DHAKA, 22 March 2004 — The troops of the Border Security Force (BSF) of India have once again prevented Bangladesh officials from setting up an electric pole at the zero line of the Tin Bigha corridor that connects the Banglaqdeshi enclave of Dahagram-Angorpota in Indian territory.

The official BSS news agency reported yesterday that the BSF action was a repeat of what it has been doing for the last one year to stop the Power Development Board (PDB) of Bangladesh from erecting an electric pole to allow 15,000 people of the enclave to get electricity.

Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) protested the move of the BSF saying under the agreement between Bangladesh and India, both the countries can set up underground or overhead power cable, water supply and sewerage lines in their territories through the Tin Bigha corridor without affecting movement of people.

Court Stays Freeze on Bank Accounts of Bangla Ruling Party Renegade

The high court has stayed operation of a notice of the deputy commissioner of taxes (DCT) that had asked three banks in the southeastern port city of Chittagong to freeze the accounts of Maj. (Retd.) M.A. Mannan, who resigned from the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party as a member and from the Parliament as a lawmaker.

As per the notice, Standard Chartered Bank froze the accounts of Delta Fashion and Eastern Fashion Industries, United Commercial Bank the account of Sunpack while Commercial Bank of Ceylon the accounts of Sunflower Garments and Quashem Saewhan Company, all in the name of their owner Maj. Mannan.

DCT in its notice on March 15 also asked the banks to transfer money from Maj. Mannan’s accounts of the income tax authority.

Business Magnate, Newspaper Editor Arrested in Dhaka, Sent to Jail

Nurul Islam Babul, a business magnate and owner of mass circulation daily Jugantor, was arrested from his Gulshan residence in Dhaka early yesterday in a murder case and sent to jail later in the day.

Police said Babul was arrested on suspicion of his involvement in the killing of Alam Pramanik on Sept. 1 last year near the dredging site of Lake City Concord real-estate project in the capital.

Pramanik, who used to work with a dredger fleet, was shot dead while asleep along with some other workers.

A joint squad of Detective Branch and Baddha police picked up Babul, managing director of the Jamuna Group of industries, raiding his residence.