BCL men make headline for wrong reasons

A mobile court in Barisal sentenced a Chhatra League leader to one month's imprisonment for providing BCL activists with answers to yesterday's primary school teacher recruitment exam questions.

Convicted Rizvi Ahmed alias Raza Rari is the joint secretary of Barisal Chhatra League, said Kazi Hosne Ara Begum, additional deputy commissioner (education and development) of the district.

In Chittagong, mobile phone of another BCL leader was seized by the authorities concerned as he along with three of his followers allegedly entered a test centre and tried to take photos of question papers during the exam, said witnesses.

In Pabna, a candidate for the job was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for cheating in the exam using a mobile phone.

Besides, 104 applicants were expelled and fined for resorting to fraudulent means at various exam centres in Bogra.

BARISAL

Quoting court sources, our Barisal correspondent reported that Rizvi Ahmed and other leaders and activists of BCL allegedly entered the test centre at Government Barisal College and started to distribute answers to questions among other BCL activists during the 1-hour examination from 10:00am.

As police asked them to leave, the BCL men got involved in an altercation with the law enforcers.

After ADC Kazi Hosne Ara Begum arrived there, Al-Mamun, president of the college BCL unit, reportedly misbehaved with her, prompting Rab and police members to chase the Chhatra League men away, added the sources.

Rizvi was arrested during the time. He was sent to Barisal jail after being sentenced to one month's in jail by a mobile court.

Contacted, Suman Serniabat, president of Barisal Chhatra League, told The Daily Star Rizvi had gone to the test centre "just to meet some teachers after the examinations."

CHITTAGONG

During the recruitment test, some members of Chittagong Government City College Chhatra League allegedly entered the exam centre at the college and tried to take photos of the question papers, said witnesses.

The invigilators, however, instantly informed Saiful Islam, on-duty magistrate of Chittagong district administration, of the matter, reports our staff correspondent there.

The magistrate seized the mobile phone of Noman Chowdhury, vice-president of the BCL unit, and informed it to the deputy commissioner (DC) of Chittagong.

The youths left the spot immediately as additional members of police and Rapid Action Battalion rushed there, added witnesses.

The youths along with some 20 others came back to the college again after the test and got involved in an altercation with the magistrate and law enforcers.

The situation became normal after Abdul Hamid, principal of the college, and Mejbah Uddin, the DC, went to the scene and intervened.

Authorities, however, did not make any comment on the issue.

Noman could not be reached for comments. Mohammad Imtiaz, president of the BCL unit, said he was not aware of the incident. "I did not go to college as it was a holiday," he said.

PABNA

A mobile court sentenced Abu Sayed, 27, to two years' imprisonment for cheating in the recruitment exam yesterday.

Abdullah Al Hasan, officer-in-charge of Pabna Sadar Police Station, said teachers at the test centre of Government Women College found a mobile phone in Sayed's possession during the test.

"The mobile phone had answers to 80 percent of the questions," claimed the OC, adding that the applicant was handed over to the mobile court after the exam ended.

BOGRA

In Bogra, 104 applicants were expelled and fined Tk 500 each at various test centres on charges of cheating.

Officials at the district administration said the on-duty magistrates caught them red handed while they were using mobile phones during the examinations.