Himu’s Window

The decision was taken in order to prepare the Mirpur venue eligible for the international cricket match in a low cost of about Tk 2 crore. For holding international cricket matches, there must be 2200 lax lights (light unit) from the floodlight towers, but the Mirpur venue now has only 800 lax lights, as it was prepared as a football stadium.

“The present floodlights of Mirpur Stadium are eligible for holding football matches, not for cricket. This is why, floodlight bulbs of Rajshahi will be taken to Mirpur for a short period of time”, said Badruddin Ahmed, deputy director, National Cricket Council of Rajshahi.

“This would save around Tk 10 crore for fresh purchase of floodlights”, he said.

Activities for taking the bulbs have already started as concerned officials visited the spots and figured out methods of transferring the bulbs, he informed adding that the bulbs would be reinstalled at Rajshahi at end of the international matches.

It was learned that NEO Sports, television rights holders of any international match held in Bangladesh, have asked for the lights since India have pressed to play under lights.

Earlier Bangladesh Cricket Board sought permission of National Cricket Council for the shifting of bulbs and the plan was approved last week.

Locals retrieved the dead bodies from the pond and found the father, Bablur Rahman, 35, beside the pond in a critical state. He is currently undergoing treatment for poisoning at Puthia Health Complex.

The victims are identified as Rehana, 1-½, and Sohana, 3.

Bablu used to be a day labourer until he sustained back injury a few months back. As the injury rendered him incapable of supporting his family — wife, a son and two daughters, he had been staying at his mother-in-law’s house at Dasmaria, said his relatives and locals. The living child, Shajib, 10, is a student of local Brac School, they added.

They also said remorse and guilt for not being able to provide for the family might be behind Bablu’s actions.

Asela, Bablu’s wife, said he looked distressed in the past several days when he often told her, “What can I do? I cannot run my family and cannot even provide for my children.”

Asela’s mother, Hazera Begum, said as her daughter and Babul had been in severe hardship, she brought them and their three children along to stay with her.

However, Khaled Mamun Chowdhury, upazila nirbahi officer of Puthia and Jasim Uddin, officer-in-charge (OC) of Puthia Police Station, claimed that Bablu had genetic mental disorder that led him to kill his little girls.

“His brothers and cousins are also insane,” said OC Jasim.

At around 10am, Bablu took the two girls out with Tk 40 from his mother-in-law, saying that he would buy them sweets, said Hazera.

Judge M Sajedul Karim of the first court of Rajshahi divisional special judge also fined the accused Tk 20,000 each, in default of which they are to spend two more years in jail.

The convicts include Enamul Haque and Golamur Rahman alias Golam Mostafa, both regional JMB commanders and followers of executed militant leader Siddikul Islam Bangla Bhai and arrested militant kingpin Asadullah Al Galib respectively.

The others sentenced are – Rajshahi University Arabic student Ibrahim Hossain, madrassah teacher Jaharul Islam, madrassah students Merajul Islam, Shah Wali Ullah, Zakir Hossain, Mansur Rahman, Biplob Hossain, Abu Zafar and Mozammel Hossain.

They were arrested from Mozammel’s house at Puthiapara in Paba upazila on July 18, 2005 while they undergoing combat training. Police recovered diaries and notes from them including details on ‘restricted military training on arms, ammunition and detonators’, guerrilla warfare and revolutionary Islamic slogans and songs for Jihad.

The training included making simple and sophisticated bombs including time bombs and remote control bombs, operating rifles, etc. Local and foreign personnel provided the trainings, according to the prosecution.

After investigation, sub-inspector Zahidul Islam, the then officer-in-charge of Paba police station, lodged a sedition case with a magistrate court on September 4, 2005 and pressed charges against them on February 6, 2006.

Delivering the judgement the court said, prosecution allegations that the militants were engaged in anti-state activities and that they had been receiving ‘exclusive combat training on arms, ammunition and detonators’ with ulterior motives against the state was proved without any doubt.

The court examined a total of eight prosecution witnesses in the case and evidence recovered from possessions of the accused.

Islam, who represents the middleclass and lives in a rented house in the Ghoramara area with his wife and their two-year-old child, has already reduced his family spending and stopped attending social events only to survive the spiralling prices of rice and other commodities.

“I no longer can afford to maintain my status as a first class government official. I cut back on several necessities, yet the monthly deficit is increasing so fast that it’s about to drive me crazy,” said Islam, unwilling to give out his full name.

“Nevertheless, I feel relieved when I see that the conditions of my lower level colleagues and the ones at private colleges are even much worse,” he added.

Even a year ago, he could save a little money after spending out of his salary of Tk 7,450 scale, Islam said adding that the biting reality of the surging prices of essentials does not allow him to even dream of saving up for the future anymore.

“I used to be able to send around Tk 2,000 from my savings to my parents living at the village home, but now it has become too difficult to manage even Tk 1,000 for them.”

He now buys three litres of soybean oil at a time instead of his usual purchase of 4.5 litres. To reduce spending, he also switched to kerosene stove from gas stove for cooking.

“I cannot buy good outfits as my heart would desire… Neither can I afford to buy any latest good book — a professional necessity that enables me to stay updated. I gave up attending invitations a year ago since buying a good gift [for the invitation] is not within my capacity anymore.”

“If my situation is like this, just imagine what the second or third class employees are going through. I get some consolation thinking about them,” said Islam.

Thousands of other middle class, let alone the low-income group families in Rajshahi and elsewhere in the country, are enduring similar hardships due to the unusual prices of rice and other commodities.

This correspondent spoke with an official of Rajshahi Regional Information Office and asked about the impact of the price increase on his day-to-day life.

Highly embarrassed to speak of his hardship, he requested this correspondent not to mention his name or his position in his office.

This government official who draws a monthly salary of Tk 13,000, was talking to this correspondent while walking toward the nearby market carrying a tattered shirt in a bag.

“I wanted to give it away to someone else, but now I am taking it [to the tailor] to have it repaired for myself,” he lamented. Pointing at the pants he was wearing, he said, “It is also repaired.

“I could not afford to send my child to school this year although he turned five years this March.”

It is getting increasingly difficult for him to survive with his present income although he and his wife have only two children, with one going to school already.

The financially strained family got into an awkward situation a few weeks ago when the official’s brother-in-law and his family members paid a visit to his house. “I had to borrow money to entertain them for three days.”

Some local land grabbers evicted them from the lands in November last year.

The deeds were written at a simple ceremony, held at Patnitala on March 31.

Sudhir Tirki, president of Patnitala unit of Jatiya Adibashi Parishad, Gulu Murmu, president of the upazila unit of Adibashi Samaj Unnayan Shangathan, Rakhi Mrong, publication secretary of Bangladesh Adibashi Odhikar Andolon and organising secretary Kerina Hasda were present on the occasion.

The 15 people who got the land deeds are Nikhil Ekka, Khuyu Kujur, Kison Kerketa, Shusil Toppo, Buddhinath Kujur, Banu Ekka, Khuyu Ekka, Hembo Ekka, Subol Lakra, Rupchan Ria, Chanua Nania, Palanu, Anil Toppo, Rabi Ekka and Sujil Ekka.

They were residing in the area since the British era, sources said.

The local administration in 1990 leased the lands to a local influential man–Idris Ali– and his brother Safiuddin for 99 years. The indigenous families were defeated in several legal battles.

In November last year, some 200 goons engaged by the lessees evicted the indigenous families.

As The Daily Star published reports on the incidents and different social bodies raised their voice. The district hen administration promised permanent settlement of the lands to the evicted indigenoius families.

Later, the upazila land distribution committee cancelled the lease.