unfortunate that the transport owners and workers
protested against some very important sections of the
Act and the government actually bowed down to those
demands. According to the Road Transport Act, 2018,
there was a provision of maximum punishment of five
years’ imprisonment for causing death and serious
injuries to a person through reckless driving. However, in
the amended Act, the punishment of maximum five years’
imprisonment for serious injuries has been excluded.
According to transport experts, the changes were brought
to the Act without holding discussions with the concerned
stakeholders, which is shocking.
The increasing number of deaths on our roads
and the growing anarchy in our public transport sector
need to be addressed at all costs and for that, there is no
alternative to enforcing the transport act. If the guilty
drivers in the above-mentioned—and other—cases can be
made to face justice, we may hope to see some changes on
our roads.
Savar tanneries’
shutdown comes too
late in the day
Authorities must urgently protect
the Dhaleshwari River from further
pollution
W
E are delighted to hear that the environment
ministry has agreed to its watchdog’s
recommendation to shut down the Savar
Tannery Industrial Estate immediately, which has been
causing irreparable damage to the Dhaleshwari River
for the last 10 years. The unchecked dumping of toxic
waste generated at the tanneries has not only choked the
river, but has had severe repercussions on the lives and
livelihoods of the people living around it as well.
While we applaud this step in the right direction, we
feel compelled to point out that this decision has already
come too late in the day. According to a 2019 report by
The Daily Star, ever since the Savar Tannery Industrial
Estate started dumping effluents into the river in mid-
2016, this relentless pollution has all but killed the
Dhaleshwari. Around 1,500 fishermen who used to earn
a livelihood from the river have had to move on to other
professions, there is a constant stench emanating from its
waters—which has become unusable even for farming, let
alone bathing—and children living near it have been put
at risk of water-borne diseases. The excuse given for this
sorry state of affairs is that the estate simply does not have
the capacity to treat all the waste that it generates. But why
has this capacity not been built up in all these years?
What truly beggars belief is that this wanton
destruction of the river and its surrounding environment,
exposing local populations to a myriad of health hazards,
has been going on despite the fact that the estate has no
environmental clearance from the relevant authorities.
The Department of Environment’s own statistics show
that, in the last three years, the estate has dumped around
1.60 lakh cubic metres of waste into the river—yet, it has
been allowed to continue operating.
According to a report in this daily, the process of
shutting down the Savar tannery estate will now be
initiated only after the industries ministry receives a letter
from the environment ministry. We urge the authorities to
not drag their feet in going through these different layers
of administration, especially since it has already taken
more than three months from the initial recommendation
to shut down the estate to actually coming to the decision
to follow it. We are also concerned to find that the Savar
tannery estate will be given the opportunity to apply for
fresh environmental clearance and re-start operations
after meeting all necessary requirements. Can a tannery
estate built on the banks of a dying river ever meet these
requirements? In 2003, the government took the initiative
to move all tanneries from the capital’s Hazaribagh area
to protect the Buriganga. We strongly urge the authorities
to take a similar initiative in the case of the Savar estate
in order to protect the Dhaleshwari and restore the local
environment.
Bijoyphool: A symbol of our
struggle and victory
I
T was a bright
sunny morning
in Vientiane,
where I was
visiting during
the first week of
December 2017.
As I entered the
beautiful spacious
French building,
SELIM JAHAN the Office of the
Vice Premier of
Laos PDR, to
pay him a visit, I was proudly wearing a
Bijoyphool (victory flower) as one of its
Global Ambassadors. The flower beamed
on the left lapel of my jacket. In fact, I was
also carrying a Bijoyphool in my pocket to
give it to the vice premier as a present.
Soon I was received by the vice premier
himself, a person of medium height, but
with a pair of inquisitive eyes. After we
exchanged pleasantries, the first thing he
asked as he pointed to the flower on my
We want the spirit and the history of our Liberation War to remain intact from generation to generation.
jacket lapel was, “What is that”?
His question gave me the opportunity
to explain to him the significance of the
Bijoyphool. When I finished, I politely
asked him whether I could pin a flower
on him. His warm response was, “It
would be an honour”. As I was pinning
it on the left side of his jacket, I was
overcome with mixed feelings. I was very
humbled but felt proud that I had this
unique opportunity to present to a leader
of a country something which is reflective
of Bangladesh, its Liberation War and our
ultimate and glorious victory. At the same
What did COP26 do to deal with loss
and damage?
G
OING into
POLITICS OF COP26 in
CLIMATE CHANGE
Glasgow,
Scotland in
November, it
was already
clear that the
most vulnerable
developing
countries wanted
SALEEMUL HUQ the topic of loss
and damage from
human-induced climate change to get
significant attention in the COP process,
as well as outside the COP process. Now,
after COP26 is over, we can discuss what
was achieved, as well as what was not
achieved, and where we will go from here
as we head towards COP27 in Egypt in
November 2022.
The first item to discuss would be the
follow-up of the decision from the 2019
COP25 in Madrid to set up the Santiago
Network on Loss and Damage (SNLD) to
provide research and technical assistance
on the issue of loss and damage from
human-induced climate change. However,
the COP25 decision did not work out the
details of how the SNLD would be set
up and what exactly it would do. These
issues were discussed in the first week of
COP26 in Glasgow and a way forward
was agreed upon, including the decision
to hold further workshops and finalise
the setup in COP27 next year.
While this was indeed a positive
outcome, it only touched on the technical
In the second week of COP26, all the
developing countries under the Group of 77—
which represents over 136 developing countries
with a total population of five billion people—
and China, put forward language for the
creation of the Glasgow Facility to finance the
solutions to loss and damage
time, I became emotional remembering
the sacrifices made by millions of people
of my country.
In my role as a Bijoyphool Ambassador,
I have been spreading the message
of this symbolic flower to groups of
people in different countries; following
the instructions on its website (http://
www.bijoyphool.co.uk). I myself made
Bijoyphools and pinned them on friends,
colleagues and peers. In Vientiane, I
did the same to the members of the
High-Level Consultative Panel on the
2018 Human Development Report.
The panel included, among others, the
former finance and planning minister
of Pakistan, the former governor of the
Central Bank Nepal (now minister of
finance) and the advisor on Science and
Technology in Malaysia. Every year, from
the first day of every December till the
16th—Victory Day—people wear it on
their dress over their heart.
The notion of the Bijoyphool was
originally conceived in London, following
the idea of the poppy flower in Britain.
Thus, the conceptual framework of the
Bijoyphool—not a real, but an abstract
flower—is broader and deeper. Three
things are crucial with regard to the
Bijoyphool. First, it symbolises the
Liberation War of Bangladesh, its ultimate
victory and independence. Second, the
Bijoyphool also represents remembrance—
through this symbolic flower, we
remember our heroic freedom fighters,
their contributions and supreme sacrifices.
In a way, each one of our Muktijoddhas
assistance required for loss and damage
and did not address any realistic aspects
of it, such as finance.
So, in the second week of COP26,
all the developing countries under the
Group of 77—which represents over
136 developing countries with a total
population of five billion people—and
China, put forward language for the
creation of the Glasgow Facility to finance
the solutions to loss and damage as part
of the overall Glasgow Climate Pact that
was the final outcome of COP26.
However, this proposal from the entire
developing countries group was watered
down at the insistence of the US and
some other rich nations, which agreed to
only hold a dialogue on finance for loss
and damage, and the COP26 Presidency
pushed developing countries to accept
this outcome as part of the Glasgow
Climate Pact.
This extremely disappointing outcome
had to therefore be accepted, heavy-
heartedly, by the most vulnerable
developing countries and the most
vulnerable communities in all countries.
But the story did not end there,
given a very significant development
that took place in Glasgow, outside the
COP venue. This was the creation of a
new Loss and Damage Fund set up with
GBP 1 million from the Government of
Scotland and offered by Nicola Sturgeon,
the First Minister of Scotland, which she
challenged the other leaders to match.
Over the course of the two weeks of
(freedom fighters)is a Bijoyphool too.
Third, it is not only a symbol, but also an
instrument. Using this flower, we can talk
about our country, its history, our culture
and heritage. Through it, we can take our
future generations to their roots.
Today, it may serve another purpose.
Bangladesh was established on the
basis of four fundamental principles—
nationalism, democracy, socialism in the
sense of social justice, and secularism.
Over the years, for various reasons,
the country has moved away from its
four founding principles. We have also
forgotten that people’s emancipation is
larger than political independence. That
is why Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman, the Father of the Nation,
finished his historic March 7 speech
by saying: “This struggle is a struggle
for our emancipation, this struggle is
a struggle for independence.” Political
independence is a necessary condition for
people’s emancipation, but on its own, it
PHOTO: ARCHIVES
is not sufficient.
Using the Bijoyphool, we may say
that out of the five petals of it, four may
represent the four forgotten fundamental
founding principles of Bangladesh,
and the fifth petal may represent our
political independence. And the red sun
in the middle may reflect our yet to be
achieved emancipation for our people.
Such interpretation of the Bijoyphool may
remind us of the path that Bangladesh set
for itself in 1971.
One wonders as to why a group of
people living abroad became so excited
COP26, this fund was increased by a
number of philanthropic foundations,
including one million Euros from
the Province of Wallonia in Belgium.
Sturgeon also doubled the contribution
of Scotland itself by the end of COP26.
I had the good fortune of being
invited to meet First Minister Nicola
Sturgeon at her residence in Edinburgh
after COP26 ended, and she reiterated
her commitment to supporting both
An advertising board is seen during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in
Glasgow, Scotland on November 7, 2021.
funding and actions to address loss and
damage going forward.
So while the outcome of COP26 itself
was disappointing, it nevertheless has
paved the way for discussion of loss and
damage to continue till COP27 next year.
Under the Presidency of Egypt, we can
also expect this issue to be treated much
more seriously than it was in Glasgow.
A final and extremely important aspect
of the COP26 journey, which is bound
to persist, is the reality of the adverse
impacts of human-induced climate
change which are causing real loss and
It symbolises the
Liberation War of
Bangladesh, its
ultimate victory
and independence.
The Bijoyphool
also represents
remembrance—
through this symbolic
flower, we
remember our heroic
freedom fighters, their
contributions and
supreme sacrifices.
for and committed to the idea of the
Bijoyphool. I can think of at least three
reasons—first, each of these people have
been carrying a piece of Bangladesh in
their hearts. So, irrespective of time and
place, they try to disseminate that piece
among other compatriots all around.
Second, many of them are from the
1971 generation, and they rightly refer to
themselves as the children of 1971. Thus,
they always want people to not forget
our Liberation War heroes and to give
them proper recognition and due honour.
Third, they want the spirit and the history
of our Liberation War to remain intact
from generation to generation. They are
active in ensuring that our children and
their children living abroad do not forget
their roots.
I, as one of the Bijoyphool
Ambassadors, feel proud to be a part of
the Bijoyphool journey. It is a uniquely
gratifying experience. I also feel fortunate
that I belong to an enviable group of
peers—e.g. Urmee Mazhar in the United
Kingdom, Mahfuz and Shaheen Anam
in Bangladesh. As we move forward,
let us not forget three things. First,
the Bijoyphool journey is not a sprint,
but a marathon; it is not a splash, but
a continuum. Second, if each one of
us, and all of us become a part of this
journey, it would become a strong social
movement, now needed desperately as
the forces against our independence are
actively conspiring against our patriotic
ideals. Third, when we reach the finish
line of the journey through our collective
efforts, we shall realise that we have
achieved what we stood and fought for.
Let us not forget that more than four
decades ago, “we were fighting to save a
flower”. Weren’t we?
Selim Jahan is former Director, Human Development
Report Office and Poverty Division, UNDP.
damage in all countries, and which will
have to be dealt with regardless of any
COP decisions.
Thus, every country, including
Bangladesh, has to work out the
possibility of loss and damage from
human-induced climate change occurring
at national and local levels, and develop
national strategies to deal with those
impacts, regardless of any global action
PHOTO: REUTERS/YVES HERMAN
or inaction.
Bangladesh has an opportunity to be
a leader in tackling loss and damage,
as it has been on adaptation, going
forward. This will require another all-
of-society approach by government,
parliament, NGOs, academics, media
and youth working together at the local
and national levels and also linking with
other countries through South-South as
well as South-North collaboration.
Dr Saleemul Huq is Director of the International
Centre for Climate Change and Development at the
Independent University, Bangladesh.
DHAKA WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 16, 1428 BS OPINION 9

16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM AGAINST GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

How conforming to societal misogyny

breeds gender-based violence
I
F I had to
pick only
one trait of
my own that
I admire, it
would have to
be my ability
to adapt.
Growing up
AFIA JAHIN in a (then)
low-income
part of the city
but attending an English medium
school in a quintessentially affluent
area, I learned early on to modify
my behaviour and personality to suit
different audiences. Still now, the last
thing I want is to stand out. Or, to
stand out for the wrong reasons. As
such, I have always tried to abide by
the saying of “when in Rome, do as
the Romans do.” After all, fitting in is
a survival tactic. When you fit in with
the dominant crowd, you are safe.
From attention, criticism, debate, and
from the possibility of your opinions
being proven “wrong.” In some
contexts, the need to fit in—or rather,
be invisible—becomes a requirement
or necessity, for the sake of self-
preservation.
So while my skills of adjustment
do come in handy when solving
problems in a crunch, there have
been many times when this trait
became the cause of my subjugation.
For instance, on a 2018 morning
when I spotted two men taking
photos of my then-hijabi and amply-
clothed self while crossing the
Mirpur 10 footbridge, I confronted
them. The phone’s photo gallery was
riddled with images of women—in
salwar-kameez, burqas, niqabs—taken
from that same location and on that
morning. I yelled many choice words
at the two men, one of whom seemed
nervous while the instigator seemed
to be finding my reaction hysterical. I
was, I will admit. In that moment of
rage and insecurity, hysteria should
not seem that inappropriate of a
reaction. Of the bystanders who did
nothing but watch, one was a man
who chuckled disparagingly at me,
while his young son watched and, I
would assume, learned: Harassment
is no big deal and women overreact
to it. Not knowing what to do—
“Would any nearby law enforcement
agents help me or would they laugh
at me, too?”—I took pictures of the
offenders on my own phone, threw
theirs down onto the footbridge’s
floor, and stormed down the stairs to
catch my bus.
People commented on my social
media post about the incident later
on, all kudos to me for standing up
to the harassers.
The unsavoury truth is that I was
very scared, during and long after the
incident. In fact, given that my family
was moving to another area the next
month anyway, I took a different
and lengthier route to my bus every
morning after that. “Like a coward,”
I’d tell myself. But I had heard and
read too many accounts of how
scorned men have harassed, stalked,
thrown acid at, assaulted, abducted,
and/or raped women as revenge—
or even just because. Not only is
harassment on the streets, in and
of itself, mentally and emotionally
harmful to the recipient, but it always
has the potential to be dangerous
and life-threatening. And this is a
constant fear that all women carry
within themselves.
A common rebuttal of rape-
apologists in our country is that
The solidarity women find in each other while facing societal misogyny
together is reassuring, but should not be so necessary.
rape takes place because women
do not dress “properly” here. One
can assume that “proper” means
covered, preferably from head to toe.
So I was, on that morning of 2018,
and back then it was because I was
trying to fit into the narrative of a
“properly dressed” woman, so as
to avoid being sexually objectified.
And so was 19-year-old Sohagi Jahan
Tonu, before she was raped, brutally
murdered and discarded in March
of 2016, inside the “safe” area of
Mainamati Cantonment in Cumilla.
Nusrat Jahan Rafi (18) of Feni, too,
was a “properly” dressed madrasa
student, who refused to withdraw
the sexual assault case she had filed
against her school’s principal and was
in turn set ablaze by a few miscreants
in broad daylight on April 6, 2019.
So, in our country, even when
women do as the Romans do (or,
as the Romans want them to do),
it seems that Rome perhaps is not
fully ours. We do not have as much
claim to it, or as much freedom of
expression and movement in it, as
our male counterparts are allowed
to have. In order to stay safe and
“dignified”, we try to fit ourselves to
the image of a “good” woman, as
much as possible.
We may go out to school or
work, but we make sure to be as
unnoticeable as possible. When men
PHOTO:
SK ENAMUL HAQ
on the footpaths walk towards us
head-on from the opposite direction,
with no indication that they will give
us space to walk past them, we take a
few steps to one side ourselves, so as
not to “allow” the men to bump into
and/or grope us. Just as I used to in
my teens, when a man sits next to me
on a public bus, I give him his space.
When his hand still manages to
brush against my side, I tense up and
put myself in the corner of the seat,
as much as I can. I ignore catcalls
now, but still look out for phones
positioned a bit too vertically, with
the camera pointing in my direction.
I know now which outfits will get
me too many stares for comfort,
and I keep them tucked away in my
cupboard, pretty as they are. This all
helps me fit in and keeps me safe
from judgement and harm; keeps
my dignity intact, too—or so they’ve
told me, and then I’ve taught myself.
You see, after a point, fighting against
the misogynistic rules of our society
does not seem worth it, and simply
conforming gives women some rest
from all that.
Of course, violence that is birthed
from these rules and our (voluntary
or involuntary) conformity to them
exists in many forms (mental,
emotional, sexual, physical) and can
be of varying levels. But when mild
forms of violence (such as obscene
comments thrown towards women
on the streets) go unchecked, or are
made into laughing matters, it lends
a certain kind of acceptance to acts
which fall under this level of violence
and, by extension, to acts worse
than them. When such acts of “mild
violence” against one gender are
normalised, more dangerous forms
of violence veer closer towards being
acceptable in society, too.
Putting aside the need for the state
to train its representatives to be more
gender-inclusive and to eliminate/
reform all laws which allow for
gender discrimination and violence
to persist, individuals as conscious
members of the public must actively
fight back against gender-based
violence even in its mildest forms.
Violence against someone based
solely on their gender is everyone’s
responsibility to counter. Whether it
happens in broad daylight or behind
closed doors, gender-based violence
is no laughing or “private” matter.
Afia Jahin is a member of the editorial team at
The Daily Star.

SELINA BAHAR ZAMAN

Author, Educationist and Cultural Icon
Selina Bahar Zaman left the mortal world on December 1, 2004 at the age of 64. She, along with her mother Anwara Bahar Chowdhury, played an active role in
the cultural manifestations of Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA) in the 1960’s. After independence, Selina Bahar Zaman became a chronicler of biographical
studies of Rokeya and many others. She was known to many and one of them was Mary Frances Dunham, wife of an American architect working in Dhaka in
the 60’s, herself an accomplished lady, a friend of Bengali culture and Bangladesh. Mary left Dhaka in 1967 and became an active supporter of the nation’s
struggle for liberation in 1971. She returned to Bangladesh in the 1990’s to further study Bengali culture and published her seminal work titled “Jarigan:
Muslim Epic Songs of Bangladesh” (University Press Limited, Dhaka, 1997). Mary Frances Dunham passed away on October 11, 2021 in New York. She received
the award “Friends of Bangladesh Liberation War” in 2013. This tribute to Selina Bahar Zaman by Mary Frances Dunham is also a tribute to both, the great
champions of Bengali culture.

M
Y friendship with Selina and her
family dates back over 40 years.
I shall always remember my first
sight of her in the early 1960s when I
watched in awe as Selina diligently, often
heroically, worked for the Bulbul Academy
of Fine Arts (BAFA). The Academy was run
by a Committee whose members all worked
voluntarily for the school. Selina was the
Assistant Secretary of the Committee. At that
time, she was in her early 20’s, yet she had
already finished her Masters of Science degree
from Dhaka University and was appointed
Lecturer of Mathematics at Eden Girls College
(now Badrunnessa College). Selina herself
was a dancer and was involved in the staging
of several dance-dramas. In those early years
of our acquaintance, I was ignorant of these
precocious accomplishments, only learning
them recently from Selina’s sister Dolly.
Through Dolly, I found out that during that
early time, Selina produced dance-dramas
along with Saaduddin, a friend of mine at a
later date, who was the first Bangladeshi to
receive a doctorate in Ethnomusicology, an
outstandingly bright and dedicated scholar
like Selina herself.
In those days, I belonged to a triad of
foreign housewives eager to learn whatever
we could about Bangladeshi (then East
Pakistani) music and dance. Once a week
riding our bicycles, we gathered together at
an intersection in Ramna from where we
pedalled through the old city to the elegant
premises of BAFA on the Buriganga. There,
like ungainly elephants among graceful
gazelles, we tried to imitate the accomplished
students in the front rows of the beginners’
class.
As I watched Selina helping with the work
of BAFA, I admired her intelligence and
determination. How quickly she understood
what was needed doing and what needed
more thoughtful solutions! Somehow we
became friends and I started visiting her and
her family where they lived in Shantinagar,
not far from our house on Siddheswari Road.
Selina’s mother reminded me of a favourite
aunt of mine, a doctor by profession, whose
home was always full of visitors who enjoyed
her company for the comfort and good advice
that she shared. Especially after our daughter
Katherine was born, I would visit Selina and
her family where affectionate fuss was made
over our spoiled baby girl. Meanwhile I felt at
home in a family where literature mattered,
where the house was simple and practical,
and where so much laughter filled the rooms.
It happened that the idea to attend BAFA
had come from my early acquaintance with
my tutor for lessons in Bangla, someone
who became a life-long friend to my family,
Selina Bahar Zaman
(February 15, 1940 – December 1, 2004)
Professor Ahmed Sharif, also a relative of
Selina’s family. At that time, Professor Sharif
lived with his wife and three small sons in
the Dhaka University faculty quarter. When
I expressed my interest in Bengali music
(later a career for me), he suggested that I
visit BAFA, little knowing how close I would
become to Selina and her family.
In the fall of 1963, the English lady who
brought up my brother and myself visited
Dhaka. Selina met her at our house and
she and Emmy (Mary Emerson) became
friends. Emmy invited Selina to visit her
ancestral Suffolk village where she retired.
As it turned out, Selina was able to visit her
soon after, when she went to England to
study in Newcastle. On my trip to Dhaka in
2003, Selina showed me an article that she
had written in which she described her visit
to Emmy and her village. The description is
full of Selina’s sharp observations and lively
recreation of conversations and surroundings.
Unlike myself, Selina could remember precise
dates and places and the very words spoken.
In later years, I knew Selina as a writer
of children’s books and many biographies,
which she generously gave me. My Bangla
is good enough for reading her children’s
books, but unfortunately not for reading the
biographies, but I am proud to have them
on my shelves. Around 1994, when I was
preparing a book on Jarigan, Selina took
me around to scholars who could help. I
remember bouncing along in rickshaws with
her as she took me from place to place, telling
me as we went along about what projects
she was working on at the time. Anyone who
has met her must remember the eager way in
which she spoke of a multitude of her books
in progress already printed. She used to leave
me feeling quite breathless and ashamed that
I was not doing as much for the world.
Selina’s siblings share her traits of
intelligence, energy and devotion to hard
work. her brother Iqbal and sisters, Dolly,
Bacchu and Puplu all share a generous,
outgoing, hard-working, warm-hearted
nature. By coincidence, Dolly (Shaheen) was
one of my husband’s architectural students.
She is one of the first three women architects
to graduate from the first Bangladeshi (then
East Pakistani) Department of Architecture at
the Bangladesh University of Engineering and
Technology (BUET). At the time, my husband,
Daniel Durham, was a member of the team
of American architects who were hired to
establish the pioneer department. With Dolly
in his class, our bond with Selina was happily
increasing.
During my visit to Dhaka in 2003, Selina
entertained me with dinner and on the early
morning of my departure she turned up
where I was staying with gifts in her hands.
I know that future visits to Dhaka will entail
missing Selina even more than I do as I write
now, but her smiling face on that morning
and her warm embrace will remain with me
forever.

CROSSWORD BY THOMAS JOSEPH BEETLE BAILEY BY MORT WALKER

ACROSS 36 Puts down response
1 Following 38 Writer Loos 9 Bottle part
6 Concert setting 40 Football plays 10 Sacred chests
11 Doone of fiction 43 Saint – (Largest 16 Bud
12 White Cliffs of the Virgin 18 “West Side
setting Islands) Story” gang
13 Be real 44 Enjoyed avidly 19 Memo letters
14 Pancake order 45 Thus 21 Approach
15 Crescent’s tip 46 Rick’s cartoon 23 Hawk
17 Invites grandson 24 Sailors’ saint
18 Boxer LaMotta 25 Pants part
20 Opposed DOWN 27 Credit card, in SUNDAY’S ANSWERS
22 Lawyer’s letters 1 Hearty brew slang BABY BLUES BY KIRKMAN & SCOTT
23 Shirt parts 2 Sly one 30 Long swimmer
MARY SHELLEY 26 Brownish gray 3 You need to be 33 Honshu city
English novelist 28 “Hello” singer careful replying 34 “Art of the
(1797 - 1851) 29 School primer to it Fugue” composer
31 Dr.’s org. 4 Follow 35 Concerning
Invention, it must 32 Store come-on 5 “Darn it!” 37 First father
be humbly admitted, 33 Shoelace 6 TV spots 39 Firefighting aid
does not consist in problem 7 Turned 41 Bolt connector
34 Drill parts 8 Dodging 42 Mole, e.g.
creating out of void,
but out of chaos. WRITE FOR US. SEND US YOUR OPINION PIECES TO
dsopinion@gmail.com.
 e-mail: sports@thedailystar.net
DHAKA WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 16, 1428 BS

‘We were never in control’ Lack of vision reflected

MAZHAR UDDIN from Chattogram
One could be
tempted to take
positives despite
Bangladesh
crashing to a momentum and then again from
convincing eight-
wicket defeat in the
first Test against Pakistan inside the
first session of the final day to start
the second cycle of the ICC World
Test Championship with a defeat.
Those thoughts could arise from
the individual heroics at the Zahur
Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in
Chattogram such as a maiden Test
century from Liton Das in the first
innings, which he followed up with
a half-century in the second innings.
Mushfiqur Rahim also scored 91 runs
and together the duo put on a 206-run
stand for the fifth-wicket in the first
innings. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam
single-handedly spun out Pakistan
with a seven-wicket haul, which gave
the hosts a crucial 44-run lead, and
debutant Yasir Ali impressed before
suffering a concussion after scoring
36 runs in the second innings.
However, skipper Mominul
Haque’s realisation was perhaps the
most positive as he bemoaned the
fact that individual performances
have rarely ever been enough to win
Bangladesh matches.
“I have been noticing since
taking up captaincy that individual
performances have not helped us
win games in any format. We don’t
have the kind of performer who can
single-handedly win matches for
us so we have to perform as a unit.
If we could perform collectively…
suppose after Taijul picked up seven
wickets, if someone else bagged two
or three in the second innings and
gave him support or if the batters had
played well in the second innings,
that might have helped us. You
can’t get success as a team by only
relying on individual heroics. When
we play collectively, as a unit, we get
favourable results,” Mominul said.
Even after the third day, it seemed
Bangladesh were in control with their
44-run first-innings lead as they came
out for their second essay. But, as in
the first innings when the hosts were
PHOTO: FIROZ AHMED reduced to 49 for four, Bangladesh’s
top order failed and the hosts were
reduced to 25 for 4.
“You guys might think positively,
but I feel we were never in control.
It was because Mushfiqur and
Liton batted well that we got some
Taijul picking up those seven
wickets. Courtesy of these individual
performances, we were able to
remain in the game till the fourth day.
We might have gotten control if we
were able to put up a partnership in
the second innings. So I don’t think
we were in control,” a disappointed
Mominul added.
Mominul also said that the Tigers
needed to work on their mental
fitness and admitted that they could
hardly change their technique
overnight, in time for the second
and final Test starting in Mirpur on
December 4.
The 30-year-old also praised the
nature of the pitch at the Zahur Ahmed
Chowdhury Stadium, terming it flat
and blaming the top order, including
himself, for the failure.
“I should have batted with more
responsibility. If you can score a big
knock at number four, there is always
a good chance to post a better total.
If you lose four wickets inside the
first ten overs in any format, it won’t
matter if you add a 200 or 300-run
partnership. It won’t help you post
a big total. It’s difficult to bowl after
scoring 330 runs in the first innings
on a flat wicket. It was because of
Taijul’s brilliance that we managed to
make the comeback,” he added.
SCORES IN BRIEF
BANGLADESH
First Innings- 330 all out & Second
Innings- 157 all out
PAKISTAN
First Innings 286 all out & Second
Innings - 203 for 2 in 58.3 overs (Abid
91, Shafique 73, Azhar 24 not out,
Babar 13 not out; Taijul 1-89, Miraz
1-59)
RESULT: Pakistan won by 8 wickets.
PLAYER-OF-THE-MATCH: Abid Ali.
in opening struggles
In the eight games played in the two cycles of the
World Test Championship (WTC) so far, Bangladesh
openers contributed only 17.79 per cent of the
side’s total runs.
In those eight games, Bangladesh team
management employed five different opening pairs.
Both openers of Bangladesh were dismissed for a
single-digit score in five of those innings.
The highest opening stand during this period was a
98-run stand between Tamim Iqbal and Saif Hassan
against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.
NABID YEASIN single digit scores on five occasions in those
eight games.
“If you lose four wickets inside the first 10 It is probably unfair to point fingers
overs in any format, it is very difficult to only at the openers, given that the national
regain momentum. Even partnerships of selection panel’s process and thought are
200 or 300 runs won’t help you get a big equally, if not more, at fault for the torrid
score,” was the realisation from Bangladesh aforementioned figures.
Test captain Mominul Haque after an eight- The selection of Saif Hassan, whose
wicket loss to Pakistan in the first Test in weakness in negotiating pacey deliveries
Chattogram. directed towards his body was brutally
Mominul was spot on. It is the top order
exposed by the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi
of Bangladesh, specifically the opening pair,
and Hasan Ali in the Chattogram Test,
that has been the discernible low point and
raised a lot of questions.
the major reason behind the Tigers’ failure
Saif’s abysmal technique also served as
in Tests and other formats.
definitive proof that Bangladesh’s domestic
As opposed to Pakistan openers Abid
Ali and debutant Abdullah Shafique -- who circuit is nowhere near the international
standard as the 23-year-old came into the
stitched together 100-run stands in both
innings, only the second time that Pakistan squad boasting 3,000 runs in his first-class
openers have put on a hundred-run stand career.
in both innings of a Test match since a Test While Saif failed horribly, Pakistan
against South Africa in 2003 -- Bangladesh’s opener Shafique made hay with two
first four batters scored a total of 67 runs in consecutive fifties on his debut despite
the two innings combined. getting a call to the squad after just four
Even Mominul admitted that it was the first-class outings. That not only goes to
gulf in quality between the opening pairs show the gulf between the two country’s
and top order that decided the outcome domestic structures, but also points out the
despite the fact that Mominul’s troops went selectors’ inability to recognise talent that is
into the second innings with a 44-run lead. fit and ready for the national outfit.
In particular, the opening fiasco has The selectors added Mohammad Naim
been an age-old problem for the Tigers in for the first time to the Test squad for the
the format. In the eight games played in the second game against Pakistan and it seems
two cycles of the World Test Championship that the chop-and-change in the opening
(WTC) so far, five different opening pairs slot will continue. The only thing missing
have contributed only 17.79 per cent of will be planned thinking about a problem
the side’s total runs. Moreover, both of that has been affecting the country’s cricket
Bangladesh’s openers were dismissed for for years.

Pakistan team outdo Tigers’ Tigers get Shakib boost

individuals for Mirpur Test
SPORTS REPORTER
Despite Bangladesh’s 44-run lead at
the end of the first innings, what made
the difference for Pakistan in their
comfortable eight-wicket victory? The
Tigers may have taken positives from
individual performances from the
likes of Liton Das and Taijul Islam that
swung the momentum at some stages,
but it was Pakistan’s collective approach
in every aspect that helped them
bounce back and clinch an easy victory
on the final day of the first Test at the
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in
Chattogram yesterday.
Pakistan’s Hasan Ali was lethal with
the ball in the first innings with a five-
wicket-haul that deterred the Tigers
from posting a bigger total. However,
his pace-bowling partner Shaheen Shah
Afridi also kept the pressure on the
batters, plucking a couple of wickets.
Their combined attack remained
venomous in the second innings, only
this time Afridi bagged a fifer while
Hasan grabbed two wickets to set up an
easy chase and Pakistan skipper Babar
Azam singled them out for praise during
the post-match presentation ceremony.
“The way Bangladesh played in
the first innings was really good but
Shaheen and Hasan were outstanding.
That’s the beauty of Test cricket; it allows
you to stage a comeback,” Babar said.
After enduring a strenuous second
day that saw him fail to scalp a single
wicket, Taijul’s seven-wicket-haul in the
first session of the third day enabled
Bangladesh to get a first-innings lead.
But that appeared a lucky break as the
hosts were unable to display consistency
with the ball in the second innings.
Pakistan’s batters also ensured that
they would measure up their bowlers’
performance. Openers Abid Ali and
Abdullah Shafique stitched together
partnerships of over a hundred in
both innings while half-centuries from
debutant Shafique in both innings
and Abid’s magnificent knocks of 133
and 91 demonstrated their collective
approach come through when Babar
struggled with the bat.
Player-of-the-match Abid Ali did
SQUAD
not forget to credit his batting partner’s Mominul Haque (Captain), Shadman
performance either. Islam, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain
“Abdullah Shafique was making his Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al
debut, so we tried to stay at the crease,
wait for bad balls and we succeeded in Hasan, Liton Das, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan Permaul’s
putting them away. He was outstanding.
My best wishes are with him,” the right-
Sohan, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam,
Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Abu
fifer puts SL
hander said.
Although, Liton’s maiden Test
Jayed Rahi, Nayeem Hasan, Mahmudul in trouble
century in the first innings and a half- Hasan Joy, Rejaur Rahman Raja, Khaled AFP, GALLE
century in the second also gave the Ahmed, Shohidul Islam and Naim Sheikh.
Tigers glimpses of hope, it cannot be Veerasammy Permaul’s five-
wicket haul put Sri Lanka
denied that it was Pakistan’s teamwork
SPORTS REPORTER Test. in trouble with the West
that undid Bangladesh in the first Test.
Mominul said in the post-match press Indies’ batting openers
Bangladesh are boosted by the return of all- conference yesterday that they would have to
rounder Shakib Al Hasan and pacer Taskin already chasing down the
go for experienced players if the young ones
Ahmed ahead of their second Test against hosts’ lead on day two of
fail to deliver while particularly pointing his
Pakistan, starting from December 4 at the the second Test in Galle on
fingers towards opener Saif Hassan.
Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Tuesday.
“Say, if any young employee in your office
Both the players recovered from injuries Rain interrupted play
fails to deliver, you have to go for a change.
as the Minhajul Abedin-led selection panel half an hour before tea
And if young employees fail, you have to go
announced an extended squad yesterday. and it did not resume,
for the experienced ones,” said Mominul.
Opener Mohammad Naim Sheikh received Shakib will make a comeback after in a match that has been
a maiden Test call-up following a dismal recovering from a hamstring injury that plagued by inclement
showing by the openers in the first Test in he suffered during the Tigers’ Super 12 weather and bad light, with
Chattogram that the Tigers lost by eight encounter against West Indies in the ICC the tourists trailing by 135.
wickets. T20 World Cup. The star all-rounder, who Permaul’s first long-
Selectors picked up another young also missed the three-match T20I series format match in six years
opener despite Bangladesh Test captain against Pakistan, was initially named for helped bowl out Sri Lanka
Mominul Haque issuing a warning to the the first Test but was unable to recover in for 204 on the second day
young players after losing the Chattogram time. with a career-best 5-35.
The West Indies’
decision to play two left-

‘It’s a moment I’ll never forget’

AFP, New Delhi
Rachin Ravindra
became an unlikely
hero for New Zealand
with solid defence
and the ability to soak in the pressure
in his debut Test, and has been hailed
as an all-round package.
The 22-year-old stood firm with
the lower order and finished with
Ajaz Patel in a final-wicket stand that
survived the final session’s 52 balls to
deny India a win.
Ravindra’s entry into the dressing
room after the thrilling draw was met
with praise from Williamson and Ross
Taylor.
“Guys that I have idolised and seen
playing cricket for a long time, to be
able to share a change room and chat
about the game was amazing.”
“It was a big relief because I was
trying not to look at the scoreboard
and how many overs to go, I was just
thinking ball after ball, this is what
I need to do. Trying to forget about
everything, all external factors, but
definitely a big relief seeing everyone
high-fiving each other, seeing how
happy everyone was, it was pretty cool.
“It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
Ravindra’s first name -- Rachin -- is
a mix of Indian greats Rahul Dravid
and Sachin Tendulkar and both are an
inspiration to the Kiwi.
Tendulkar praised the efforts of
Ravindra and Patel in what he called a
“fascinating” Test.
“Taking in the crowd and how loud
they were and all the fielders around
the bat is the kind of stuff you dream
about as a kid,” said the Wellington-
born Ravindra, whose father migrated
arm spin specialists proved
a masterstroke against
a side heavy with right-
handed batters.
to New Zealand from Bangalore.
Permaul and fellow
“You watch Test matches like that,
left-arm spinner Jomel
and that’s where your heroes and idols
Warrican, who claimed
are made. Quite nerve-wracking, (but
we) somehow managed to keep our 4-50, cut through the Sri
nerves together which was a pretty Lankan order on a wicket
special feeling. with plenty of turn and
Taking up the sport at a young age, bounce. “Great to bowl in
Ravindra was supported at home by his tandem with Jomel. He
father Ravi Krishnamurthy, a software kept things tight, putting
system architect who played some pressure. We are pretty
cricket in Bangalore. happy with the status quo,”
Krishnamurthy founded a cricket Permaul said.
club in New Zealand -- Hutt Hawks -- It was the fourth time
to take players on tours to help them in history that West Indies
expand their experience. spinners claimed all 10
Ravindra said nothing would have wickets in an innings. Off-
been possible without his parents. spinner Roston Chase had
“They are really proud. They are claimed captain Dimuth
obviously trying to say to me ‘try to Karunaratne on day one
stay level and everything’, which is a with Sri Lanka resuming
nice little reminder,” Ravindra said. overnight on 113.
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Ronaldo
LEWANDOWSKI takes a dig
at Pascal
‘deserves award Ferre
for 2020’
REUTERS
Cristiano Ronaldo has hit
AGENCIES back at comments made
by Ballon d’Or organiser
Lionel Messi has said he believes Robert Lewandowski Pascal Ferre, saying the
should be retrospectively awarded the 2020 Ballon editor-in-chief of France
d’Or as he praised the Bayern Munich striker in his Football “lied” about his
acceptance speech for the 2021 honour on Monday. rivalry with Lionel Messi.
Messi was crowned the 2021 Ballon d’Or winner Ferre told the New
at a ceremony in Paris, claiming the trophy for the York Times on Friday that
seventh time in his career. Manchester United forward
But the Paris Saint-Germain star admits he had Ronaldo’s sole ambition
tough competition in the form of Lewandowski was to retire with more of
this year as he gave a special mention to the Poland the awards for the world’s
international. best player than Messi.
“I would like to mention Robert Lewandowski, “Pascal Ferre lied, he
it’s been a real honour to compete with you,” Messi used my name to promote
said after collecting the trophy. himself and to promote
“Everyone knows and we agree that you were the the publication he works
winner last year. for,” Ronaldo, who has
“I think France Football should award you your Lionel Messi beams with the Ballon d’Or award, which he won for a record-extending seventh time beating competition from PHOTO: won the award five times,
TWITTER
2020 Ballon d’Or - you deserve it and you should the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Jorginho, at a programme in Paris on Monday. said in an Instagram post
on Monday.

‘I don’t know if the

“It is
unacceptable
that the
person
responsible

have it at home.”
He added: “I think Robert Lewandowski had a
great year. Year after year, he improves and shows the
excellent striker he is, as well as his ability to score
goals.
“This year he was awarded as the top scorer. Of
course he can certainly aspire to that level next year,
thanks to his way of being on the pitch. And in
addition, he plays for a big club.”
Lewandowski was largely seen as the favourite
to win the Ballon d’Or in 2020 because of his goal
scoring exploits for Bundesliga champions Bayern.
But the award was cancelled that year because of
the Covid-19 pandemic.
record is beatable’
AGENCIES
Lionel Messi is not sure if his record will be
broken after the Paris Saint-Germain and
Argentina superstar won a seventh Ballon d’Or
on Monday.
Messi claimed the coveted award for a record-
extending seventh time during a ceremony in
Paris, while Bayern Munich talisman Robert
Lewandowski won the inaugural Striker of the
Year award and finished second in the Ballon
d’Or voting.
Many had backed Lewandowski to take
home the prized individual honour, after
France Football’s 2020 Ballon d’Or was
scrapped due to COVID-19 -- the Bayern
forward has scored 53 goals in 42 appearances
in 2021, the most of any player in Europe’s top
five leagues across all competitions.
But Messi added to his incredible haul
after guiding Argentina to a drought-ending
for
awarding
such a
prestigious
prize could lie
triumph at the Copa America -- the country’s Copa America title since 1993, involved in in this way, in absolute
first piece of silverware in 28 years, while he nine of the 12 goals scored by Argentina at the disrespect for someone
has netted 32 goals and supplied 12 assists showpiece South American tournament. who has always respected
across 40 club appearances for Barcelona and “I had a pretty good year with Barcelona France Football and the
PSG this year. without titles, however I did win the Copa del
Ballon d’Or.”
“I don’t know if the record is beatable, I just Rey,” Argentina’s captain and all-time leading France Football did
have to accept it,” the 34-year-old Messi told scorer Messi added.
not immediately respond
reporters, with Cristiano Ronaldo next on the “The Copa America was very important to
to an emailed request for
list after winning the award five times. help me win this Ballon d’Or. And yes, I am comment on Ronaldo’s
“But honestly, I don’t know if this record very proud to be the first PSG to conquer this post. “I always win for
seven Ballon d’Or’s can be beaten. But seven Ballon d’Or. It’s special to do so with another myself and for the clubs I
anyhow is really impressive and I’m very happy jersey and it makes me very proud. represent, I win for myself
to win it here in Paris. “This trophy really is special. It gives me a and for those who love
“Concerning [Liverpool star] Mohamed feeling of accomplishment with the Argentine me. I don’t win against
Salah, like [Robert] Lewandowski he will national team. It was indeed a special year for someone,” added the
have other opportunities in the years to come. me and of course it helped me in this new Portugal forward. “The
Both players are really at the best at what stage in my life, this move to PSG and my biggest ambition of my
they’ve managed so far. They will have other family and kids. career is to leave my name
opportunities to win the trophy.” “I know they enjoy the moment and I enjoy written in golden letters
Messi scored four goals and provided five seeing them happy. Seeing my parents, cousins in the history of world
assists as he led the Albiceleste to their first and brothers happy, too.” football.”

Schick’s Euro
stunner in
FIFA shortlist
REUTERS
FIFA have announced an
11-player shortlist for this
year’s Puskas Award, with
Patrik Schick’s goal against
Scotland at Euro 2020
among the nominees.
Czech forward Schick
beat goalkeeper David
Marshall with one of the
most remarkable goals in
European Championship
history, a stunning
45-metre strike from just
inside the halfway line as
his team beat Scotland 2-0.
Schick’s effort was
subsequently voted goal of
the tournament.
Tottenham Hotspur
forward Son Heung-min
won the award in 2020
for his solo effort against
Burnley in the Premier
League in which he ran
nearly the length of the
pitch, dribbling past several
Burnley defenders before
scoring.
Manchester City’s
Caroline Weir makes
a second consecutive
appearance in the shortlist,
courtesy of a deft chip
from the edge of the box
in an FA Women’s Super
League derby match against
Manchester United.
Premier League players
Erik Lamela and Riyad
Mahrez are also on the list.
Lamela scored with a
rabona against Arsenal in
a North London derby and
Mahrez was recognised
for his solo effort against
Zimbabwe while on
international duty with
Algeria. The winner of the
award will be selected by an
international jury comprised
of former footballers and
select fans from across the
globe. The winner will be
announced on Jan. 17.
Bangladesh Police FC’s Denilson Roldao manoeuvres the ball past a Chattogram Abahani player during their
Riviera Independence Cup fixture in Kamalapur yesterday.
Thankgod for Ctg Abahani
SPORTS REPORTER
Former champions
Chattogram
Abahani came
from behind to play
out a 1-1 draw against Bangladesh
Police FC in a Group D encounter
of the Rivieira Independence Cup at
the Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa
Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur
yesterday.
Abahani’s Nigerian forward
Ebimobowei Thankgod cancelled
out a 48th-minute lead from Police’s
Brazilian Denilson Roldao in the
50th minute to snatch a valuable
point for the 2016 champions.
Even though Chattogram Abahani
could not form a strong squad like
last season as all national players
left the club, the current brigade of
Maruful Haque were good enough
to hold Rumanian tactician Aristica
Cioaba’s rejuvenated Bangladesh
Police side.
Bangladesh Police, who fielded
all four foreign recruits from Brazil,
Germany and Afghanistan, looked
much better from the beginning
against a depleted Chattogram
Abahani side but they were not lucky
to leave the field with a victory over
the Sky Blues, who played with three
foreign recruits.
Police could have taken the lead
in the very first minute when Afghan
forward Amiruddin Sharifi ran into
the box from the right flank to cut it
back for Amirul Islam, who however
surprised all to tap it wide from in
front of open net. Then national
discard Mathews Bablu, after being
KINGS EASE PAST NAVY
Defending champions Bashundhara Kings
thrashed Bangladesh Navy Football Club
6-0 in the day’s second clash, which saw
some 16 current and former national
players pitted against each other. The
foreign recruits of Kings, though, made
the difference against Navy, who were
playing without foreigners.
Former Bosnian international Stojan
Vranjes scored twice while Brazilians
Jonathan Fernandes, Robson Robinho
and Nigerian-born Bangladeshi striker
Eleta Kingsley scored a goal apiece for
the defending champions. The last goal
conceded by Navy was an own goal.
Domestic chores put
Burundian on track
to success
REUTERS, Nairobi Ngenzirabona, a coach.
Cyclists are hopeful that Burundi’s
For 19-year-old Burundian Adelphine
Nimfasha, regularly carrying more than move to host the first African
competition of its kind will help
twice her own weight in rice on her
father’s bicycle proved to be excellent change that.
- albeit unusual - preparation for “We (the Burundian team) trained
becoming a professional cyclist. for three weeks, others trained for three
On Sunday, Nimfasha came sixth months,” said Nimfasha, adding that
in Africa’s first international women’s more training will help the team secure
cycling competition after a fall cost her podium finishes.
the lead she had held for most of the Cycling has been important to
way. Nimfasha since she was a child. In
“I didn’t give up but rose up, took her home area of Gihanga, women
my bicycle, and proceeded to finish the are not discouraged from riding them
race,” said Nimfasha, who finished in as they are in many other parts of the
the top three in national competitions region.
in Egypt and Nigeria before the latest “My parents would send me to fetch
competition, held in her home country. water and carry rice from the fields at
Her determination earned her the the harvest and I could pack up to 150
road cycling “combativity” award. Two or 120 kilos of rice. During that season
Kenyans and a Ugandan won the top my father could not hire other workers,
three prizes. it was me who ensured the transport,”
PHOTO: BFF
Cycling is gaining popularity as a she said.
set up by Denilson, was denied
brilliantly by defender Shawkat
Russel in the 13th minute.
Police kept pressing to break the
deadlock, with Sharifi coming close
in the 24th minute but his placing
shot at far post narrowly missed the
target.
Police kept mounting pressure
on Chattogram Abahani and broke
the deadlock three minutes into the
second half when Bablu ran down
the left to drive a shot only to be
parried by goalkeeper Mohammad
Nehal but the ball fell to Denilson,
who mustered a powerful shot to the
upper corner of the net.
However, Police could hold the
lead for only two minutes as Rashed
Alam handled the ball inside the box
and Thankgod stepped up to convert
the resulting spot-kick.
sport in Burundi, where bicycles are She hopes to be an internationally
Maruful soon brought a couple of
changes in midfield to battle equal already an essential part of life for celebrated athlete like Francine
with Police, who could hardly make many. But resources are limited. Niyonsaba, the Burundian runner who
any room in the second half except “The bicycles are not ... suitable. There won silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics
for a dying minute-attempt when is also a financial problem - organising and broke a 2,000-metre world record
Sharifi, availing a long ball, raced training requires huge financial means in September this year.
into the box to drive a low shot only to accommodate and feed participants “Now I want to become for cycling
to be thwarted by goalkeeper Azad in for three or four months,” said Prosper what Niyonsaba is for athletics.”
the 89th minute.
12
City

DHAKA WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 16, 1428 BS

They’re all in
it together
Airport officials, rogue recruiting, travel
agencies join hands to send workers
abroad with fake papers
MOHAMMAD JAMIL KHAN

Some recruiting agencies, travel agencies, and airport employees have

joined hands to send migrant workers abroad with forged papers, law
enforcers have found during probe.
In this connection, the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime
(CTTC) unit arrested five people of travel agencies, including an owner,
early this month.
Arrestee Khorshed Alam is the owner of Shadhin Tours and Travels.
Investigators found that his role was to “manage” the airport. He used
to pay Tk 30,000 allegedly to on-duty police officials for every passenger
they allow to pass with forged documents.
They investigators said Khorshed was at the centre of a nexus of several
unscrupulous recruiting agencies. He would “manage” the airport for the
agencies provided they buy air tickets from his agency.
A law enforcement agency’s internal report, a copy of which this paper
obtained, also stated that immigration officials and recruiting agency
staffers sent migrant workers abroad without proper documents for bribes.
According to the report, airport officials, including three inspectors
and two sub-inspectors, were working in tandem with different recruiting
agencies to send the workers to Lebanon, South Africa, Egypt, and Iran.
The nexus between recruiting agencies and airport officials was
discovered after four incidents of migrants attempting to go abroad with
forged papers came to light.
On August 1, the four workers, who had landed in Lebanon, were not
allowed to enter the country and deported. Their visas could not be found
online and it became evident that their visas were forged. Thousands of people demonstrating in front of BNP headquarters in the capital’s Nayapaltan
PHOTO:
During interrogation, it was learnt that they had left Dhaka on July 29 area. They demanded the release and proper treatment of the party chairperson Khaleda Zia. AMRAN HOSSAIN
SEE PAGE 5 COL 1 The photo was taken around 2:30pm yesterday.

Bangladesh-India ROAD TO FREEDOM Pakistan PCJSS activist

relations scale
THIS DAY IN BANGLADESH LIBERATION WAR HISTORY
win first World’s first living shot dead in
newer heights Tajuddin condemns plan to send Test
SPORTS REPORTER
robots can now Rangamati
A CORRESPONDENT, Rangamati
Says Hasina UN observers from Chattogram

There was no late drama on

reproduce A leader of Parbatya
UNB, Dhaka Chattagram Jana Samhati
DECEMBER 1, 1971 the fourth day as Pakistan
Samiti was yesterday shot
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday SHAMSUDDOZA SAJEN expectedly registered a
dead in Sadar upazila of
said the relations between Bangladesh and comfortable eight-wicket
Rangamati.
India have reached new heights. WE WILL NOT TOLERATE win over Bangladesh in
The victim Abishkar
The PM said this when Indian High ANY INTERFERENCE: the first Test at the Zahur
Ahmed Chowdhury Chakma, 40, from
Commissioner Vikram Kumar Doraiswami TAJUDDIN
Stadium in Chattogram Kandebchara village
met her at her official residence Gono The prime minister of
yesterday, signaling the under Balukhali union in
Bhaban. Bangladesh, Tajuddin Ahmad,
start of the second cycle Rangamati sadar upazila
PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim today said the proposal to
briefed reporters after the meeting. of the ICC World Test was peppered with bullets
send UN observers to Bangladesh was nothing but a “planned
The PM and the envoy discussed issues Championship with a as he emerged from a
conspiracy” and “a foul attempt to protect the military regime from
relating to the enhancement of trade and the back door”. defeat. house in Kizing village,
commerce between the two neighbouring Tajuddin added that the supporters of the proposal would be Resuming on the final where he spent the night, at
countries. solely responsible for the fate of anybody who would try to come day at 109 without loss, around 5 am, said locals.
Hasina emphasised the resumption to Bangladesh as observers at “the peak period of our victory”. Pakistan chased the 202- The body was recovered
of Akhaura-Agartala rail line to boost He further said those who had been silent spectators at the time run target without any CNN ONLINE from the spot in the
connectivity and trade. of an unprecedented genocide in Bangladesh by Yahya’s invading much trouble as with afternoon and will be
Doraiswami told the PM that the Indian Azhar Ali (23 not out) and The US scientists who created the first living robots handed over to the family
army had now come out to save the army junta in the name of say the life forms, known as xenobots, can now
president will visit Bangladesh to join sending UN observers. skipper Babar Azam (13 after the autopsy, said Kabir
the Victory Day celebrations coinciding not out) took the visitors to reproduce -- and in a way not seen in plants and Hossain, officer-in-charge
“We will not tolerate any interference on any pretext in this final animals.
the birth centenary of Father of the stage of our liberation struggle against the colonial force,” added a comfortable win to give (OC) of Rangamati Kotwali
Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur them a 1-0 lead in the two- Formed from the stem cells of the African clawed Police Station.
the Bangladesh premier. frog (Xenopus laevis) from which it takes its name,
Rahman and the Golden Jubilee of the US SUSPENDS ARMS SHIPMENT TO INDIA match Test series. The motive for his
Independence. Openers Abid Ali and xenobots are less than a millimeter (0.04 inches) murder was not known.
The USA today suspended what it called the licensing of arms wide. The tiny blobs were first unveiled in 2020
“This is a special year, a year when the shipment to India. Abdullah Shafique once No case was filed in this
Indian President and the prime minister again set the tone, adding after experiments showed that they could move, regard until the evening,
BRITISH MP WANTS COMMONWEALTH TO EXPEL PAKISTAN work together in groups and self-heal.
are visiting Bangladesh. For India, British MP John Pardoe called for a special Commonwealth a 151-run opening stand the police official said.
Bangladesh is a very dear country,” he said. to follow up their 146-run Now the scientists that developed them at In the last two decades,
meeting to expel Pakistan from the organisation and to recognise the University of Vermont, Tufts University and
Officials of the two countries are Bangladesh as an independent and sovereign country. He made the stand in the first innings. hundreds of people
working on finalising the Indian Mehedi Hasan Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically
appeal in the British parliament. have been killed in turf
President’s tour. SEE PAGE 5 COL 1 Miraz provided the first SEE PAGE 5 COL 1 wars among the regional
SEE PAGE 5 COL 3 SEE PAGE 5 COL 3 SEE PAGE 5 COL 3

20 injured
in post-polls
Omicron shows up on tests
Says India, advises states to ramp up checks;
violence in Mumbai delays school reopening
two dists AGENCIES domestic health workers that changes in
STAR REPORT the spike protein of the virus could lead
India’s health ministry said yesterday states to conventional tests failing to detect the
At least 20 people were should ramp up Covid-19 testing as the variant.
injured in post-polls world battles the new coronavirus variant It comes as the ministry warned state
violence in Narayanganj Omicron, while some cities delayed the governments last week that a recent fall in
and Pabna yesterday. reopening of schools as a precautionary testing could undermine India’s efforts to
In Narayanganj, at measure. contain the pandemic.
least 10 people were The ministry also said the Omicron While India has not reported any
wounded as supporters of variant “doesn’t escape RT-PCR and RAT Omicron cases yet, authorities are studying
a defeated independent (testing)”, appeasing some concerns among SEE PAGE 5 COL 3
union parishad chairman
candidate in Kayetpara
union attacked the houses
of some local Awami
League and Jubo League
leaders in Naora village
of Rupganj upazila in the
evening, said police.
The attackers set
SEE PAGE 5 COL 1

PRAYER TIMING DECEMBER 1

Fazr Zohr Asr Maghrib Esha
Black smoke forms a cloud above a readymade garment factory that 5-15 12-45 3-45 5-19 7-00
PHOTO:
caught fire in Gazipur city’s Konabari area. At least 3,000 workers STAR 5-50 1-15 4-00 5-22 7-30
were employed there. The photo was taken yesterday. SOURCE: ISLAMIC FOUNDATION

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