Jamaat Ameer takes responsibility for rape victim's family

 Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Shafiqur Rahman has said that he will remain by the side of the family of the girl who was raped in Barguna until her younger brother comes of age. He said this after visiting the girl's house in Barguna at 11 am today, Monday. He assured the victim's family of all possible assistance to get justice.

Earlier, Shafiqur Rahman arrived at the Barguna Circuit House premises by helicopter at around 10:15 am. From there, he went to the victim's house in the municipal town.

The family in Barguna Municipality says that on the afternoon of March 4, a seventh-grade girl (14) was abducted by a group of men led by a scoundrel on her way home from private school. She was then raped. The next morning, the miscreants left the girl in a local park. In this incident, the girl's father (37) filed a rape case against two people, including Sijit Roy, at Barguna Sadar Police Station that night. Then, on March 11, the girl's father went missing after going to work. Her body was found in a bush near the house at around 12:15 am that day. In this incident, the girl's mother filed a murder case with Barguna Sadar Police Station, accusing five to six unknown people. The family claims that the plaintiff was killed in a planned manner.

After meeting the girl's family members at her house, Shafiqur Rahman spoke to reporters. At that time, the Jamaat Ameer said, "The child has been treated like an animal, which is a matter of great shame." His father filed a case seeking redress for this incident. But to avenge this, his father was murdered. We strongly condemn this incident. We express our deepest condolences to the family members.

Shafiqur Rahman said, "If we all come forward to support the oppressed like this, then hopefully the oppressed will become strong. And the oppressors will be afraid. They need to be scared, their punishment needs to be ensured. We have assured them that we will be with them every month. We hope that the children of this family will be a little better than they were when their father was still alive, God willing. We have also said that they have a newborn child, we will stay with this family until he turns 18. Mr. Tarique Rahman has taken responsibility for the case. And we will run their education, their livelihood - the way it is done in a normal family."

Then Shafiqur Rahman spoke at a party road meeting at Barguna Town Hall ground. Jamaat's Central Assistant Secretary General Moazzem Hossain, Central Working Committee member and Dhaka Metropolitan South Secretary Shafiqul Islam (Masud), Central Working Committee member Zahir Uddin Mohammad, Barguna District Amir Mohibullah Harun and others were present at the time.

People will not accept delaying the elections

 BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said that the people will not accept the excuse of delaying the elections. Even though the interim government's term has passed 6 months, they are not announcing a specific date for the national elections. Long delays in the name of reforms are not desirable under any circumstances.

Nazrul Islam Khan said these words while speaking as the chief guest at a prayer and iftar mahfil organized by Bhashani Anusari Parishad on Sunday. The event was organized at a hotel in Shantinagar in the capital.

In his speech at the event, Bhashani Anusari Parishad convener and freedom fighter Sheikh Rafiqul Islam said, "The current law and order situation in the country is worrisome. There is no way to overcome such a situation without an elected government." He demanded the immediate announcement of the election date.

Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar) Chairman Mustafa Jamal Haider, Revolutionary Workers Party General Secretary Saiful Haque, Mass Solidarity Movement Chief Coordinator Jonayed Saki, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) General Secretary Shahid Uddin Mahmud, Gono Forum General Secretary Subrata Chowdhury, BNP Joint Secretary General Moazzem Hossain, among others, were present at the iftar mahfil.

Indian student in Colombia leaves US after visa cancellation

 It was Friday. At 7 am, three US federal immigration officials showed up at the door of a residential apartment at Columbia University in New York. They went there to search the apartment, but the door was not opened.

Indian student Ranjani Srinivasan lived in the apartment. She learned that the US authorities had canceled her student visa. The next night (Saturday), immigration officials showed up at her apartment door again. Ranjani was not in the apartment at that time.

A few hours later (Sunday), former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil was arrested from the residential area of ​​the same campus. This Palestinian played a key role in the pro-Palestinian protests on the Columbia University campus last year.

Concerned about these incidents, Ranjani quickly packed her bags and left campus. Because she was also arrested during last year's protests. Anyway, Ranjani boarded a plane from New York's LaGuardia Airport and fled to Canada. She left her beloved cat in the care of a friend.

Immigration officials went to Ranjani's apartment again last Thursday. They came to Ranjani's apartment with a judicial warrant. By then, Ranjani had left the United States.

Ranjani Srinivasan, 37, spoke to the New York Times last Friday. This was her first interview with any media outlet since leaving the United States. "I made a very quick decision," she said.

Ranjani was pursuing a PhD in urban planning at Columbia University on a Fulbright scholarship. President Trump has begun using federal immigration powers to crack down on students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests on campus last year. Ranjani's fate is caught in this trap.During the week of immigration officers visiting her apartment, Ranjani was at a loss to understand why the State Department had canceled her visa without explanation. As a result, the university authorities were also forced to cancel her admission. Because the visa was canceled, her legal status was also revoked.

However, on Friday, Ranjani got some answers to her curiosity while sitting in Canada.

The US Department of Homeland Security in a statement described Ranjani as a “terrorist sympathizer.” She was also accused of “inciting violence” and “engaging in activities supporting the terrorist organization Hamas.” However, they could not provide any evidence to support these charges.

Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem posted a video footage on social media. In it, Ranjani is seen at LaGuardia Airport with a suitcase in hand before leaving the United States.

Christy Noem Sanande said, “Ranjani Srinivasan’s departure from the United States is a case of self-deportation.”

Christy Noem also wrote in Ex Post, “It is a privilege to have a visa to live and study in the United States. But when you speak out for violence and terrorism, that privilege should be revoked. And you should not be in this country.”

Ranjani’s lawyers have denied the charges against their client. Instead, they have alleged that the Trump administration revoked Ranjani’s visa for making “unsafe political speech.” She was not even given any meaningful process to challenge the visa revocation.

In this regard, lawyer Naz Ahmad said that the Department of Homeland Security has been trying to punish her client for the past week for her remarks at the protests. But they have not been successful in this endeavor.

In an interview with the New York Times on Friday, Ranjani said, “I am in fear. I can’t believe that something like this could happen for a minor political position or for something as simple as raising your voice on social media. That’s why when someone calls you a friend of terrorists, makes you fear for your life and safety, it becomes an unreal nightmare.’

Ranjani found herself in this situation because of last year’s protests. At that time, pro-Palestinian students occupied Hamilton Hall on the Columbia University campus. Ranjani was arrested at the entrance to the campus.

At the time, Ranjani said that she was not involved in any kind of vandalism. Rather, she was stuck in the crowd and barricades on her way back to her apartment with friends after a picnic. She was then arrested.

He was briefly detained. Two summonses were issued. One for obstructing the movement of vehicles or pedestrians. The other for refusing to leave the protest site. However, Ranjani's case was quickly dismissed at that time. No criminal record was made against him.

Ranjani also said that he had never faced any disciplinary action from the university. His academic standing is quite good.

Another of Ranjani's lawyers, Nathan Yaffe, said that his client was also arrested along with about 100 protesters. However, the court understood that Ranjani had got involved in the protests on his way home. Therefore, the case was dismissed.

However, when Ranjani applied for a visa renewal late last year, she did not mention the summons issued against her. Because it was a case that was settled in May. She was not even charged, the student said.

Ranjani added, "That (not mentioning the summons information in the application) was probably my mistake."

If a foreign student resorts to fraud, someone stays in the United States after the expiration of the period, someone is convicted or arrested, then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can cancel that student's visa for legal reasons.