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What decides the priority of news ─ Lost in the labyrinth of pages - 3

Taken by Token

Azizur Rahim Peu

May was a month of hot breezes and thirsty days. And on one such day I was scheduled to go to Holland to attend workshops for photojournalism tutors organized by World Press Photo, Amsterdam. My flight was to be in transit through Heathrow Airport for two hours. And so I had to obtain a British visa— this might seem an easy task but wait till you fall into the grasps of the token culture.

Token culture is not new to Bangladesh; our total cargo and public (long route) transport system runs on this culture! I thought the visa office one might be different; at least the manner of the whole procedure wouldn’t put off one’s faith from the law enforcement system of the country.

Well then now all I had to do was face the visa dilemma. Anyway I went to the concerned company office which deals with the visa processing. It was there that the tale of the token started once again. When I entered the premises a guard took away my mobile phone and in exchange gave me a token. Next I entered a room where I was given a turn token for my interview. Well and good so far. After a long wait my turn for the interview came and I finally faced a lady after I handed over my token no.2. The interview ended and I was blessed with yet another token from the guard and then the waiting began again…

At last when I reached the cash receipt widow, I was able to pay the required fee but was handed another token and was requested to wait! Wait I did until I was finally called to submit my last token to receive the money receipt.

The entire process of visa processing via token ended at 3pm (while it had started at 10am). Five hours just for a visa seemed too time-consuming for me and while I was waiting at the visa processing office in Gulshan the memory of an incident crossed my mind.

Over a year ago I was going to Savar Memorial to cover an assignment. We were going by a rented car and on our way we were held up by the traffic police. However, our driver boldly told the officer that the car belonged to a police officer and as a consequence our car was released. Upon enquiry, the driver showed as the token that had helped him: a card with the name and picture of the police officer who owned the car. Keeping this type of a token identification to obtain a get-away in times of trouble is a common trend among rented vehicles. Technically it may be illegal but it is no less a part of our token culture.

Another common form of token culture is the one found in the transportation system of our country where daily, weekly or even monthly tokens are issued unofficially by authorities to buses and trucks running on different routes inside cities. Once a bus or a truck procures a token (daily, weekly or monthly) its driver will show the token whenever and wherever he/ the vehicle is stopped (till the time span mentioned in the token). This system may not be very ethical or democratic in form or in fact in any way related to the token system of the visa office, yet this certainly is the way things are organized to smoothen the difficulties present in the transport system of the country!!!
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Failed dacoits kidnap and rape young girl

Monday night, in a village of Dhamrai, a dacoit group under the leadership of marked terrorist Sadek Hossain led a failed attempt to rob a house. The villagers were alerted by the cries of the members of the family. Thus foiled, the robbers, before fleeing, kidnapped at gunpoint Beauty Akhtar, the daughter of Mohammed Ali.

The unconscious girl was rescued from the house of the dacoit leader under the initiative of ‘gram sarkar’. It is alleged that the girl was gang raped repeatedly all through the night.

Pub: 1/6/05 Dainik Jugantor, Page 14

Cheating lover lands in jail
Tries to marry another with girlfriend’s money

Last Wednesday in Dhandi Bazaar village under Sonargaon Upazila, a lover after five long years of courtship, took fifty thousand taka as dowry from his beloved’s father with promises of marriage. He then went on to use that money to marry a Farida Akhtar, daughter of Shamsul Haq, of the same village. However, police arrested the unfaithful lover, Al Amin (25), during the wedding although by then the marriage rites had been completed.

It was the girlfriend who had lodged the complaint, though upon hearing of her beloved’s marriage she publicly threatened to commit suicide. The OC of Sonargaon Thana, Balayet Hossain says that they are trying to reach an out of court settlement about this matter.

Pub: 2/6/05, Dainik Sangbad, Page 4
Mother buries stillborn 24 hours after its birth

After 24 hours of captivity, a mother buried her stillborn infant with her own hands. The incident took place in a tribal village of Solonga Upazila in the Sirajgonj district.

Some years earlier, Gopal Mahato of the same village established a physical relationship (with promises of marriage) with a 25 year old tribal widow who used to work as his servant. However, people came to know of this matter when the woman became pregnant. Gopal Mahato was charged and convicted in a village trial and was asked to marry the widow. He bribed the village leaders to proclaim a ruling that a pregnant woman cannot be married. During this time Gopal tried to entice the widow with talks of abortion and money but she declined.

Later, giving into social pressure, he registered 5 kathas of land in her name. However, at one point she was given pills to instigate the untimely termination of her pregnancy. As a result, Sunday night, she gave birth to a stillborn child. Gopal then accused the woman in front of the village leaders of killing her own child. He even threatened to put her behind bars. However this was not the end of the matter, he managed to pass another ruling that an illegitimate child cannot be buried or even cremated in the village cremation ground.

After that the widow was put under house arrest. On Tuesday afternoon, when the dead body of the infant started to rot and the stink permeated through the area, the mother had no other option but to bury the child herself beside her house.

Pub: 4/6/05, Dainik Sangbad, Page 6

Police stops Kirtan (religious song) festival of the Hindus in Keshobpur

In Keshobpur police intervened and stopped a day long Hindu song festival and a meeting to discuss the life of Ramendu Goshami in Ramendu Sheba Asrom. It was allegedly due to the initiative of UP Chairman and Jamaat leader Hafez Rahajuddin who complained that the programme would lead to the deterioration of law and order in the area. However, Upazila executive officer did acknowledge that the programme had the permission of the Police Super.

Pub: 5/6/05, Dainik Shomokal

Landless people in Gurdaspur attacked by Latthiyals
43 houses razed to the ground

In Gurdaspur Upazila of Natore, latthiyals hired by landowners attacked the landless people occupying their area on Wednesday night. The stick yielding ruffians set fire to five houses and razed a total of 43 houses to the ground. 20 people were injured in the attack and 5 were admitted into Gurdaspur hospital in critical condition.

In spite of a court stay order the attack was carried out to regain the 2 acre 66% of ‘khaas’ land. During the attack most of the males of the landless families were not at home. This opportunity was utilized by the attackers. They beat black and blue anybody who resisted them during the hour long brutal assault.

The landless people stated that following a past attempt to claim this land, a case was lodged in the court and the stay order was part of that proceeding. The court’s ruling is still in effect. On behalf of the landless a case has been lodged against the recent miscreants.
Pub: 3/6/05, Dainik Sangbad, Page 9

Two cheating petrol pumps sealed in Chittagong

Yesterday in Chittagong city, an initiative was started to stop petrol pumps from cheating their customers. In light of this, a mobile court fined two petrol pumps Taka 40,000 each and sealed them. These two filling stations are the Messrs Imam Sharif Filling Station near the Saltgola rail crossing and Messrs Sirajul Haq and Sons near the No. 4 jetty area. BSTI surveillance team and the Chittagong Metropolitan Police helped the Chittagong Port magistrate Mohammed Munir Chowdhury who led this mobile team.

Pub: 3/6/05, Dainik Sangbad, Page 9
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