2 journos jailed for entering exam centre without permission

A mobile court yesterday sentenced two journalists to one-month imprisonment each for entering an exam centre at Bhanga Government KM College in Faridpur without permission from the centre secretary.

They are Saifullah Shamim, Bhanga upazila correspondent of the daily Bhorer Dak and daily Alokito Bangladesh; and Rabiul Islam, upazila correspondent of the Daily Janata, reports our Faridpur correspondent.

The mobile court was conducted by UNO Muktadirul Ahmad.

“The deputy commissioner of Faridpur visited the centre around 11am and saw that the journalists were taking photos and speaking to the examinees inside an exam hall. She asked for their permission papers but they did not have any. So the mobile court handed down the punishment to them,” he said.

Another mobile court in Madaripur fined two teachers Tk 20,000 each for running coaching centres defying a government ban after Rapid Action Battalion (Rab-8) detained them in the morning, reports our correspondent.

They are Jalal Uddin, assistant teacher of Kalkini Pilot Girls' High School, and Somotol Gayeen, assistant teacher of Syed Abul Hossain Academy.

Rois Uddin, company commander of Rab-8 in Madaridpur, said, “On information, a Rab-8 team went to the schools and arrested them while coaching classes were being conducted.” Kalkini UNO Aminul Islam led the mobile court.

Meanwhile in Chattogram, an examinee was expelled for taking photos of the question paper with a cellphone. Three teachers of the centre were also relieved for negligence, reports our Chattogram correspondent.

The incident took place at Katirhat High School exam centre in Hathazari upazila. The magistrates were conducting inspection there during English (first paper) examination.

“His [the examinee] demeanour looked suspicious. So we searched him and found a cellphone with photo of the question paper in his pocket,” said UNO Ruhul Amin.

“He confessed that he was planning to send the photo to his friends so that they could send him the answers,” he added.

Six more cellphones were seized from other students, said the official, adding that 30 minutes were deducted from their exam time as punishment.