Taking floor on points of order, both the treasury and opposition bench members engaged in the hour-long unscheduled debate that hampered the day's business.

The AL lawmakers demanded discussions on the alleged certificate tampering by a High Court judge, killings in the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) custody, and the atrocities on the students of Rajshahi University by the police and pro-government student activists.

The ministers and other ruling party lawmakers however refrained from making any comments on the issues of certificate tampering and custodial deaths.

THREAT TO HASINA
AL lawmaker Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim raised the issue of the opposition leader's security referring to a report of The Daily Star on an e-mail sent by one S Ahamet threatening to kill Sheikh Hasina either in the US or in the country.

Demanding adequate security arrangement for the opposition leader, Sheikh Selim said the government would be responsible if Hasina faced further attacks.

LGRD Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan however said security for Hasina is adequate and it has been geared up after the August 21 grenade attacks. The perpetrators of the grenade attacks must be caught and brought to justice, he said.

Bhuiyan said, "We have also deployed plainclothes police at the residence of the opposition leader and she is escorted by the police whenever she goes out."

On the latest death threat to Hasina, the BNP secretary general said the government would look into the matter. He sought AL's co-operation in this regard.

ARMED FORCES
Water Resources Minister Hafiz Uddin Ahmed initiated the debate on armed forces saying the main opposition had tried to tarnish the image of the army linking it to the August 21 grenade attacks on an AL rally.

His comment came after Deputy Leader of the Opposition Abdul Hamid criticised the treasury bench members for making 'objectionable' statements in the House on Sunday on the AL lawmakers wounded in the grenade attacks.

Hafiz, also in charge of defence ministry in parliamentary affairs, said the armed forces of Bangladesh were formed spontaneously during the Liberation War.

"Awami League did not establish the armed forces, rather it wanted to abolish the army introducing a parallel force named Rakkhi Bahini," he alleged amid noisy protest by the AL lawmakers who sprang on their feet demanding expunction of Hafiz's comment.

Speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar assured the opposition of expunging irrelevant remarks of the minister and gave floor to senior AL lawmaker Suranjit Sengupta.

Suranjit said the armed forces were formed in April, 1971 under the interim government of Mujibnagar and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the president of that government. He accused Hafizuddin Ahmed of giving provocative speeches.

CERTIFICATE TAMPERING
On another point of order, Suranjit said the coalition government has appointed 19 additional judges in the High Court on political consideration and one of them has been accused of tampering with LLB certificate.

Pointing finger at Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Moudud Ahmed, Suranjit said the appointment on political consideration of "fraud and corrupt" people as High Court judges has triggered unrest in the court arena.

"The incident of tampering with the LLB certificate by an additional judge is a black chapter in the history of country's judiciary," he said. The law minister, however, did not respond to Suranjit's criticism.

LGRD Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan took floor twice in reply to the opposition lawmakers' allegations but he avoided making any comment on the sensitive issue.

RAB, RU ISSUES
AL lawmaker Mohammad Nasim demanded investigation into the killings under the Rab custody and urged the speaker to hold a discussion on the issue while ruling BNP lawmaker SA Khaleq appreciated the Rab activities.

KM Jahangir Hossain of AL condemned the recent atrocities by the police and ruling party cadres' on the general students of Rajshahi University. He said the female students at RU dormitories are feeling insecure.