Former Superintendent of Police Babul Akhter has been granted bail in the murder case of his wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu.

On Wednesday (November 27) afternoon, a High Court bench comprising Justice Md. Atowar Rahman and Justice Ali Reza granted him bail.

Earlier, SP Babul Akhter had applied for bail in the court of Chattogram's Third Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md. Jasim Uddin on August 14. Later, on August 18, the judge rejected his bail and issued an order.

Mitu was murdered at 7:15 am on June 5, 2016 at the GEC intersection in the city. He was going to the GEC intersection to drop his son on a school bus. At that time, three miscreants on a motorcycle surrounded Mitu and shot him dead. Babul Akhter filed a case in this incident at Panchlaish Police Station in the city. The PBI submitted the final report in the case to the court on May 12 this year. On the same day, Babul Akhter's father-in-law Mosharraf Hossain filed a case against Babul Akhter and eight others at Panchlaish Police Station on charges of Mitu's murder. Babul has been in jail since May 17 in this case.

St. Martin is the country's only coral island. There is such beauty hidden in every nook and cranny of the island that people who are thirsty for travel are in awe. But the interim government took various decisions to protect the island's environment soon after taking charge. Due to these decisions, tourists could not go to St. Martin on time. Finally, the long wait is going to end.

Tourist ship service from Cox's Bazar to St. Martin is starting from Thursday (November 28). However, according to the ministry's decision, more than 2,000 tourists will not be able to travel. The ban will also be in force for overnight stays.

Nilufa Yasmin Chowdhury, convener of the committee formed to control uncontrolled tourism on St. Martin's Island and determine the departure point for ships bound for St. Martin, and Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Cox's Bazar Sadar, told Barta24.com, "The first meeting of the committee to control uncontrolled tourism on St. Martin's Island and determine the departure point for ships was held on Tuesday at the conference room of the Cox's Bazar Sadar Upazila Parishad. After reviewing the overall issues including the environment with the committee members in the meeting, the BIWTA ghat in Nuniarachara, Cox's Bazar town, was selected to determine the departure point for ships."

"However, according to the ministry's decision, more than 2,000 tourists will not be able to travel to the island. In addition, the ban on staying overnight on the island will remain in force in November and February. However, tourists will be able to stay overnight on the island in December and January," UNO Nilufa added.

Earlier, on Monday, the district administration granted permission to a ship named Carey Sindabad to operate a tourist ship following an application to the Deputy Commissioner.

Cox's Bazar Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Nizam Uddin Ahmed told Barta24.com that Carey Sindabad had applied to the Deputy Commissioner for the operation of a tourist ship. After scrutiny, they gave permission for the ship to leave Cox's Bazar.

It is worth noting that on November 19, a separate office order signed by Sabrina Rahman, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, formed a committee to control tourism in St. Martin's island and at the same time gave some guidelines on the operation of ships from Cox's Bazar to the country's only coral island.

The six-member committee includes the Executive Officers of Teknaf and Cox's Bazar Sadar Upazila, the Cox's Bazar representative of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism or the Tourism Board, the Cox's Bazar representative of the Inland Water Transport Authority, the Cox's Bazar representative of the Coast Guard, the Tourist Police-Cox's Bazar representative and the Deputy Director of the Department of Environment-Cox's Bazar Office.

The committee's terms of reference state that before boarding a ship bound for St. Martin, tourists will have to register at the ship's disembarcation point, i.e. at the entry point, and obtain a travel pass through an app developed by the Bangladesh Tourism Board.

The committee will ensure that tourists with travel pass travel on approved ships. The transportation of banned polythene bags and single-use plastic products on tourists and approved ships has been banned. The committee will be strict in this regard.

The hotel where tourists stay after reaching St. Martin's Island will be recorded and stored in a register. Billboards will be installed at the ship departure point and the entry point of St. Martin's on the dos and don'ts for tourists. The Cox's Bazar office of the Department of Environment will coordinate the overall issues and communication. The committee can increase its members if necessary to facilitate its work.

Meanwhile, five new members have been included in the Tourism Control Committee to facilitate its work. The new members are the president of the ship owners' association operating on the island, the president of the St. Martin Hotel Owners' Association, the OC of Cox's Bazar Sadar Model Police Station, the president of the Cox's Bazar Tour Operators Association (CTOA) and the president of the Cox's Bazar Press Club.

Confirming the matter, the convener of the committee and Cox's Bazar Sadar Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Nilufa Yasmin Chowdhury said, "We have determined the wharf for shipping in Cox's Bazar town in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change regarding tourist travel and shipping on St. Martin's Island." At the same time, five new members have been included in the committee to facilitate its work

The government is taking the initiative to provide Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) products to 10 lakh garment workers outside the 1 crore card-holding families at subsidized prices, said Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed.

He said this while talking to reporters after the meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Economic Affairs at the Secretariat on Wednesday (November 27).

The adviser said that TCB has launched the Family Card to provide products to low-income people at affordable prices. The government is providing edible oil, lentils and sugar to 1 crore card-holding families at subsidized prices. This time, the government is taking the initiative to provide products to 10 lakh garment workers under the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) outside these 1 crore families at affordable prices.

According to relevant sources, TCB products may initially be sold at subsidized prices to garment factory workers in areas around Dhaka, including Tongi, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Ashulia and Savar. 

Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner Hasib Aziz said that preliminary evidence of the crime has been found against 7 of those arrested in the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif in Chattogram.

He gave this information at a coordination meeting held with representatives of different religions at the Circuit House in Chattogram on Wednesday (November 27) afternoon.

He said that 33 people have been arrested in Chattogram so far. Preliminary evidence of the crime has been found against 7 of them. Legal action will be taken against them.

On Tuesday (November 26), a Chattogram court rejected the bail of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, the spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, who was arrested in a sedition case, and was taken to a prison van to be sent to jail. When his followers protested, the police and BGB dispersed the protesters by lathicharge and hurling sound grenades.

Saiful Islam was killed in the area adjacent to Rangam Cinema Hall on Tuesday afternoon during clashes with law enforcement and lawyers. He is the son of Jamal Uddin of Faranga area of Chunati Union in Lohagara.

It has been alleged that Chinmoy's followers hacked to death government lawyer Saiful Islam.

During his student life, Saiful Islam Alif, a talented student, passed the Dakhil with GPA-5 from Adhunagar Islamia Fazil Madrasa in Lohagara. Later, he passed the Higher Secondary Examination from Chattogram Government College.

After passing LLB from International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC), he was appointed as a lawyer. He was an Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP).