Law
Week
4 held for Aug 21 grenade attacks
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police arrested four people for alleged involvement in the August 21 grenade attacks on the Bangabandhu Avenue rally of Awami League (AL) last year. Three of the arrestees -- Shafiqul Islam Shafiq, Abul Hashem Rana and Shah Alam -- were placed on a seven-day police remand. The three arrestees and Nure Alam were caught in separate police drives in Dhaka and Narayanganj. Shafiq and Hashem were named along with 12 others in the confessional statement of George Miah, who is also an accused in the case. The CID claimed Shafiq and Hashem admitted their involvement in the August 21 attack apparently carried out to kill AL core command including party president Sheikh Hasina. CID sources said they had employed a woman informant to hunt down Shafiq of Gopalganj and Hashem of Brahmanbaria after George Miah named them in his confessional statement on June 26. -- The Daily Star, November 7.
BoI wants separate law
The Board of Investment (BoI) will draft a new law to deal with large-scale package investments like that of Indian Tata and Dubai-based Dhabi Group as experts say the big ventures involve various new dimensions. This necessity emerged during the negotiations with the Tata Group as the government negotiators found the existing rules and policies wanting with regard to such large investments coming as unsolicited offers. The BoI has decided to initiate a move to create a legal instrument to deal with the multidimensional investment proposals, which will exceed the minimum level of billion-dollar business. Official sources said the public-procurement issues are involved in the Tata Group's investment as the company has offered to sell its products, particularly electricity, to the government. But the existing rules, regulations and other policies do not support any purchase from private sector on the basis of unsolicited offer. -- UNB, Dhaka, November 8.
40,000 strong security blanket over Dhaka
Dhaka was wrapped in a security blanket as around 40,000 security men took positions at the ten venues of the 13th Saarc Summit and at other points in the capital to ensure foolproof security during the summit. Special Security Force (SSF) officially took charge of the overall security when the full deployment took place. The security personnel equipped with sophisticated weapons and equipment have started checking vehicles and passengers at all entry points, especially around the venues where Saarc delegates will stay and hold meetings. Traffic police also began restricting traffic on some city roads near the venues. According to police administration sources, 15,000 policemen in uniform and 8,000 plainclothesmen from different intelligence agencies have been deployed. -- The daily Star, November 8.
OC closed for failure to maintain law and order
The officer-in-charge of Bhandaria Police Station in Pirojpur was closed in the wake of a robbery spree and killing of a youth by robbers under his jurisdiction. The district police administration closed OC Abdul Barek for his failure to maintain law and order, said a police officer asking not to be named. Armed robbers looted at least eight shops in Charail Pole Hut and in Nadmulla village in Bhandaria. A group of armed robbers attacked a number of shops and looted them in Kapali Hut More in Shilakati union just after the next night of the incidents. The robbers chopped a shopkeeper, Rafiqul Islam, and opened fire on villagers, who came to resist the robbery. Locals said extortionists attacked and looted three shops and injured two people. Shopkeepers observed a half-day strike in protest against the attack and demanded immediate arrest of the extortionists the same day. -- The Daily Star, November 8.
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