The Information Ministry is all set to launch a media centre at Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel in Dhaka city to provide election related information from December 29-31.
State Minister for Information Tarana Halim came up with the announcement at her secretariat office today.
The media centre will remain open for 24 hours where seven officials will perform duty in three shifts each.
Bangladesh Television will live telecast election results provided by the Election Commission (EC) through digital screen at the media centre. Besides, the updates of the commission will also be displayed on the screen, said Tarana.
Besides, a total of nine officials will perform duty in each shift of the 'Rumor Identification Cell' from December 29-30, she said adding that media will be informed about the election related rumours.
The junior minister also said the officials of the Press Information Department (PID) will also be at the airport to assist the foreign observers.
The foreign embassies in Dhaka will also be informed about the media centre through letters so that they can contact for any information required.
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Bangladesh government has opened a media centre at a luxury hotel in Dhaka to relay election information to journalists on the day of December 30 election.
Top officials of the information and foreign ministry were present at the launching of the media centre at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka in the morning.
Abdul Malek, secretary to Ministry of Information said, the centre will provide all types of information till December 31 midnight to foreign and local journalists and election observers.
Md Shahidul Haque, foreign affairs secretary, said two hundred foreign observers and 50 overseas journalists who will be catered information from the centre.
Besides, the centre will provide security and visa related necessary information as well as online facilities to the overseas journalists and election observers.
The election result provided by the EC will also be displayed through Bangladesh Television (BTV) at the media centre.
Five officials and staffs of the information ministry will work at the media centre round the clock. The media centre will keep communication with the EC through two hot lines.
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The families of two teenagers killed in Mohammadpur during a clash of Awami League factions ahead of the general election have been robbed of justice.
The family members of one of the victims said police submitted the final report in the case without talking to them. The report mentioned no clash even though it was widely covered by the media at that time. It termed the incident an “accident”.
Councillor Tarequzzaman Rajib of ward-33 also threatened the father of one of the victims not to file a murder case, they said.
A case was filed after the November 10, 2018, incident and the father of one of the teens was made the plaintiff.
The father maintains he did not file the case and that the signature on the case document could not be his since he is illiterate. He said Councillor Rajib put a gun to his head and told him to do as he said after the incident.
The families opened up to this paper only after Rajib was arrested this week.
On the morning of November 10, 2018, a procession of vehicles, largely comprised of flatbeds, with supporters of AL leader Sadek Khan was going towards the AL Dhanmondi office to buy nomination paper for Sadek’s candidacy in the polls.
Mohammad Sujon, 19, and Arif Hossain, 14, were on one of the pickup trucks when the procession was attacked allegedly by the men of rival AL leader and then lawmaker Jahangir Kabir Nanak.
During the melee Sujon and Arif fell off the vehicle and the driver, trying to avoid the brick chunks being hurled at the pickup, reversed and ran the two over, according to case documents, news reports, witness accounts, and statements of the families.
Sujan and Arif died in hospital.
Arif’s father Faruk Hossain was taken to a community centre in Mohammadpur when he was on his way to the hospital. He was confined there for 12 hours by Rajib’s men, Faruk told The Daily Star.
Late at night, Rajib, reportedly Nanak’s ally, at the community centre told Faruk to go to the police station to talk about getting the body of his son.
Faruk then went to the police station, gave his details, and told the officials there what he knew about the incident. He had no idea that police were filing a case making him the plaintiff. The police officials there asked him to identify the body at the Suhrawardy hospital, Faruk said.
On his way to the hospital from the police station, two men stopped him near Shia Masjid and took him to Rajib’s home.
Rajib told him at gunpoint to do as he said regarding the matter, Faruk told The Daily Star.
“You wouldn’t get anything if you file a murder case. Instead, you will be harassed and face the same consequences as your son. You are from Lalmonhon of Bhola and so am I. Do what I say. You will get a good compensation,” Faruk quoted Rajib as saying.
Faruk eventually identified his son’s body the next day.
Faruk said, “After the incident, I thought it was police who were the plaintiff in the case.
“This is my NID, sir. See, I can’t sign,” Faruk showed his NID to this correspondent which had his thumb print.
Faruk said not a single police officer talked to him about the investigation since then.
Sujon’s uncle Md Riaz told The Daily Star last night that the police never talked to them either.
He said councillor Rajib had promised them compensation and jobs for family members but he never delivered.
Sujon’s family did not know that the final report was submitted. They heard it first from The Daily Star correspondent.
After “investigating” the case for 11 months, police submitted the final report terming the incident an “accident”.
Police had arrested convener of Jubo League’s Adabar Thana unit Arifur Rahman Tuhin in connection with leading the attack but in the final report police said they found no evidence of Tuhin’s involvement.
Rajib, on behalf of then MP Nanak, had given Arif’s family Tk 30,000 and Sujon’s family Tk 25,000 as burial cost.
After the incident, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader said the prime minister directed the authorities concerned to submit a probe report over the incident within two days.
Whoever is found involved would be given exemplary punishment, he had said, adding that the prime minister wanted to know “who destroyed the peaceful election environment”.
Sub-Inspector Mukul Ranjan of Mohammadpur police station, investigation officer (IO) of the case, said they submitted the final report of the case in the first week of this month as they could not find any evidence or witnesses.
Police also could not identify the pickup truck and its driver.
In the final report, police said the two factions of the ruling party came “face to face” near Mohammadi Homes Ltd on November 10 when the unidentified driver reversed in a hurry and could not see what was behind him. This led to the two getting run over.
The SI in his investigation found no evidence of the clash. He only said the two faction came “face to face”. The media, however, had extensive coverage of the incident.
They reported that the attackers, armed with hammers, sharp weapons and brick chunks, swooped on the procession of vehicles.
The IO said said Faruk did not know what had actually happened and had “filed the case” based on hearsay.
Taking to this newspaper, the SI claimed that he did not find anything in CCTV footage and no local wanted to be a witness.
Asked why the IO never contacted Faruk, the IO first claimed that he had contacted him but later said they could not reach him.
The IO claimed that Faruk had indeed filed the case.
At one stage of the conversation with this correspondent, the IO said he had written the final report with direction from a superior officer of Tejgaon Division Police.
Anisur Rahman, deputy commissioner (Tejgaon division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told The Daily Star that he had no knowledge about the development of the case as he joined the division only a few months ago.
“I will have to see the documents,” he added.
In November last year, Nanak said he had nothing to do with the attack on the procession.
Sadek had said that he did not want to blame anyone and demanded a proper investigation.
The Daily Star could not reach Nanak and Sadek for comments over the last few days.
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Ruling 14-party alliance today alleged that opposition BNP and its alliance Jatiya Oikyafront are trying to make army and December 30 elections “questionable”.
“Army is deployed as per the demands of BNP and Jatiya Oikyafront. Now they are trying to make the army questionable,” 14-party alliance leader Dilip Barua told reporters after handing over a letter to the EC secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed.
Dilip Barua led a delegation that protested attack on Awami League activists and sought EC's steps on stopping the conspiracy of BNP and Oikyafront.
“They [BNP and Jatiya Oikyafront] are trying to make December 30 election dubious by raising one after another false allegations” Dilip also said.
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BNP candidate for Laxmipur-3 constituency Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee today said that he would welcome his party if it takes decision to quit the December 30 national election race.
“I will welcome if the election coordination committee of my party quits the polls as there is no atmosphere for the election in the country,” Anee, also publicity affairs secretary of BNP, told The Daily Star this evening.
He said the ruling party leaders and activists and the members of law enforcement agencies are engaged in carrying out terrorist activities in his electoral area.
“I could not carry out electioneering in my area. Under this situation, I informed my party that I would welcome its decision if it quits the polls,” the BNP leader said.
On Monday, Anee came under attack in Shantirhat area of Laxmipur upazila that left 30 of his followers including three journalists injured, the BNP leader alleged.
“My party men are being attacked. Even their residences are also being vandalised. The returning officer is not picking up my phone call,” he said.
The congenial atmosphere is totally absent in the area for holding the election in a free, fair and credible manner, the BNP leader said.
Anee is contesting the polls against Awami League candidate AKM Shajahan Kamal and Islami Andolon Bangladesh candidate Md Ibrahim.
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Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has opened a Facebook page titled 'Rab Cyber News Verification Centre' to make people aware of false news and rumour spread during the upcoming general election.
Director General (DG) of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) Benazir Ahmed revealed it at a press conference regarding the elite force's preparation for the 11th parliamentary election at its media center in Dhaka's Karwan Bazar today.
If anyone becomes confused about any news, he/she will have to share it on the Facebook page and the Rab team will instantly reply it after verifying the truth, said the Rab DG.
Rab officials will work round the clock, he added.
He also said the Facebook page will remain open to counter all lies, rumours and false news centering the election slated for December 30.
A total of 10,000 Rab members have been deployed across the country ahead of the election, said the Rab DG.
"If anyone dares to carry out violence in any place, we will obstruct them and the force is ready to resist them," he added.
Two army helicopters will remain standby on the election day, he said adding, "A special force will be kept standby for travelling to any part of the country if needed."
Benazir also requested all to inform them any kind of violent incidents so that they can take instant action.
পাওয়ার গ্রিড কোম্পানি অব বাংলাদেশের (পিজিসিবি) ন্যাশনাল লোড ডিসপ্যাচ সেন্টারের (এনএলডিসি) রেকর্ডে দেখা যায়, বুধবার (২৪ এপ্রিল) দেশে প্রায় দেড় হাজার মেগাওয়াট লোডশেডিং হয়েছে, যা মঙ্গলবারে ছিল ১...