Dhaka: The report of the UN fact-finding mission on human rights violations during the July-August uprising is in its final stages and will be released in mid-February. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said this.

He made this comment in a meeting with Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser to the interim government, in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday (January 23) local time. The meeting between the two leaders took place on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum's annual conference. Later, the chief adviser's deputy press secretary, Abul Kalam Azad Majumdar, gave this information.

Dr. Yunus has sought UN assistance in resolving the Rohingya crisis at this time. Volker Turk said that the report will be shared with Bangladesh ahead of its publication by the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva.

The Chief Adviser thanked the UN Human Rights Commission for investigating crimes committed during the student-led uprising. He also said that the reports of the six independent reform commissions will also be published at the same time.

Their observation is that these reports will complement each other.

At this time, Dr. Yunus called on the head of the UN Human Rights Commission to help resolve the Rohingya crisis. Assuring full support in this regard, Turk said that the issue will be discussed with relevant stakeholders including the UN Ambassador to Myanmar, Julie Bishop.

The UN fact-finding mission has been working in Bangladesh at the invitation of the interim government to investigate the protests demanding quota reforms in government jobs and the subsequent human rights violations that took place during the uprising. They are investigating allegations of human rights violations that occurred from July 1 to August 15.

The fact-finding team will uncover the truth of the allegations, identify responsibilities, analyze the root causes of human rights violations, and make recommendations to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

168 former BDR members are being released after 16 years after their bail granted  in the case filed under the Explosives Act in the Pilkhana tragedy.

On Thursday (January 23), around 11 am, former BDR members were seen coming out of Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur. At that time, the faces of the relatives waiting in front of the prison gate were filled with excitement. The just released former BDR members were given sweets.

Earlier on January 21, the court of Dhaka Special Tribunal-2 Judge Md. Ibrahim Miah announced the names of 178 accused who were released on bail.

In this regard, Additional Inspector General of Prisons Colonel Mohammad Mustafa Kamal said that the prison authorities have received a list of 168 people. The BDR members are being released according to that list.

A total of 168 people were released, including 41 from Dhaka Central Jail, 26 from Kashimpur-1, 89 from Kashimpur-2, and 12 from Kashimpur High Security.

On February 25 and 26, 2009, 74 people, including 57 army officers, were killed in a mutiny at the Border Guard Headquarters in Peelkhana, Dhaka. Two cases were filed in that incident under the Murder and Explosives Act. After being acquitted or serving their sentences in the murder case, 468 people are still pending release due to the explosives case.

The trial of 850 people in the murder case ended on November 5, 2013. In addition to the hanging of 152 people, 160 were sentenced to life imprisonment and 256 to various terms of imprisonment. In addition, 278 people were acquitted.

On November 27, 2017, the High Court delivered its verdict on the death reference and appeal in that case. The verdict upheld the death sentences of 139 accused. Along with this, 185 people were given life sentences. In addition, 228 others were sentenced to various terms. And 283 were acquitted.

However, a total of 54 accused, including 15, died before the High Court verdict. As a result, 226 accused have appealed and filed leave to appeal against the High Court verdict in the murder case. On the other hand, the state has filed leave to appeal against the verdict of acquitting 83 accused and reducing the sentence in the High Court. These appeals and leave to appeal are now awaiting hearing.

Meanwhile, the trial of 834 accused in the Explosives Act case began in 2010. But in the middle, the state filed a kind of suspension of the explosives case and presented only the evidence of the murder case. Due to which the trial of this case was delayed.

After the interim government took charge of the change of power, there was a demand to restart the investigation into the BDR mutiny. On December 19, members of the martyr's family went to the International Crimes Tribunal with the complaint. The government formed a commission headed by ALM Fazlur Rahman on December 24 to reinvestigate the murder and gave it 90 days to do so. 

There were clashes between workers and law enforcement members in the Chattagram Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) for about an hour.

The clash began at around 8:30 pm on Wednesday (January 22) inside the CEPZ.

Police said that although the situation was brought under control within about an hour, the situation is still tense in the area.

It is learnt that hundreds of workers from some factories hurled bricks and stones at the under-construction buildings and vandalized some vehicles. Upon receiving the information, EPZ police, industrial police and RAB members reached the spot and started working to bring the situation under control.

EPZ police station Sub-Inspector (SI) Absar Uddin Rubel said that three children entered the under-construction factory. The construction workers beat them up, suspecting them to be thieves. At that time, two children managed to escape, but one could not be found. After learning about the matter, garment workers who were passing by the road after work attacked the construction workers and beat them up.

He also said that at that time, a Navy patrol car was passing by that road. The agitated workers vandalized the car of the Navy members who had come to protect the construction workers. Army and RAB members also arrived at the scene to handle the situation. It has not been completely controlled yet. Some people were injured in the clash.

Earlier, after rumors spread, hundreds of workers from nearby factories came out on the road. Law enforcement agencies tried several times to calm the situation.

Chattagram Region Police Superintendent Md. Sulaiman said that the situation was brought under control after an hour of effort. However, the situation is still tense.

Members of the 53rd BGB Battalion recovered 198 bottles of Indian Phensedyl during a raid in Shibganj, Chapainawabganj.

The matter was confirmed by Lieutenant Colonel Md. Monir-uz-Zaman, commander of the 53rd BGB Battalion in Chapainawabganj.

In a press release, the BGB said that based on a secret tip-off (January 22), a patrol team of Wahedpur BOP conducted a special anti-drug operation in Shyampur village of Charpanka Union No. 12 of Shibganj Upazila at around 3:30 am.

At that time, a raid was conducted in a mango orchard and 198 bottles of Phensedyl buried in a unique way underground were recovered. Legal action has been taken by the concerned police station in this regard.

Lieutenant Colonel Md. Monir-uz-zaman, commander of the 53rd BGB Battalion in Chapainawabganj said that the BGB has always been committed to implementing a zero tolerance policy against drugs in the Chapainawabganj Battalion (53 BGB) border area and this activity will continue.