Kolkata, Dhaka, 27 March : After the 2009 BDR mutiny, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina telephoned India’s the then external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee requesting assistance from the international community, south Indian newspaper The Hindu reported citing a leaked US embassy cable. Though Hasina had not been specific about the kind of help she needed, Pranab Mukherjee had offered “to be responsive” if needed and the Indian government had also rallied London, Beijing and Tokyo, the article published on Sunday said. Nirupama Subramanian wrote that US Embassy Charge d'Affaires Steven White was surprised when he was called in for a meeting with Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon on the last weekend of February 2009. That “unusual Saturday meeting” was to discuss the mutiny by troopers of the Bangladesh Rifles a couple of days earlier, and the worry in the Indian government about its implications for the newly elected government of Sheikh Hasina, perceived as being a friend of India, the report said. The cable that was sent on 2 March, 2009 (194661: confidential), and accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks, details the conversation between the American stand-in envoy and Shivshankar Menon.... READ FULL LEAKED REPORT န File Photo: Anisur Rahman
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Our Left Front Govt. gave opportunities to Muslims: Buddha
Kolkata, 27 March : With an eye on the Muslim vote bank in poll-bound West Bengal, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today said his government had given a lot of opportunities to the community in education and job sectors. Admitting the Muslims did have some problems, the Chief Minister said, "We have ensured 10 percent jobs in the government for the Muslim community," "Our three-point programme for alleviating the problems of the Muslim community are higher education, work for Muslims in the government sector and opportunities for them in other sectors," Bhattacharjee said at a convention of Madrasa teachers and workers at Rabindra Sadan here today. န File Photo
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Crimes against humanity: Ex-BNP MP Abdul Alim arrested 
Dhaka, 27 March : Former BNP lawmaker Md Abdul Alim has been arrested on charges of crimes against humanity in 1971. Police picked him in front of his Joypurhat residence on Sunday evening, said the district’s superintendent of police.
Earlier, the International Crimes Tribunal issued the arrest warrant for Alim who was a member of Ziaur Rahman’s cabinet. A three-judge panel headed by Justice Nizamul Huq ordered police to produce Alim before the tribunal within 24 hours of his arrest, excluding the journey period. The court, however, directed law enforcers to consider health of Alim, aged over 80, while arresting him and producing him before it. The tribunal issued the warrant in response to a petition filed by the prosecutors on 23 March.
Alim was involved in the killing of more than 10,000 innocent people with the assistance of Razakars and Pakistani occupation forces during the Liberation War, reads the petition. The petition also stated that Alim, the then peace committee chairman in Joypurhat, killed local Awami League leader Dr Abul Kashem on 26 July, 1971. န Photo Courtesy : Prothom Alo
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Tripura accuses Centre of refusing assistance for Refugees
Agartala, 27 March : The Centre has refused to provide assistance to Bru (Reang) refugees fire victims, sheltered in six camps of North Tripura for past 14 years from Western Mizoram, alleged Tripura Revenue Minister Badal Chowdhury today. 
He visited the camps yesterday along with top officials to review the relief operation in the camps where 18 people were charred to death and 30 others injured due to a devastating fire on 19 March last. Chowdhury said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Tripura government had separately declared rupees one lakh exgratia to the next of kin of the deceased and distributing relief and financial assistance for making makeshift huts. ''Unfortunately, the Mizoram government did not take any initiative to help the victims except sending some warm cloths in the summer days who had been suffering due to Lalthanhawala government,'' Chowdhury added. He said the state government had asked for rupees five crore special assistance following the fire incident and demanded the Centre’s intervention for their repatriation and adequate settlement in Mizoram but Central government had not yet responded. န File Photos : Demotix-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BNP' Khandker M Hossain warns of unrest like Arab WorldDhaka, 27 March : Renewing the party's demand for midterm polls, a senior BNP leader says there will be unrest in Bangladesh as in the Arab World if the demand is not met. Party standing committee member Khandker Mosharraf Hossain on Sunday issued the warning at a gathering ahead of a rally marking the Independence Day. The rally, brought out from the party headquarters at Naya Paltan, culminated at Moghbazar intersection after parading Kakrail, Shantinagar, Malibagh and Mouchak.
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Congress election manifesto bundle of lies: Natl BJP leader PTI, Guwahati, 27 March : BJP today described as a "bundle of lies" the Congress manifesto for the upcoming Assembly polls in Assam. "The manifesto contains issues which the Congress had promised to fulfil in the last 10 years of its rule and is a bundle of lies," BJP national spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain told reporters here. "The promises made in the manifesto are nothing new. These are the promises which were mentioned in the last two manifestos and thus the party has lost moral right to publish the manifesto," he said.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Manik S calls commoners to resort agitation against Centre
UNI, Agartala, 27 March : Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has called upon people to resort to agitation against policies of Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, for saving the country from US 'influence'. Addressing a meeting of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Employees Association northeast circle last evening here, Sarkar alleged that the Centre did not consider the minimum interest of the common people rather all its polices and actions were facilitating rich class. "Not only profit-earning state owned BSNL, as many as hundred public organisations have been opened for multi-nationals companies in last few years, which neither consider interest of India nor its people," Sarkar rued. He flayed the Central governments polices and asked the common people to start mass movement for restoring normalcy in the country.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has failed to arrest the soaring inflation and price hike of essential commodities, Sarkar alleged. ''More than 45 Lakh posts have been laying vacant in various Central government departments for past few years on the other, 10 Crore educated youths are left unemployed and the government is trying to abolish the sanctioned posts just to cripple the public service system and ensure privatisation,'' Sarkar further alleged.
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