A Bangladeshi politician spoke on Tuesday of his horror to learn that his son was among the suspects who murdered foreigners at a Dhaka cafe, and said many educated young men from wealthy families were going missing. 
 
Imtiaz Khan Babul said his 22-year-old son Rohan Imtiaz, who was killed when commandos stormed the cafe on Saturday, had been a top-scoring student whose behaviour gave no hint he was radicalised before he disappeared last December. 
 
&quot;I was stunned and speechless to learn that my son had done such a heinous thing,&quot; Babul told AFP. 
 
&quot;I don`t know what changed him. There was nothing that would suggest that he was getting radicalised. He hardly read any religious books.&quot; 
 
Babul, an official with the ruling Awami League party, said had not seen his son since December when he was travelling with his wife to India, leaving the couple&#39;s three children in Dhaka. 
 
In the months that followed Rohan&#39;s disappearance, Babul lobbied senior party officials to help find his only son and even scoured the city&#39;s morgues. As he searched, he met other families who had suffered the same fate. 
 
&quot;I met so many parents whose boys had gone missing,&quot; he said. &quot;Even yesterday, one of them was saying that I was lucky that I got the body of my boy. Some of them are not so lucky.&quot; 
 
Babul said he believed his son may have been &quot;brainwashed&quot; on the Internet. 
 
Bangladesh&#39;s home minister has said the men behind Friday night&#39;s attack at an upmarket cafe, in which 20 hostages were killed, were highly educated and from wealthy families. 
 
Security forces shot dead six men when they stormed the cafe, bringing the all-night siege to an end, while one suspected attacker was taken alive and is being questioned. 
 
Police initially identified all six as suspected attackers, but on Tuesday they said they were looking into whether one was a kitchen worker being held hostage. 
 
Relatives of Saiful Islam Chowkider raised the alarm after recognising the 39-year-old among the pictures of suspected attackers that police released after the siege. 
 
&quot;We protested. We said he was never a militant. He was hardworking man and one of the best pizza and pasta makers in Bangladesh,&quot; Chowkider&#39;s cousin Solaiman told AFP. 
 
&quot;We went to the military, but they would not hand over the body, they said he was a suspect.&quot; 
 
Witnesses say the perpetrators of the attack, which the Islamic State group has claimed, spared the lives of Muslims. 
 
The mostly foreign victims included nine Italians, seven Japanese, a US citizen and a 19-year-old Indian student. Bangladesh&#39;s foreign minister met diplomats on Tuesday following the attack, the worst by far targeting the international community in Dhaka. 
 
Hundreds of foreign firms operate out of Bangladesh and its clothes manufacturing industry is the lifeblood of the economy, accounting for more than 80 per cent of exports.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve raised our worries during the meeting. We discussed how to deal with the situation and ensure security for the diplomatic community and the foreign community here,&quot; one foreign diplomat told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. 
 
The diplomat said they also discussed foreign cooperation in the fight against Islamist extremism in Bangladesh. 
 
The government says homegrown extremists are responsible for the deaths of some 80 secular activists, foreigners and religious minorities murdered over the last three years. 
 
It has repeatedly denied international jihadist networks have a presence in the country, even though IS and a South Asian branch of Al-Qaeda have claimed a number of attacks. 
 
The government has said all the suspected attackers were members of the Jamaeytul Mujahdeen Bangladesh (JMB), a banned local Islamist group. 
 
Among them were a graduate of Bangladesh&#39;s leading private university and an 18-year-old student at an elite school. 
 
Another was a former madrasa student from the northern district of Bogra, which is seen as a hotbed of Islamist radicalism. 
 
Police on Tuesday identified a fifth attacker as Shafiqul Islam Uzzal, a 26-year-old from Bogra who had been working as a kindergarten teacher in Dhaka. 
 
Earlier, the bodies of the Japanese victims arrived on a government plane in Tokyo. All seven had worked with the government-run Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Bangladesh. 
 
Authorities said a plane carrying the bodies of the nine Italian victims had flown out of Dhaka early on Tuesday, while the body of the Indian victim was repatriated on Monday. 
 
(AFP)

Imtiaz Khan Babul added that many educated young men from wealthy families are going 'missing'

A Bangladeshi politician spoke on Tuesday of his horror to learn that his son was among the suspects who murdered foreigners at a Dhaka cafe, and said many educated young men from wealthy families were going missing. Imtiaz Khan Babul said his 22-year-old son Rohan Imtiaz, who was killed when commandos stormed the cafe on Saturday, had been a top-scoring student whose behaviour gave no hint he was radicalised before he disappeared last December. "I was stunned and speechless to learn that my son had done such a heinous thing," Babul told AFP. "I don`t know what changed him. There was nothing that would suggest that he was getting radicalised. He hardly read any religious books." Babul, an official with the ruling Awami League party, said had not seen his son since December when he was travelling with his wife to India, leaving the couple's three children in Dhaka. In the months that followed Rohan's disappearance, Babul lobbied senior party officials to help find his only son and even scoured the city's morgues. As he searched, he met other families who had suffered the same fate. "I met so many parents whose boys had gone missing," he said. "Even yesterday, one of them was saying that I was lucky that I got the body of my boy. Some of them are not so lucky." Babul said he believed his son may have been "brainwashed" on the Internet. Bangladesh's home minister has said the men behind Friday night's attack at an upmarket cafe, in which 20 hostages were killed, were highly educated and from wealthy families. Security forces shot dead six men when they stormed the cafe, bringing the all-night siege to an end, while one suspected attacker was taken alive and is being questioned. Police initially identified all six as suspected attackers, but on Tuesday they said they were looking into whether one was a kitchen worker being held hostage. Relatives of Saiful Islam Chowkider raised the alarm after recognising the 39-year-old among the pictures of suspected attackers that police released after the siege. "We protested. We said he was never a militant. He was hardworking man and one of the best pizza and pasta makers in Bangladesh," Chowkider's cousin Solaiman told AFP. "We went to the military, but they would not hand over the body, they said he was a suspect." Witnesses say the perpetrators of the attack, which the Islamic State group has claimed, spared the lives of Muslims. The mostly foreign victims included nine Italians, seven Japanese, a US citizen and a 19-year-old Indian student. Bangladesh's foreign minister met diplomats on Tuesday following the attack, the worst by far targeting the international community in Dhaka. Hundreds of foreign firms operate out of Bangladesh and its clothes manufacturing industry is the lifeblood of the economy, accounting for more than 80 per cent of exports. "We've raised our worries during the meeting. We discussed how to deal with the situation and ensure security for the diplomatic community and the foreign community here," one foreign diplomat told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. The diplomat said they also discussed foreign cooperation in the fight against Islamist extremism in Bangladesh. The government says homegrown extremists are responsible for the deaths of some 80 secular activists, foreigners and religious minorities murdered over the last three years. It has repeatedly denied international jihadist networks have a presence in the country, even though IS and a South Asian branch of Al-Qaeda have claimed a number of attacks. The government has said all the suspected attackers were members of the Jamaeytul Mujahdeen Bangladesh (JMB), a banned local Islamist group. Among them were a graduate of Bangladesh's leading private university and an 18-year-old student at an elite school. Another was a former madrasa student from the northern district of Bogra, which is seen as a hotbed of Islamist radicalism. Police on Tuesday identified a fifth attacker as Shafiqul Islam Uzzal, a 26-year-old from Bogra who had been working as a kindergarten teacher in Dhaka. Earlier, the bodies of the Japanese victims arrived on a government plane in Tokyo. All seven had worked with the government-run Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Bangladesh. Authorities said a plane carrying the bodies of the nine Italian victims had flown out of Dhaka early on Tuesday, while the body of the Indian victim was repatriated on Monday. (AFP)

'I was stunned and speechless,' says politician whose son took part in attack

Bangladeshi police are trying to confirm the names of Islamist militants who attacked a Dhaka restaurant, killing 20 people, checking whether the identification of some by friends on social media is correct, officials said on Monday. 
 
Islamic State (IS) posted pictures of five fighters it said were involved in Friday&#39;s killings in Dhaka&#39;s diplomatic zone. Most of the victims, according to reports, were from Italy, Japan, India and the United States. 
 
&quot;Let the people of the crusader countries know that there is no safety for them as long as their aircraft are killing Muslims,&quot; it said in a statement. 
 
Posts on Facebook identified three of the five, whose grinning images appeared in front of a black flag, as Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz and Meer Saameh Mubasheer. 
 
Police have said all six gunmen killed were locals and five were on a government militant watchlist. But they also said they were holding off before confirming their identities. 
 
Whoever was responsible, Friday&#39;s attack marked a major escalation in scale and brutality by militants demanding Islamic rule in Bangladesh, whose 160 million people are mostly Muslim. 
&nbsp;
<div> 
Majority of attackers came from elite backgrounds&nbsp; 
 
Some of the men went to an elite public school in Dhaka, Scholastic, and then college at North South University in the capital and Monash University in Malaysia, according to the posts. Masudur Rahman, deputy police commissioner of Dhaka police, said officers were probing those links. 
 
&quot;A majority of the boys who attacked the restaurant came from very good educational institutions. Some went to sophisticated schools. Their families are relatively well-to-do people,&quot; Bangladeshi information minister Hasanul Haq Inu told India&#39;s NDTV. 
 
Police arrested a seventh man at the restaurant who they suspect played a role in the attack. He is currently in hospital. 
 
Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan believes home-grown militants are responsible for a wave of killings against minority groups in the past year and a half were to blame for Friday&#39;s bloodshed. 
 
The plan is to look for family members of the gunmen, conduct DNA tests and investigate their links to international groups, Rahman said. 
 
Bangladesh&#39;s $26 billion garment industry is braced for the fallout from the killings, fearing major retailers from Uniqlo to Marks and Spencer and Gap Inc could rethink their investment. 
 
Japan&#39;s Fast Retailing Co, owner of the Uniqlo casual-wear brand, will suspend all but critical travel to Bangladesh and has told staff there to stay home. 
 
US secretary of state John Kerry has offered Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina help in the investigation. 
 
&quot;The secretary (Kerry) encouraged the government of Bangladesh to conduct its investigation in accordance with the highest international standards and offered immediate assistance from US law enforcement, including the FBI,&quot; US state department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. 
 
(Reuters)</div>

Whoever was responsible, Friday's attack marked a major escalation in scale and brutality by militants demanding Islamic rule in Bangladesh

Bangladeshi police are trying to confirm the names of Islamist militants who attacked a Dhaka restaurant, killing 20 people, checking whether the identification of some by friends on social media is correct, officials said on Monday. Islamic State (IS) posted pictures of five fighters it said were involved in Friday's killings in Dhaka's diplomatic zone. Most of the victims, according to reports, were from Italy, Japan, India and the United States. "Let the people of the crusader countries know that there is no safety for them as long as their aircraft are killing Muslims," it said in a statement. Posts on Facebook identified three of the five, whose grinning images appeared in front of a black flag, as Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz and Meer Saameh Mubasheer. Police have said all six gunmen killed were locals and five were on a government militant watchlist. But they also said they were holding off before confirming their identities. Whoever was responsible, Friday's attack marked a major escalation in scale and brutality by militants demanding Islamic rule in Bangladesh, whose 160 million people are mostly Muslim. Majority of attackers came from elite backgrounds Some of the men went to an elite public school in Dhaka, Scholastic, and then college at North South University in the capital and Monash University in Malaysia, according to the posts. Masudur Rahman, deputy police commissioner of Dhaka police, said officers were probing those links. "A majority of the boys who attacked the restaurant came from very good educational institutions. Some went to sophisticated schools. Their families are relatively well-to-do people," Bangladeshi information minister Hasanul Haq Inu told India's NDTV. Police arrested a seventh man at the restaurant who they suspect played a role in the attack. He is currently in hospital. Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan believes home-grown militants are responsible for a wave of killings against minority groups in the past year and a half were to blame for Friday's bloodshed. The plan is to look for family members of the gunmen, conduct DNA tests and investigate their links to international groups, Rahman said. Bangladesh's $26 billion garment industry is braced for the fallout from the killings, fearing major retailers from Uniqlo to Marks and Spencer and Gap Inc could rethink their investment. Japan's Fast Retailing Co, owner of the Uniqlo casual-wear brand, will suspend all but critical travel to Bangladesh and has told staff there to stay home. US secretary of state John Kerry has offered Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina help in the investigation. "The secretary (Kerry) encouraged the government of Bangladesh to conduct its investigation in accordance with the highest international standards and offered immediate assistance from US law enforcement, including the FBI," US state department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. (Reuters)

Dhaka cafe siege: Bangladesh police try to confirm identity of assailants from FB posts

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid homage to the victims of the Gulshan attack at the Army Stadium in Banani on Monday morning. 
 
The 12-hour-long hostage crisis had ended on Saturday morning after a two hour assault by commandos, leading to the death of six gunmen and capturing one alive. Nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian, one Bangladeshi American and two Bangladeshis were among the 20 killed in the terror attack at Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan on Friday night. 
 
Two senior police officers, Banani Police Station officer-in-charge Salauddin Ahmed Khan and Detective Branch Assistant commissioner Robiul Islam also lost their lives while trying to rescue the hostages. 
 
While Salauddin was laid to rest at Banani Graveyard in Dhaka, Robiul was buried at her village home in Manikganj. Meanwhile, security continues to be tight at all sensitive points in the capital, with police checking all vehicles especially in the secured diplomatic area where the gruesome hostage killings took place. 
 
In the wake of the terror attack in Dhaka,&nbsp;US secretary of state John Kerry had also called the Bangladeshi Prime Minister and offered her assistance from American law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. State department spokesperson John Kirby said that the secretary on Sunday encouraged Bangladesh to conduct its investigation in accordance with the highest international standards and offered immediate US assistance in this regard.&nbsp; 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

Security continues to be tight at all sensitive points in the capital in the wake of the terror attack

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid homage to the victims of the Gulshan attack at the Army Stadium in Banani on Monday morning. The 12-hour-long hostage crisis had ended on Saturday morning after a two hour assault by commandos, leading to the death of six gunmen and capturing one alive. Nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian, one Bangladeshi American and two Bangladeshis were among the 20 killed in the terror attack at Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan on Friday night. Two senior police officers, Banani Police Station officer-in-charge Salauddin Ahmed Khan and Detective Branch Assistant commissioner Robiul Islam also lost their lives while trying to rescue the hostages. While Salauddin was laid to rest at Banani Graveyard in Dhaka, Robiul was buried at her village home in Manikganj. Meanwhile, security continues to be tight at all sensitive points in the capital, with police checking all vehicles especially in the secured diplomatic area where the gruesome hostage killings took place. In the wake of the terror attack in Dhaka, US secretary of state John Kerry had also called the Bangladeshi Prime Minister and offered her assistance from American law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. State department spokesperson John Kirby said that the secretary on Sunday encouraged Bangladesh to conduct its investigation in accordance with the highest international standards and offered immediate US assistance in this regard. (ANI)

Bangladesh PM pays tribute to victims of Dhaka cafe siege

Bangladesh has raised its terrorism alert level and tightened security measures in the capital city Dhaka after a terror attack killed 20 people in a local cafe late Friday. 
 
Roads near the incident site are still blocked 30 hours after the tragedy happened. Armed police are frisking pedestrians on roads around the city in attempt to prevent further possible attacks. 
 
Police strength has also been added in other public places like airports and schools. 
 
Nine Italians, seven Japanese, two Bangladeshis, a Bangladesh-born US citizen and an Indian female were killed in the attack on a Spanish restaurant which was located in the area popular with foreigners 
 
Around five hours after the attack, the Islamic Republic claimed the responsibility of attacking the upmarket restaurant. 
 
The authenticity of the IS claim has not been confirmed by the Bangladesh police. 
 
At least 40 people, including senior police officials, were injured. 
 
(Reuters)

Armed police are frisking pedestrians on roads around the city in attempt to prevent further possible attacks

Bangladesh has raised its terrorism alert level and tightened security measures in the capital city Dhaka after a terror attack killed 20 people in a local cafe late Friday. Roads near the incident site are still blocked 30 hours after the tragedy happened. Armed police are frisking pedestrians on roads around the city in attempt to prevent further possible attacks. Police strength has also been added in other public places like airports and schools. Nine Italians, seven Japanese, two Bangladeshis, a Bangladesh-born US citizen and an Indian female were killed in the attack on a Spanish restaurant which was located in the area popular with foreigners Around five hours after the attack, the Islamic Republic claimed the responsibility of attacking the upmarket restaurant. The authenticity of the IS claim has not been confirmed by the Bangladesh police. At least 40 people, including senior police officials, were injured. (Reuters)

Bangladesh tightens security measures after terror attack

Japan has signed its 37th Japanese Yen Loan Package with Bangladesh amounting to 173.538 billion Japanese Yen, which is $1.5 billion or Tk11,600, reported&nbsp;Bangladesh-based news portal bdnews24.com. 
 
Japan says that this package is expected to provide &lsquo;fresh momentum&rsquo; for Bangladesh towards becoming a middle income country by 2021. The interest rate is only 0.01 per cent with a repayment period of 40 years, including a grace period of 10 years. 
&nbsp; 
The funds will be utilised on the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit project, Jamuna Rail Bridge, Cross-Border Road Network, Matarbarhi Coal Fired Power Plant, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Promotion Financing and Disaster Risk Management Enhancement project. 
 
The Japanese embassy says with the latest loan package, Japan&rsquo;s total commitments through 2014, 2015 and 2016 amounted to 427.8 billion Yen. This would&nbsp;further strengthen the bilateral relations under the &lsquo;Japan-Bangladesh Comprehensive Partnership&rsquo;. 
 
How the funds will be used 
 
The Jamuna Railway Bridge Construction Project, including engineering services will get 2.464 billion Japanese Yen from the package. The fund will be allocated to the&nbsp;consulting services, which include detailed design, tender assistance, and so on. The Bangladesh Railways will execute the project. 
 
The purpose of the project is to improve capacity and safety of railway transportation by constructing a railway bridge over the River Jamuna parallel to the existing Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge, thus improving the logistic network of Bangladesh with its neighbouring countries. 
 
The Cross-Border Road Network Improvement Project (Bangladesh) will get 28.698 billion Yen from the loan.&nbsp; 
 
The project is aimed at improving intercity transportation and logistics network, by developing major international road networks in Bangladesh, thus facilitating international trade with neighbouring countries.&nbsp;The Roads and Highways department will execute this. 
 
About 75.571 billion Japanese Yen loan will be pumped into the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Development Project (?) which is to alleviate traffic congestion and improve air pollution in the Dhaka City by constructing the 20.1 kilometers long MRT. This would enhance economic activities in Dhaka Metropolitan Area. 
 
The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited will execute the project under the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridge. 
 
Of the total loan, 37.821 billion Japanese Yen will be used for the Matabari Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power Project (?).&nbsp;The project is aimed at&nbsp;constructing 600MW x 2 units of Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power Plant in Matarbari area in Maheshkhali upazila under Cox&rsquo;s Bazar district.&nbsp;This would suffice the rising demand of power while mitigating greenhouse gas emission in Bangladesh.&nbsp; 
 
The Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited, Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Limited, Roads and Highways Department will execute the project under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, and Ministry of Road Transport and Bridge. 
 
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Promotion Financing Project will get 11.988 billion Japanese Yen while the Disaster Risk Management Enhancement Project will get the remaining 16.996 billion Japanese Yen under the signed package. 
 
(WION)

The loan agreement is expected to provide ?fresh momentum? for Bangladesh towards becoming a middle income country by 2021

Japan has signed its 37th Japanese Yen Loan Package with Bangladesh amounting to 173.538 billion Japanese Yen, which is $1.5 billion or Tk11,600, reported Bangladesh-based news portal bdnews24.com. Japan says that this package is expected to provide ‘fresh momentum’ for Bangladesh towards becoming a middle income country by 2021. The interest rate is only 0.01 per cent with a repayment period of 40 years, including a grace period of 10 years. The funds will be utilised on the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit project, Jamuna Rail Bridge, Cross-Border Road Network, Matarbarhi Coal Fired Power Plant, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Promotion Financing and Disaster Risk Management Enhancement project. The Japanese embassy says with the latest loan package, Japan’s total commitments through 2014, 2015 and 2016 amounted to 427.8 billion Yen. This would further strengthen the bilateral relations under the ‘Japan-Bangladesh Comprehensive Partnership’. How the funds will be used The Jamuna Railway Bridge Construction Project, including engineering services will get 2.464 billion Japanese Yen from the package. The fund will be allocated to the consulting services, which include detailed design, tender assistance, and so on. The Bangladesh Railways will execute the project. The purpose of the project is to improve capacity and safety of railway transportation by constructing a railway bridge over the River Jamuna parallel to the existing Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge, thus improving the logistic network of Bangladesh with its neighbouring countries. The Cross-Border Road Network Improvement Project (Bangladesh) will get 28.698 billion Yen from the loan. The project is aimed at improving intercity transportation and logistics network, by developing major international road networks in Bangladesh, thus facilitating international trade with neighbouring countries. The Roads and Highways department will execute this. About 75.571 billion Japanese Yen loan will be pumped into the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Development Project (?) which is to alleviate traffic congestion and improve air pollution in the Dhaka City by constructing the 20.1 kilometers long MRT. This would enhance economic activities in Dhaka Metropolitan Area. The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited will execute the project under the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridge. Of the total loan, 37.821 billion Japanese Yen will be used for the Matabari Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power Project (?). The project is aimed at constructing 600MW x 2 units of Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power Plant in Matarbari area in Maheshkhali upazila under Cox’s Bazar district. This would suffice the rising demand of power while mitigating greenhouse gas emission in Bangladesh. The Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited, Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Limited, Roads and Highways Department will execute the project under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, and Ministry of Road Transport and Bridge. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Promotion Financing Project will get 11.988 billion Japanese Yen while the Disaster Risk Management Enhancement Project will get the remaining 16.996 billion Japanese Yen under the signed package. (WION)

Japan and Bangladesh sign largest-ever loan agreement

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said she was determined to eradicate terrorism in Bangladesh after security forces stormed into a cafe where Islamist extremists had taken dozens of diners hostage. 
 
&quot;It was an extremely heinous act. What kind of Muslims are these people? They don&#39;t have any religion,&quot; she said in a televised speech. 
 
&quot;People must resist these terrorists. My government is determined to root out terrorism and militancy from Bangladesh,&quot; she added.&nbsp; 
 
The Bangladesh cafe hostage siege finally ended on Saturday after a bloody fight between commandos and militants. 
 
&quot;We have been able to save 13 people, six gunmen have been killed,&quot; the PM said and added, &quot;All security agencies did a great job.&quot; 
 
Eight to nine gunmen had attacked the upscale cafe Holey Artisan in the diplomatic area of Dhaka late on Friday and had been holding about 20 hostages, including foreigners. 
 
The security forces launched an offensive to end the hostage crisis at the restaurant today morning, reports the Daily Star.The assailants, believed to be carrying assault rifles and grenades, exchanged sporadic gun fire with police outside for several hours after the attack, which began around 9 pm on Friday.&nbsp; 
 
(Agencies)&nbsp;

The Bangladeshi Prime Minister says she is determined to eradicate terrorism from her country

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said she was determined to eradicate terrorism in Bangladesh after security forces stormed into a cafe where Islamist extremists had taken dozens of diners hostage. "It was an extremely heinous act. What kind of Muslims are these people? They don't have any religion," she said in a televised speech. "People must resist these terrorists. My government is determined to root out terrorism and militancy from Bangladesh," she added. The Bangladesh cafe hostage siege finally ended on Saturday after a bloody fight between commandos and militants. "We have been able to save 13 people, six gunmen have been killed," the PM said and added, "All security agencies did a great job." Eight to nine gunmen had attacked the upscale cafe Holey Artisan in the diplomatic area of Dhaka late on Friday and had been holding about 20 hostages, including foreigners. The security forces launched an offensive to end the hostage crisis at the restaurant today morning, reports the Daily Star.The assailants, believed to be carrying assault rifles and grenades, exchanged sporadic gun fire with police outside for several hours after the attack, which began around 9 pm on Friday. (Agencies)

'What kind of Muslims are these people?' asks Hasina

Early in June, a man walked into the Dhaka premises of the Ramakrishna Mission, a Hindu centre for spirituality and learning in the Bangladesh capital, and delivered a handwritten note warning of an attack by Islamic State. 
 
Days later, armed policemen were sitting inside the mission&#39;s compound among orange-robed monks, the gates outside were closed and fewer people than normal showed up at a medical clinic it runs for the neighbourhood. 
 
&quot;We are monks, we will live and die here, but people with families are worried,&quot; Swami Shivananda, a priest managing the administration of the mission, said of the country&#39;s Hindu community, which accounts for 10 per cent of the population. 
 
Islamic State and al Qaeda have claimed responsibility for the killings of more than 30 people since early last year, in an escalation of militant violence targeting liberals, atheists, foreigners, gays and religious minorities. 
 
They have shocked the largely moderate Muslim country of 160 million people and heightened fears that Bangladesh, once hailed as the next Asian tiger economy with its huge garment industry, could lose out to more stable competitors in the region. 
 
Unlike some security experts, Bangladesh authorities say the two international jihadi movements are not directly involved in the murders, many of which were carried out with machetes. 
 
But, as the police at the Hindu mission attest, the danger is real, and counter-terrorism officials warn it could get worse with one local militant group adopting al Qaeda&#39;s methods and calling on the expertise of a former army major implicated in a failed 2011 coup. 
 
Deadly rivalry&nbsp; 
 
Security officials say two local militant groups, Ansar-al-Islam and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, are behind the killings. 
 
Of the two, Ansar, which pledges allegiance to al Qaeda, has emerged as the most organised and dangerous, they say, while Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen is seen as a looser organisation that claims it represents Islamic State but has no proven links to it. 
 
&quot;By now we have a clear idea of the organisational structure, command and control and methods of operations of Ansar-al-Islam,&quot; Monirul Islam, chief of Bangladesh&#39;s counter-terrorism police, told Reuters in a recent interview. 
 
&quot;They follow the ideology of al Qaeda, their operational leaders are mostly educated men, (from a) middle class background. They declare their allegiance to al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and, through it, to Ayman al-Zawahri,&quot; he said, referring to al Qaeda&#39;s global leader. 
 
According to Thomas Joscelyn, senior editor at The Long War Journal that tracks jihadi groups worldwide, there was evidence of more direct links between Bangladesh and al Qaeda, and he warned the Islamist militant threat had been underestimated. 
 
&quot;We now have competition between al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Bangladesh, which means that the jihadist pool is deep enough for both organizations to operate in the country.&quot; 
 
In May, 2015, AQIS leader Asim Umar claimed responsibility for the murder of Avijit Roy, a US citizen and blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh that February. US officials said at the time they were unable to confirm the claim. 
 
Initially, Ansar struck bloggers and publishers critical of radical Islam, then university teachers, including one who asked a woman student to remove her veil in class. 
 
In April, it said it murdered two gay rights activists, saying they were promoting anti-Islamic activities, police said. 
 
Mysterious ex-officer 
 
Also worrying for authorities is the apparent rise within Ansar&#39;s ranks of former army Major Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque, who went into hiding after the military accused him of involvement in a plot to overthrow the government in 2011. 
 
&quot;We have a suspicion that the ex-major is one of their leaders,&quot; said counter-terrorism chief Islam. &quot;He is in hiding. We know his capability. If he is involved, it is a strength for Ansar-al-Islam.&quot; 
 
Zia, as intelligence agencies call him, was from the engineer corps and trained in special operations. 
 
His would be the first known case of a Bangladesh military officer switching sides to join a militant group, although it has happened elsewhere. 
 
A military spokesman said Zia had been dismissed from service five years ago, but added that he was not in a position to speak about Zia&#39;s activities since then. 
 
Zia&#39;s involvement with Ansar was first mentioned by the head of its predecessor group following his capture in 2013, two police officials said. 
 
Zia was helping in the training of the fighters, motivating them to carry out jihad against &quot;anti-Islam&quot; forces and also taught bomb-making skills, one official briefed on the interrogation report said. 
 
Reuters could not independently verify the police claims. 
 
At the same time, Islamic State has said it was behind the killings of Hindus, Buddhists and members of minority Muslim sects, which have accelerated in recent weeks. 
 
Security officials tie those deaths to Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, a home grown group inspired by Islamic State&#39;s vision of a caliphate. 
 
Police official Islam said authorities had found computer evidence that Bangladesh-origin foreign fighters, some in Syria, were claiming attacks on behalf of Islamic State as soon as they occurred. 
 
But he said there was no evidence of operational ties with the Middle East-based movement. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

They follow the ideology of al Qaeda and their operational leaders are mostly educated men from the middle class

Early in June, a man walked into the Dhaka premises of the Ramakrishna Mission, a Hindu centre for spirituality and learning in the Bangladesh capital, and delivered a handwritten note warning of an attack by Islamic State. Days later, armed policemen were sitting inside the mission's compound among orange-robed monks, the gates outside were closed and fewer people than normal showed up at a medical clinic it runs for the neighbourhood. "We are monks, we will live and die here, but people with families are worried," Swami Shivananda, a priest managing the administration of the mission, said of the country's Hindu community, which accounts for 10 per cent of the population. Islamic State and al Qaeda have claimed responsibility for the killings of more than 30 people since early last year, in an escalation of militant violence targeting liberals, atheists, foreigners, gays and religious minorities. They have shocked the largely moderate Muslim country of 160 million people and heightened fears that Bangladesh, once hailed as the next Asian tiger economy with its huge garment industry, could lose out to more stable competitors in the region. Unlike some security experts, Bangladesh authorities say the two international jihadi movements are not directly involved in the murders, many of which were carried out with machetes. But, as the police at the Hindu mission attest, the danger is real, and counter-terrorism officials warn it could get worse with one local militant group adopting al Qaeda's methods and calling on the expertise of a former army major implicated in a failed 2011 coup. Deadly rivalry Security officials say two local militant groups, Ansar-al-Islam and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, are behind the killings. Of the two, Ansar, which pledges allegiance to al Qaeda, has emerged as the most organised and dangerous, they say, while Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen is seen as a looser organisation that claims it represents Islamic State but has no proven links to it. "By now we have a clear idea of the organisational structure, command and control and methods of operations of Ansar-al-Islam," Monirul Islam, chief of Bangladesh's counter-terrorism police, told Reuters in a recent interview. "They follow the ideology of al Qaeda, their operational leaders are mostly educated men, (from a) middle class background. They declare their allegiance to al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and, through it, to Ayman al-Zawahri," he said, referring to al Qaeda's global leader. According to Thomas Joscelyn, senior editor at The Long War Journal that tracks jihadi groups worldwide, there was evidence of more direct links between Bangladesh and al Qaeda, and he warned the Islamist militant threat had been underestimated. "We now have competition between al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Bangladesh, which means that the jihadist pool is deep enough for both organizations to operate in the country." In May, 2015, AQIS leader Asim Umar claimed responsibility for the murder of Avijit Roy, a US citizen and blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh that February. US officials said at the time they were unable to confirm the claim. Initially, Ansar struck bloggers and publishers critical of radical Islam, then university teachers, including one who asked a woman student to remove her veil in class. In April, it said it murdered two gay rights activists, saying they were promoting anti-Islamic activities, police said. Mysterious ex-officer Also worrying for authorities is the apparent rise within Ansar's ranks of former army Major Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque, who went into hiding after the military accused him of involvement in a plot to overthrow the government in 2011. "We have a suspicion that the ex-major is one of their leaders," said counter-terrorism chief Islam. "He is in hiding. We know his capability. If he is involved, it is a strength for Ansar-al-Islam." Zia, as intelligence agencies call him, was from the engineer corps and trained in special operations. His would be the first known case of a Bangladesh military officer switching sides to join a militant group, although it has happened elsewhere. A military spokesman said Zia had been dismissed from service five years ago, but added that he was not in a position to speak about Zia's activities since then. Zia's involvement with Ansar was first mentioned by the head of its predecessor group following his capture in 2013, two police officials said. Zia was helping in the training of the fighters, motivating them to carry out jihad against "anti-Islam" forces and also taught bomb-making skills, one official briefed on the interrogation report said. Reuters could not independently verify the police claims. At the same time, Islamic State has said it was behind the killings of Hindus, Buddhists and members of minority Muslim sects, which have accelerated in recent weeks. Security officials tie those deaths to Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, a home grown group inspired by Islamic State's vision of a caliphate. Police official Islam said authorities had found computer evidence that Bangladesh-origin foreign fighters, some in Syria, were claiming attacks on behalf of Islamic State as soon as they occurred. But he said there was no evidence of operational ties with the Middle East-based movement. (Reuters)

Home-grown militants and former army officer behind attacks on Bangladeshi minorities, say police

Bangladeshi troops stormed a cafe popular with foreigners in the diplomatic zone of the capital Dhaka after suspected Islamist militants took dozens hostage. 
 
The siege ended on Saturday morning with six gunmen killed, 13 hostages freed, one suspected terrorist taken alive and several casualties. 
 
 
What happened? 
 
Gunmen burst into a restaurant in the diplomatic quarter of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka around 9:20pm on Friday night. 
 
They set off explosives, shouting &quot;Allahu Akbar&quot; (God is Greater). 
 
During the ensuing exhange of fire with the police, the gunmen took up to 40 hostages, including foreigners and two police officers died. 
 
Following a 10-hour stand-off, commandos stormed the restaurant early Saturday morning, freeing several hostages. 
 
 
Where did it happen? 
 
The Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant is a western-style cafe situated on Road 79 in Dhaka&#39;s affluent Gulshan quarter. 
 
The diplomatic zone is home to expatriate workers and foreign missions, as well as restaurants, upmarket malls and members&#39; clubs. 
 
The incident took place near the city&#39;s Nordic Club and the Qatar embassy. 
 
 
Who is behind the attack? 
 
About four hours after the attack, the Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility, via an IS-affiliated news agency, Amaq. 
 
It later issued a number of photographs of what it said were scenes from inside the cafe showing what appeared to be several bodies lying in pools of blood. 
 
The news agency claimed that more than 20 people of different nationalities were killed. 
 
 
Who are the hostages? 
 
Little is known about the hostages, however, Italy&#39;s ambassador to Bangladesh Mario Palma told Italian state television that seven Italians are among the captives. 
 
Sri Lanka said two of its nationals were among the hostages, but had been freed. 
 
Tokyo said one Japanese was among those rescued, Jiji Press reported. 
 
 
Is this kind of attack common? 
 
The attack follows a series of murders of foreigners, religious minorities and secular activists in Bangladesh, blamed on or claimed by Islamist militants. For instance, Cesare Tavella, an Italian aid worker was shot dead in Gulshan last September, in an attack claimed by Islamic State. 
 
And in 2012 a Saudi Arabian diplomat was shot dead in the diplomatic zone. 
 
However, Friday&#39;s attack appears to have been on a much bigger scale and the first time that people were held hostage. 
 
The government and police deny that Islamic State is active in Bangladesh and blame homegrown militants for the killings. 
 
(AFP)

It ended 10 hours after it began with six gunmen killed, 13 hostages freed, one suspected terrorist taken alive and several casualties

Bangladeshi troops stormed a cafe popular with foreigners in the diplomatic zone of the capital Dhaka after suspected Islamist militants took dozens hostage. The siege ended on Saturday morning with six gunmen killed, 13 hostages freed, one suspected terrorist taken alive and several casualties. What happened? Gunmen burst into a restaurant in the diplomatic quarter of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka around 9:20pm on Friday night. They set off explosives, shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greater). During the ensuing exhange of fire with the police, the gunmen took up to 40 hostages, including foreigners and two police officers died. Following a 10-hour stand-off, commandos stormed the restaurant early Saturday morning, freeing several hostages. Where did it happen? The Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant is a western-style cafe situated on Road 79 in Dhaka's affluent Gulshan quarter. The diplomatic zone is home to expatriate workers and foreign missions, as well as restaurants, upmarket malls and members' clubs. The incident took place near the city's Nordic Club and the Qatar embassy. Who is behind the attack? About four hours after the attack, the Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility, via an IS-affiliated news agency, Amaq. It later issued a number of photographs of what it said were scenes from inside the cafe showing what appeared to be several bodies lying in pools of blood. The news agency claimed that more than 20 people of different nationalities were killed. Who are the hostages? Little is known about the hostages, however, Italy's ambassador to Bangladesh Mario Palma told Italian state television that seven Italians are among the captives. Sri Lanka said two of its nationals were among the hostages, but had been freed. Tokyo said one Japanese was among those rescued, Jiji Press reported. Is this kind of attack common? The attack follows a series of murders of foreigners, religious minorities and secular activists in Bangladesh, blamed on or claimed by Islamist militants. For instance, Cesare Tavella, an Italian aid worker was shot dead in Gulshan last September, in an attack claimed by Islamic State. And in 2012 a Saudi Arabian diplomat was shot dead in the diplomatic zone. However, Friday's attack appears to have been on a much bigger scale and the first time that people were held hostage. The government and police deny that Islamic State is active in Bangladesh and blame homegrown militants for the killings. (AFP)

The Dhaka siege: What, where, and who

Unidentified attackers stabbed and critically wounded a Hindu priest in southwest Bangladesh on Saturday, just a day after a Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in an attack by suspected Islamist militants. 
 
Police said 48-year-old priest Bhabasindhu Roy of the Sri Sri Radha Gobinda Temple in Satkhira district was attacked inside the temple compound as he slept. 
 
&quot;They stabbed him in his chest and back. His condition is critical and we&#39;re trying to send him to a hospital in Dhaka,&quot; deputy chief of Satkhira police Atqul Haq told AFP. 
 
He said it bore the hallmarks of recent attacks on minorities by suspected Islamist militants. 
 
The attack came just hours after gunmen stormed a restaurant in the Bangladeshi capital and took dozens of people hostage including several foreigners. 
 
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on Friday night on the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant in Dhaka&#39;s upmarket Gulshan diplomatic quarter in which two police officers were killed. 
 
On Friday a Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in the western Bangladesh district of Jhenaidah. 
 
Three men on a motorcycle attacked Shyamananda Das as he walked along a road near the temple early in the morning, police said. 
 
Last month a Hindu priest, 70-year-old Ananda Gopal Ganguly, was hacked to death in the same district. 
 
Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of murders of secular and liberal activists and religious minorities that have left some 50 people dead in the last three years. 
 
Victims of the attacks by suspected Islamists have included secular bloggers, gay rights activists and followers of minority religions including Hindus, Christians and Muslim Sufis and Shiites. 
 
Since April, more than a dozen people have been hacked to death amid a sharp spike in the targeted killings. 
 
Most of the recent attacks have been claimed by the Islamic State organisation or the South Asian branch of Al-Qaeda. 
 
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina&#39;s government, however, has blamed homegrown Islamists for the attacks. 
 
Experts say a government crackdown on opponents, including a ban on the largest Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami following a protracted political crisis, has pushed many towards extremism. 
 
Last month police arrested more than 11,000 people, including nearly 200 suspected militants, in an anti-Islamist drive criticised by the opposition and some rights groups, which said it was used as an excuse to clamp down on dissent. 
 
At least nine suspected Islamists were shot dead in what police said were gunfights. Some rights activists contradict that account and say they were extrajudicial killings. 
 
(AFP)

The attack comes a day after a Hindu temple worker was hacked to death

Unidentified attackers stabbed and critically wounded a Hindu priest in southwest Bangladesh on Saturday, just a day after a Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in an attack by suspected Islamist militants. Police said 48-year-old priest Bhabasindhu Roy of the Sri Sri Radha Gobinda Temple in Satkhira district was attacked inside the temple compound as he slept. "They stabbed him in his chest and back. His condition is critical and we're trying to send him to a hospital in Dhaka," deputy chief of Satkhira police Atqul Haq told AFP. He said it bore the hallmarks of recent attacks on minorities by suspected Islamist militants. The attack came just hours after gunmen stormed a restaurant in the Bangladeshi capital and took dozens of people hostage including several foreigners. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on Friday night on the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant in Dhaka's upmarket Gulshan diplomatic quarter in which two police officers were killed. On Friday a Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in the western Bangladesh district of Jhenaidah. Three men on a motorcycle attacked Shyamananda Das as he walked along a road near the temple early in the morning, police said. Last month a Hindu priest, 70-year-old Ananda Gopal Ganguly, was hacked to death in the same district. Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of murders of secular and liberal activists and religious minorities that have left some 50 people dead in the last three years. Victims of the attacks by suspected Islamists have included secular bloggers, gay rights activists and followers of minority religions including Hindus, Christians and Muslim Sufis and Shiites. Since April, more than a dozen people have been hacked to death amid a sharp spike in the targeted killings. Most of the recent attacks have been claimed by the Islamic State organisation or the South Asian branch of Al-Qaeda. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government, however, has blamed homegrown Islamists for the attacks. Experts say a government crackdown on opponents, including a ban on the largest Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami following a protracted political crisis, has pushed many towards extremism. Last month police arrested more than 11,000 people, including nearly 200 suspected militants, in an anti-Islamist drive criticised by the opposition and some rights groups, which said it was used as an excuse to clamp down on dissent. At least nine suspected Islamists were shot dead in what police said were gunfights. Some rights activists contradict that account and say they were extrajudicial killings. (AFP)

Another Hindu priest stabbed, critically wounded in Bangladesh

&quot;Stop killing people in the name of Islam&quot;, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said today as she vowed to do everything to eliminate terrorists from the country after 20 foreigners were killed in an attack on a cafe in Bangladesh claimed by the Islamic State terror group. 
 
Announcing a two-day state mourning for those killed in the worst terror attack in the country, Hasina asked all, including the general public, to get united to resist a &quot;handful of terrorists&quot;. 
 
&quot;Inshaallah (God willing), by eliminating terrorists from their roots, we&#39;ll establish Bangladesh as a peaceful state. No conspiracy can hinder our advancement, let&#39;s work together, putting behind our all differences, to establish a secure Bangladesh as dreamt by the Father of the Nation,&quot; she said in a televised address to the nation. 
 
Hasina said at a time when Bangladesh is trying to establish itself in the world as a self-dignified and self-reliant country, a nexus of local and international conspirators are hatching a conspiracy to hinder this progress. 
 
&quot;Islam is the religion of peace. Stop killing people in the name of Islam; don&#39;t blemish it with such incidents,&quot; she said. 
 
She said that the vested quarter wanted to establish Bangladesh as a dysfunctional state keeping innocent people&nbsp;hostage. 
 
&quot;They&#39;ve taken a path of terrorism after having failed to win the hearts of people through the democratic process,&quot; the Prime Minister said. 
 
&quot;The peace-loving people of Bangladesh won&#39;t allow them to implement their strategy. We&#39;ll resist their conspiracy at any cost taking the people of the country with us,&quot; she said. 
 
She requested people to keep trust in her government. &quot;We&#39;re committed to protecting at any cost the sovereignty of Bangladesh.&quot; 
 
She also urged guardians to give proper education to their children and keep watch on them so that they cannot get distracted. 
 
Earlier Hasina said, &quot;They (gunmen) defied the call of Ramzan&#39;s tarabi (special evening) prayers and went to kill people.The way they killed people is intolerable. They don&#39;t have any religion.Terrorism is their religion.&quot; 
 
The Prime Minister said that her &quot;government will do everything to uproot the militants and violent extremists in the country&quot;. 
 
&quot;Such barbaric and cowardly attack is unprecedented in the country of communal harmony, Bangladesh,&quot; she said. 
 
Twenty foreigners, including an Indian, were killed by the gunmen who stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan diplomatic zone in the capital. 
 
Six attackers were killed on the spot while 13 hostages, including three foreigners, were freed in a joint operation by the armed forces. 
 
(PTI) 
 
&nbsp;

Addressing the press after the worst-terrorist attack in the country, Sheikh Hasina blamed a nexus of local and international conspirators for hindering Bangladesh's progress

"Stop killing people in the name of Islam", Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said today as she vowed to do everything to eliminate terrorists from the country after 20 foreigners were killed in an attack on a cafe in Bangladesh claimed by the Islamic State terror group. Announcing a two-day state mourning for those killed in the worst terror attack in the country, Hasina asked all, including the general public, to get united to resist a "handful of terrorists". "Inshaallah (God willing), by eliminating terrorists from their roots, we'll establish Bangladesh as a peaceful state. No conspiracy can hinder our advancement, let's work together, putting behind our all differences, to establish a secure Bangladesh as dreamt by the Father of the Nation," she said in a televised address to the nation. Hasina said at a time when Bangladesh is trying to establish itself in the world as a self-dignified and self-reliant country, a nexus of local and international conspirators are hatching a conspiracy to hinder this progress. "Islam is the religion of peace. Stop killing people in the name of Islam; don't blemish it with such incidents," she said. She said that the vested quarter wanted to establish Bangladesh as a dysfunctional state keeping innocent people hostage. "They've taken a path of terrorism after having failed to win the hearts of people through the democratic process," the Prime Minister said. "The peace-loving people of Bangladesh won't allow them to implement their strategy. We'll resist their conspiracy at any cost taking the people of the country with us," she said. She requested people to keep trust in her government. "We're committed to protecting at any cost the sovereignty of Bangladesh." She also urged guardians to give proper education to their children and keep watch on them so that they cannot get distracted. Earlier Hasina said, "They (gunmen) defied the call of Ramzan's tarabi (special evening) prayers and went to kill people.The way they killed people is intolerable. They don't have any religion.Terrorism is their religion." The Prime Minister said that her "government will do everything to uproot the militants and violent extremists in the country". "Such barbaric and cowardly attack is unprecedented in the country of communal harmony, Bangladesh," she said. Twenty foreigners, including an Indian, were killed by the gunmen who stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan diplomatic zone in the capital. Six attackers were killed on the spot while 13 hostages, including three foreigners, were freed in a joint operation by the armed forces. (PTI)

Bangladeshi Prime Minister says 'stop killing in the name of Islam', announces two-day mourning

As diners relaxed for their evening meal on one of the last days of Ramadan, gunmen burst into the restaurant before separating foreigners from locals so they could launch their killing spree. 
 
By the time Bangladeshi commandos stormed Dhaka&#39;s Holey Artisan Bakery 11 hours later, its stone-washed white floors were a sea of blood, strewn with the bodies of foreigners who had been hacked to death. 
 
The Western-style cafe was a popular bolt-hole for expats and locals in the upmarket Gulshan neighbourhood which has long been home to the country&#39;s wealthy elite and many embassies. 
 
&#39;Armed gunmen split hostages into two groups&#39;&nbsp; 
 
On Friday night, Hasnat Karim had brought his family to celebrate his daughter&#39;s birthday. 
 
Hasnat was too traumatised to say more than a few words about his ordeal, saying only that the hostage takers &quot;did not misbehave with us&quot;. 
 
But he detailed to his father Rezaul how the gunmen -- who were armed with automatic weapons, bombs and makeshift machetes -- had split the diners into two groups. 
 
&quot;The foreigners were taken to the upper floor and the Bangladeshis were kept around a table,&quot; said Rezaul Karim. 
 
In the chaos and confusion that erupted at the start, many diners were able to scramble to safety. 
 
One man who escaped told India&#39;s ABP News channel how the gunmen chanted slogans as they forced their way past the sole security guard on the door. 
 
&quot;I rushed to alert others, some people managed to escape from a back route but the rest were trapped,&quot; he said on condition of anonymity. 
 
&quot;They made people stand in a line. There must be about 20-25 staff and about 20-25 guests and then they switched off the lights and CCTV.&quot; 
 
A heavy gunbattle ensued following siege&nbsp; 
 
Bangladesh, where around 90 per cent of the population is Muslim, has just begun a week-long holiday to enjoy the Eid celebrations which accompany the end of Ramadan. 
 
As news of the siege spread, police rushed to the scene and engaged in gunbattles with the hostage takers but they met heavy resistance. 
 
&quot;The hostage takers had automatic weapons and bombs,&quot; said Diego Rossini, an Argentinian chef who escaped into a neighbouring building. 
 
&quot;The hostages, who had escape, were hiding and police were shielding them,&quot; Rossini told Argentina&#39;s television channel C5N. 
 
Rossini managed to escape into a next-door building while under fire. 
 
&quot;I felt bullets pass so close to me, I felt fear like I&#39;ve never felt in my life.&quot; 
 
Images posted by the Islamic State group as they claimed the attack showed two bodies soaked in pools of crimson. 
 
 
Senior army officer recounts scenes of chaos 
 
A senior army officer said that all 20 of the slaughtered civilians were foreigners and nearly all were hacked to death with makeshift machetes. 
 
Several dozen people have been attacked in similar fashion by Islamist extremists in the last two years, mainly members of religious minorities. 
 
A senior officer who was part of the operation which ended the siege on Saturday morning described a gruesome scene inside the cafe. 
 
&quot;We saw blood in many places and were shocked to see the carnage,&quot; he told AFP on condition of anonymity. 
 
&quot;We heard the gang saying Allahu Akbar and there was a slogan written on the wall which said Allah would grant them Jannatul Ferdous (ultimate heaven).&quot; 
 
Among the weapons recovered from the scene were pistols, automatic rifles and sharpened machete-style blades. 
 
Apart from the slain hostages, the bodies of six gunmen were also recovered. 
 
The officer who took part in the storming said the attackers were all men in their early to mid-20s. 
 
&quot;They were wearing sneakers and pants, with multiple pockets where they kept IEDs (improvised explosive devices),&quot; said the source. 
 
 
Condolences pour in from across the world 
 
Popular for its breads and leafy garden, the Holey Artisan Bakery describes itself on Facebook as the &quot;only truly Artisan Bakery Shop between Mumbai and Singapore&quot;, with mouthwatering images of pastries. 
 
The site was deluged Saturday with messages of prayer and concern from local Bangladeshi diners and others around the world. 
 
&quot;Praying for those innocents and may Almighty curse those extremists... they can&#39;t be Muslim. These extremists are monsters,&quot; wrote a Facebook user named Siragis Salekin. 
 
(AFP)

In the chaos and confusion that erupted at the start, many diners were able to scramble to safety

As diners relaxed for their evening meal on one of the last days of Ramadan, gunmen burst into the restaurant before separating foreigners from locals so they could launch their killing spree. By the time Bangladeshi commandos stormed Dhaka's Holey Artisan Bakery 11 hours later, its stone-washed white floors were a sea of blood, strewn with the bodies of foreigners who had been hacked to death. The Western-style cafe was a popular bolt-hole for expats and locals in the upmarket Gulshan neighbourhood which has long been home to the country's wealthy elite and many embassies. 'Armed gunmen split hostages into two groups' On Friday night, Hasnat Karim had brought his family to celebrate his daughter's birthday. Hasnat was too traumatised to say more than a few words about his ordeal, saying only that the hostage takers "did not misbehave with us". But he detailed to his father Rezaul how the gunmen -- who were armed with automatic weapons, bombs and makeshift machetes -- had split the diners into two groups. "The foreigners were taken to the upper floor and the Bangladeshis were kept around a table," said Rezaul Karim. In the chaos and confusion that erupted at the start, many diners were able to scramble to safety. One man who escaped told India's ABP News channel how the gunmen chanted slogans as they forced their way past the sole security guard on the door. "I rushed to alert others, some people managed to escape from a back route but the rest were trapped," he said on condition of anonymity. "They made people stand in a line. There must be about 20-25 staff and about 20-25 guests and then they switched off the lights and CCTV." A heavy gunbattle ensued following siege Bangladesh, where around 90 per cent of the population is Muslim, has just begun a week-long holiday to enjoy the Eid celebrations which accompany the end of Ramadan. As news of the siege spread, police rushed to the scene and engaged in gunbattles with the hostage takers but they met heavy resistance. "The hostage takers had automatic weapons and bombs," said Diego Rossini, an Argentinian chef who escaped into a neighbouring building. "The hostages, who had escape, were hiding and police were shielding them," Rossini told Argentina's television channel C5N. Rossini managed to escape into a next-door building while under fire. "I felt bullets pass so close to me, I felt fear like I've never felt in my life." Images posted by the Islamic State group as they claimed the attack showed two bodies soaked in pools of crimson. Senior army officer recounts scenes of chaos A senior army officer said that all 20 of the slaughtered civilians were foreigners and nearly all were hacked to death with makeshift machetes. Several dozen people have been attacked in similar fashion by Islamist extremists in the last two years, mainly members of religious minorities. A senior officer who was part of the operation which ended the siege on Saturday morning described a gruesome scene inside the cafe. "We saw blood in many places and were shocked to see the carnage," he told AFP on condition of anonymity. "We heard the gang saying Allahu Akbar and there was a slogan written on the wall which said Allah would grant them Jannatul Ferdous (ultimate heaven)." Among the weapons recovered from the scene were pistols, automatic rifles and sharpened machete-style blades. Apart from the slain hostages, the bodies of six gunmen were also recovered. The officer who took part in the storming said the attackers were all men in their early to mid-20s. "They were wearing sneakers and pants, with multiple pockets where they kept IEDs (improvised explosive devices)," said the source. Condolences pour in from across the world Popular for its breads and leafy garden, the Holey Artisan Bakery describes itself on Facebook as the "only truly Artisan Bakery Shop between Mumbai and Singapore", with mouthwatering images of pastries. The site was deluged Saturday with messages of prayer and concern from local Bangladeshi diners and others around the world. "Praying for those innocents and may Almighty curse those extremists... they can't be Muslim. These extremists are monsters," wrote a Facebook user named Siragis Salekin. (AFP)

Diners held hostage in Dhaka tell tales of trauma and survival

The US State Department said on Friday it had accounted for all diplomatic staff at its mission in Bangladesh&#39;s capital Dhaka following an attack by gunmen on a restaurant in the city&#39;s diplomatic quarter. 
 
Spokesman John Kirby, however, could not confirm whether private US citizens were caught up in a &quot;hostage situation&quot;. 
 
It was too early to say who was behind the attack or the motivation of the attackers. 
 
&quot;We have accounted for all Americans working for the chief of mission authority&quot; in Dhaka, Kirby told a press briefing. He said the situation was &quot;very fluid, very live&quot;. 
 
Later he added: &quot;We&#39;re still accounting for private Americans&quot;. 
 
Benjir Ahmed, the chief of Bangladesh&#39;s special police, said several foreigners were among a number of people taken hostage in the restaurant, which is located in a suburb frequented by foreigners and diplomats. 
 
Eight to nine gunmen attacked the restaurant in the Gulshan area of the capital. 
 
The attack comes a day after the State Department designated al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, known as AQIS, as a foreign terrorist organisation. The move would freeze any known assets the organisation, or its leader, Asum Umar, may have in the United States. 
 
The State Department said the organisation had claimed responsibility for the murders of activists and bloggers in Bangladesh, including Xulhaz Mannan, a gay rights activist employed by the US embassy in Dhaka. 
&nbsp; 
(Reuters)

Spokesman John Kirby however could not confirm whether private US citizens were caught up in a 'hostage situation'

The US State Department said on Friday it had accounted for all diplomatic staff at its mission in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka following an attack by gunmen on a restaurant in the city's diplomatic quarter. Spokesman John Kirby, however, could not confirm whether private US citizens were caught up in a "hostage situation". It was too early to say who was behind the attack or the motivation of the attackers. "We have accounted for all Americans working for the chief of mission authority" in Dhaka, Kirby told a press briefing. He said the situation was "very fluid, very live". Later he added: "We're still accounting for private Americans". Benjir Ahmed, the chief of Bangladesh's special police, said several foreigners were among a number of people taken hostage in the restaurant, which is located in a suburb frequented by foreigners and diplomats. Eight to nine gunmen attacked the restaurant in the Gulshan area of the capital. The attack comes a day after the State Department designated al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, known as AQIS, as a foreign terrorist organisation. The move would freeze any known assets the organisation, or its leader, Asum Umar, may have in the United States. The State Department said the organisation had claimed responsibility for the murders of activists and bloggers in Bangladesh, including Xulhaz Mannan, a gay rights activist employed by the US embassy in Dhaka. (Reuters)

All US diplomatic staff accounted for in Dhaka, says State Department

A Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in western Bangladesh today, police said, the latest in a series of attacks on religious minorities by suspected Islamists. 
 
Shyamananda Das, who helped conduct prayers at the Radhamadan Gopal Bigraha Math in Jhenaidah district, was killed by three men on a motorcycle as he was walking on a highway adjacent to his temple early in the morning, police said. 
 
&quot;They hacked him on his neck three times and there was one stabbing mark in his head,&quot; deputy police chief of the district Gopinath Kanjilal told AFP. 
 
&quot;He died after he was brought to a hospital.&quot; 
 
Kanjilal said Das, also known as Babaji, was &quot;a priest&quot; in the temple. But local police station chief inspector Hasan Hafizur Rahman told AFP the 50-year-old man was &quot;a temple volunteer who helps conduct prayers&quot;. 
 
&quot;He was an itinerant temple volunteer who travels from one temple to another to serve the Hindu devotees. He came to this temple only yesterday,&quot; he said. 
 
Police said no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but that it the bore the hallmarks of the recent murders of people from the country&#39;s religious minorities by suspected home-grown Islamist militants. 
 
&quot;The pattern of the killing is similar&quot; to ones carried out by local Islamist militants, Rahman said. 
 
Last month a Hindu priest, 70-year-old Ananda Gopal Ganguly, was also hacked to death in a rice paddy field in the same district near his home. 
 
Deputy police chief Kanjilal said a student activist from the country&#39;s largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, has been arrested over the attack and he had allegedly admitted his role in the killing. 
 
Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of murders of secular and liberal activists and religious minorities that have some 50 people dead in the last three years. 
 
Victims of the attacks by suspected Islamists have included secular bloggers, gay rights activists and followers of minority religions. 
 
Although it is officially secular, around 90 per cent of Bangladesh&#39;s 160 million-strong population is Muslim and about one in ten are Hindu. 
 
(AFP)

Police say the attack bears the hallmarks of the recent murders of people belonging to the country's religious minorities

A Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in western Bangladesh today, police said, the latest in a series of attacks on religious minorities by suspected Islamists. Shyamananda Das, who helped conduct prayers at the Radhamadan Gopal Bigraha Math in Jhenaidah district, was killed by three men on a motorcycle as he was walking on a highway adjacent to his temple early in the morning, police said. "They hacked him on his neck three times and there was one stabbing mark in his head," deputy police chief of the district Gopinath Kanjilal told AFP. "He died after he was brought to a hospital." Kanjilal said Das, also known as Babaji, was "a priest" in the temple. But local police station chief inspector Hasan Hafizur Rahman told AFP the 50-year-old man was "a temple volunteer who helps conduct prayers". "He was an itinerant temple volunteer who travels from one temple to another to serve the Hindu devotees. He came to this temple only yesterday," he said. Police said no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but that it the bore the hallmarks of the recent murders of people from the country's religious minorities by suspected home-grown Islamist militants. "The pattern of the killing is similar" to ones carried out by local Islamist militants, Rahman said. Last month a Hindu priest, 70-year-old Ananda Gopal Ganguly, was also hacked to death in a rice paddy field in the same district near his home. Deputy police chief Kanjilal said a student activist from the country's largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, has been arrested over the attack and he had allegedly admitted his role in the killing. Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of murders of secular and liberal activists and religious minorities that have some 50 people dead in the last three years. Victims of the attacks by suspected Islamists have included secular bloggers, gay rights activists and followers of minority religions. Although it is officially secular, around 90 per cent of Bangladesh's 160 million-strong population is Muslim and about one in ten are Hindu. (AFP)

Hindu temple worker hacked to death in Bangladesh

Helped&nbsp;by&nbsp;exports&nbsp;and&nbsp;remittances&nbsp;and&nbsp;slower&nbsp;imports&nbsp;on&nbsp;the&nbsp;back&nbsp;of&nbsp;a&nbsp;drop&nbsp;in&nbsp;global&nbsp;commodities&nbsp;prices,&nbsp;Bangladesh&#39;s&nbsp;foreign&nbsp;exchange&nbsp; 
reserves&nbsp;exceeded&nbsp;$30&nbsp;billion&nbsp;for&nbsp;the&nbsp;first&nbsp;time,&nbsp;their&nbsp;highest&nbsp;on&nbsp;record,&nbsp;the&nbsp;central&nbsp;bank&nbsp;said&nbsp;on&nbsp;Tuesday.&nbsp; 
 
The&nbsp;reserves,&nbsp;enough&nbsp;to&nbsp;cover&nbsp;more&nbsp;than&nbsp;eight&nbsp;months&nbsp;of&nbsp;imports,&nbsp;are&nbsp;nearly&nbsp;$5&nbsp;billion&nbsp;higher&nbsp;than&nbsp;the&nbsp;same&nbsp;period&nbsp;last&nbsp;year. 
 
Steady&nbsp;garment&nbsp;exports&nbsp;and&nbsp;remittances&nbsp;from&nbsp;Bangladeshis&nbsp;working&nbsp;overseas,&nbsp;two&nbsp;mainstays&nbsp;for&nbsp;the&nbsp;country&nbsp;of&nbsp;160&nbsp;million&nbsp;people,&nbsp;have 
helped&nbsp;build&nbsp;reserves&nbsp;in&nbsp;recent&nbsp;years. 
 
Bangladesh,&nbsp;however,&nbsp;lost&nbsp;$81&nbsp;million&nbsp;from&nbsp;its&nbsp;account&nbsp;at&nbsp;the&nbsp;Federal&nbsp;Reserve&nbsp;Bank&nbsp;of&nbsp;New&nbsp;York&nbsp;in&nbsp;February&nbsp;in&nbsp;a&nbsp;massive&nbsp;cyber-heist.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The?reserves,?enough?to?cover?more?than?eight?months?of?imports,?are?nearly?$5?billion?higher?than?the?same period?last?year

Helped by exports and remittances and slower imports on the back of a drop in global commodities prices, Bangladesh's foreign exchange reserves exceeded $30 billion for the first time, their highest on record, the central bank said on Tuesday. The reserves, enough to cover more than eight months of imports, are nearly $5 billion higher than the same period last year. Steady garment exports and remittances from Bangladeshis working overseas, two mainstays for the country of 160 million people, have helped build reserves in recent years. Bangladesh, however, lost $81 million from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in February in a massive cyber-heist. (Reuters)

Bangladesh forex touches highest ever mark

Unperturbed over the length of his contract as India&#39;s new head coach, former spinner Anil Kumble believes he has enough time and matches to make an impact. 
 
Kumble, whose only coaching experience has been as mentor of the Mumbai and Bangalore teams in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, was given a one-year term last week. 
 
For the post, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) received 57 applications which were made available to an advisory panel that included former captains Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly and former batsman VVS Laxman. 
 
The BCCI said Kumble was handed a one-year contract so they could review their options for one of world cricket&#39;s most challenging jobs at the end of that period. 
 
&quot;I am talking about a journey,&quot; former India skipper Kumble told reporters in his first press conference on Wednesday after bagging the job. &quot;There are 17 test matches in the next 12 months. 
 
&quot;I just look at that as an opportunity to gain experience and contribute to Indian cricket,&quot; he asserted.&nbsp; 
 
Confident about team&#39;s potential as he braces up for upcoming&nbsp;assignment&nbsp; 
 
Kumble&#39;s first assignment will be a four-test series in West Indies, after which India is set for a bumper season of home action when they will be playing 13 test matches, eight ODIs and three T20 internationals. 
 
These start with three tests against New Zealand, while England and Australia will play five and four matches respectively. Bangladesh will also play a one-off test. 
 
India won their last test series in the Caribbean 1-0 and Kumble was confident they would return victorious again. 
 
&quot;When I became captain, I never thought if I will be captain for a year or longer,&quot; the 45-year-old said. &quot;This team has potential and we will go for wins in those 17 matches. 
 
&quot;There will be some hard moments but I am sure we will come out of those.&quot; 
 
Former leg-spinner Kumble, who heads the International Cricket Council&#39;s (ICC) cricket committee, is believed to be India&#39;s most successful bowler, capturing 619 wickets in 132 tests and 337 from 271 one-day internationals. 
 
 
Kumble hopes to assist captain in terms of &#39;strategy&#39;, &#39;progression&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Taking 20 wickets in tests have always been a challenge for touring India side and Kumble hoped his experience would come in handy. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s important the bowling group believe that they are leaders, which they are... just the mindset and whatever needs to be done,&quot; he added. &quot;The experiences I have had as a captain or as a player will certainly help in sharing those. 
 
He further added saying, &quot;It&#39; s a different role... I understand the role of staying in the background and it&#39;s the captain who takes all the calls on the field.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I will only assist him by giving him whatever necessary information there is in terms of strategy, progression,&quot; Kumble stressed.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

Former leg-spinner Kumble, who heads the ICC cricket committee, is believed to be India's most successful bowler

Unperturbed over the length of his contract as India's new head coach, former spinner Anil Kumble believes he has enough time and matches to make an impact. Kumble, whose only coaching experience has been as mentor of the Mumbai and Bangalore teams in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, was given a one-year term last week. For the post, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) received 57 applications which were made available to an advisory panel that included former captains Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly and former batsman VVS Laxman. The BCCI said Kumble was handed a one-year contract so they could review their options for one of world cricket's most challenging jobs at the end of that period. "I am talking about a journey," former India skipper Kumble told reporters in his first press conference on Wednesday after bagging the job. "There are 17 test matches in the next 12 months. "I just look at that as an opportunity to gain experience and contribute to Indian cricket," he asserted. Confident about team's potential as he braces up for upcoming assignment Kumble's first assignment will be a four-test series in West Indies, after which India is set for a bumper season of home action when they will be playing 13 test matches, eight ODIs and three T20 internationals. These start with three tests against New Zealand, while England and Australia will play five and four matches respectively. Bangladesh will also play a one-off test. India won their last test series in the Caribbean 1-0 and Kumble was confident they would return victorious again. "When I became captain, I never thought if I will be captain for a year or longer," the 45-year-old said. "This team has potential and we will go for wins in those 17 matches. "There will be some hard moments but I am sure we will come out of those." Former leg-spinner Kumble, who heads the International Cricket Council's (ICC) cricket committee, is believed to be India's most successful bowler, capturing 619 wickets in 132 tests and 337 from 271 one-day internationals. Kumble hopes to assist captain in terms of 'strategy', 'progression' Taking 20 wickets in tests have always been a challenge for touring India side and Kumble hoped his experience would come in handy. "It's important the bowling group believe that they are leaders, which they are... just the mindset and whatever needs to be done," he added. "The experiences I have had as a captain or as a player will certainly help in sharing those. He further added saying, "It' s a different role... I understand the role of staying in the background and it's the captain who takes all the calls on the field." "I will only assist him by giving him whatever necessary information there is in terms of strategy, progression," Kumble stressed. (Reuters)

Indian coach Kumble: Enough time, matches for me to make impact

Protesters in Dhaka formed a 10-kilometre human chain in a demonstration on Sunday protesting against secret killings and attacks on members of minority religions around Bangladesh. 
 
The protesters, including members of the 14-party alliance led by the ruling Awami League Party, held banners and chanted slogans following the attacks which were claimed by Islamic State or al Qaeda groups, despite the government denying that either has a presence in Bangladesh, a majority Muslim country of 160 million. 
 
Christian shopkeeper Sunil Gomez from Natore, Hindu priest Ananda Gopal Ganguly from Jhenaidah district, and Nitya Ranjan Pandey, a Hindu monastery worker from Pabna, were killed in attacks claimed by Islamic State in just one week earlier in June. 
 
Mahmuda Khanam Mitu, the wife of a prominent anti-terror police officer, was also stabbed and shot to death in an apparently targeted killing in the coastal Bangladeshi city of Chittagong. Her husband, police superintendent Babul Akter, had led high-profile operations against the banned Islamist group Jama&#39;atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). 
 
&quot;Recently there are secret killings by the militants all over the country. They are killing the religious minority, they are attacking priests of the different religions. At this moment we, all the supporters of the 14 party alliances and pro-liberation front, those who fight for liberation of Bangladesh today, form a human chain protesting against the secret killing and militants all over the country,&quot; said Member of Parliament Shirin Akhtar at the protest. 
 
The demonstration came a day after a suspected Islamist militant was killed on Saturday in a shootout in Bangladesh after he critically wounded a Hindu college teacher in the latest attack on minority groups. 
 
Ghulam Faijullaha Fahim, 19, who was in police custody, was shot when officers took him with them to help capture his associates, police said. Mathematics teacher Ripon Chakraborty was attacked by Fahim and two other knife-wielding assailants when he answered the doorbell at his home in Madaripur on June 15. 
 
At least 11 suspected militants have been killed in shootouts since November, including five earlier this month, as the authorities step up a hunt for Islamists to stop a wave of deadly attacks. 
 
Militants have killed more than 30 people since early last year, ranging from atheist bloggers and liberal academics to gay rights campaigners, foreign aid workers, members of minority Muslim sects and other religious groups. 
 
Hindus and Christians make up about 10 per cent of Bangladesh&#39;s 160 million population. 
(Reuters)

Militants have killed over 30 people since early last year, ranging from atheist bloggers to liberal academics and gay rights campaigners

Protesters in Dhaka formed a 10-kilometre human chain in a demonstration on Sunday protesting against secret killings and attacks on members of minority religions around Bangladesh. The protesters, including members of the 14-party alliance led by the ruling Awami League Party, held banners and chanted slogans following the attacks which were claimed by Islamic State or al Qaeda groups, despite the government denying that either has a presence in Bangladesh, a majority Muslim country of 160 million. Christian shopkeeper Sunil Gomez from Natore, Hindu priest Ananda Gopal Ganguly from Jhenaidah district, and Nitya Ranjan Pandey, a Hindu monastery worker from Pabna, were killed in attacks claimed by Islamic State in just one week earlier in June. Mahmuda Khanam Mitu, the wife of a prominent anti-terror police officer, was also stabbed and shot to death in an apparently targeted killing in the coastal Bangladeshi city of Chittagong. Her husband, police superintendent Babul Akter, had led high-profile operations against the banned Islamist group Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). "Recently there are secret killings by the militants all over the country. They are killing the religious minority, they are attacking priests of the different religions. At this moment we, all the supporters of the 14 party alliances and pro-liberation front, those who fight for liberation of Bangladesh today, form a human chain protesting against the secret killing and militants all over the country," said Member of Parliament Shirin Akhtar at the protest. The demonstration came a day after a suspected Islamist militant was killed on Saturday in a shootout in Bangladesh after he critically wounded a Hindu college teacher in the latest attack on minority groups. Ghulam Faijullaha Fahim, 19, who was in police custody, was shot when officers took him with them to help capture his associates, police said. Mathematics teacher Ripon Chakraborty was attacked by Fahim and two other knife-wielding assailants when he answered the doorbell at his home in Madaripur on June 15. At least 11 suspected militants have been killed in shootouts since November, including five earlier this month, as the authorities step up a hunt for Islamists to stop a wave of deadly attacks. Militants have killed more than 30 people since early last year, ranging from atheist bloggers and liberal academics to gay rights campaigners, foreign aid workers, members of minority Muslim sects and other religious groups. Hindus and Christians make up about 10 per cent of Bangladesh's 160 million population. (Reuters)

Bangladesh: 10-kilometre human chain protesting against attacks on minorities

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{7925e5b9-6228-427f-a482-00fa781626e1}{172}" paraid="1780931624" style="text-align: justify;" >The main suspect in the murder of the Bangladesh bloggers,&nbsp;Avijit&nbsp;Roy and&nbsp;Niladri&nbsp;Chattopadhyay&nbsp;Niloy, was killed in an&nbsp;alleged gunfight with the police in capital Dhaka&#39;s&nbsp;Khilgaon&nbsp;area early on Sunday. 
&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{05a0032d-ac79-453f-a114-958b5ecea2d7}{96}" paraid="295924590" style="text-align: justify;" >The suspect,&nbsp;Shariful&nbsp;alias&nbsp;Sakib&nbsp;alias Sharif alias Saleh alias&nbsp;Arif&nbsp;alias Hadi-1, was a top&nbsp;organiser&nbsp;of&nbsp;Ansarullah&nbsp;Bangla Team (ABT), Bangladesh&nbsp;newspaper,&nbsp;The Daily Star, reported&nbsp;Musudur&nbsp;Rahman, a Dhaka police officer&nbsp;as saying. ABT is a banned militant group.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{984d1263-ec83-482f-8a1a-583559350cb5}{12}" paraid="1413621411" style="text-align: justify;" >The &quot;gunfight&quot;&nbsp;apparently took place&nbsp;at&nbsp;Meradiya&nbsp;Banshpotti&nbsp;at about 2.00 am on Sunday.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{7362ad74-bce9-4f03-84af-fcff745e99de}{173}" paraid="1819828175" style="text-align: justify;" >The police had claimed they found evidence that&nbsp;Shariful&nbsp;was present at&nbsp;Dhaka University where&nbsp;Avijit&nbsp;Roy was hacked to death with&nbsp;machetes&nbsp;on February 26, 2015 and of his involvement even in the killing of&nbsp;Niladri&nbsp;Niloy.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{7d89d678-a532-47d7-8f4a-8dd68125f7d7}{27}" paraid="895991529" style="text-align: justify;" > 
Shariful, who was originally from Khulna,&nbsp;played an important role in the recruitment of ABT members, apart from providing training in&nbsp;firearms and information technology&nbsp;to the new recruits, as per the Dhaka metropolitan police&#39;s website.&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{7362ad74-bce9-4f03-84af-fcff745e99de}{159}" paraid="1494492534" style="text-align: justify;" > 
He&nbsp;was also linked to the murder attempt on&nbsp;publisher Ahmed Rashid&nbsp;Tutul&nbsp;at&nbsp;Lalmatia&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;killing of&nbsp;Riyad&nbsp;Morshed&nbsp;Babu, a student of Shanta Mariam University.&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{7362ad74-bce9-4f03-84af-fcff745e99de}{161}" paraid="1062033893" style="text-align: justify;" > 
This is not all, the police said&nbsp;Shariful&nbsp;was&nbsp;one of the brains behind the murders of&nbsp;Jagriti&nbsp;Prokashoni&nbsp;owner,&nbsp;Faisal&nbsp;Arefin&nbsp;Dipan, blogger&nbsp;Oyashiqur&nbsp;Rahman&nbsp;Babu, secular activist&nbsp;Nazim&nbsp;Uddin&nbsp;Samad&nbsp;and LGBT rights activist&nbsp;Xulhaz&nbsp;Mannan&nbsp;and his friend&nbsp;Mahbub&nbsp;Tonoy.&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{87805b9a-9ccf-46cd-b117-e1b01fe3d6f0}{205}" paraid="1372513054" style="text-align: justify;" > 
The alleged gun fight took place within hours of&nbsp;another&nbsp;suspected militant, nineteen-year-old&nbsp;Golam&nbsp;Faizullah&nbsp;Fahim, being killed in a&nbsp;reported ambush&nbsp;when he was taken along on a search for his Islamist associates, the police claimed.&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{e4ca9fd8-f38a-4e36-8526-4567b7e7bdbc}{166}" paraid="1621426751" style="text-align: justify;" > 
The search team was reportedly&nbsp;ambushed in a farmland.&nbsp;Faizullah&nbsp;was in police custody for questioning for attacking Hindu mathematics lecturer Ripon&nbsp;Chakrabarti&nbsp;and grievously injuring him&nbsp;in Bangladesh&#39;s&nbsp;Madaripur. Eyewitnesses managed to catch him and hand him to the police.&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{57b998cf-5434-431a-b2c2-d45e1cf5717d}{75}" paraid="1784564055" style="text-align: justify;" > 
As per the police,&nbsp;Fahim&nbsp;was a college student and was a member of the banned Islamist group&nbsp;Hizb&nbsp;ut-Tahrir&nbsp;--&nbsp;an international group which wants to combine all Muslim countries in a unitary Islamic state. The group is outlawed in several countries, including Bangladesh.&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{74659285-ee64-4e3d-82d9-6922b2b828be}{52}" paraid="1214658543" style="text-align: justify;" > 
Seven suspected Islamist militants have now been shot dead since Bangladesh launched a nationwide crackdown on local jihadist groups in the wake of a spike in the murders of secular activists and religious minorities.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The drive has seen more than 11,000 people including 194 militants arrested over the past week despite widespread criticism by local and international human rights groups.&nbsp;</div>

<div lang="EN-US" paraeid="{74659285-ee64-4e3d-82d9-6922b2b828be}{74}" paraid="840182797" style="text-align: justify;" > 
Nearly 50 people have been killed over the last three years in a wave of gruesome murders targeting Hindus, Christians, Sufi Muslims, secular activists and foreigners, with most blamed on or claimed by Islamist militants.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Many of the victims were hacked to death with machetes.&nbsp; 
(WION)</div>

Seven Islamist militants have been shot dead since Bangladesh started its crackdown on Jihadist groups

The main suspect in the murder of the Bangladesh bloggers, Avijit Roy and Niladri Chattopadhyay Niloy, was killed in an alleged gunfight with the police in capital Dhaka's Khilgaon area early on Sunday. The suspect, Shariful alias Sakib alias Sharif alias Saleh alias Arif alias Hadi-1, was a top organiser of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), Bangladesh newspaper, The Daily Star, reported Musudur Rahman, a Dhaka police officer as saying. ABT is a banned militant group. The "gunfight" apparently took place at Meradiya Banshpotti at about 2.00 am on Sunday. The police had claimed they found evidence that Shariful was present at Dhaka University where Avijit Roy was hacked to death with machetes on February 26, 2015 and of his involvement even in the killing of Niladri Niloy. Shariful, who was originally from Khulna, played an important role in the recruitment of ABT members, apart from providing training in firearms and information technology to the new recruits, as per the Dhaka metropolitan police's website. He was also linked to the murder attempt on publisher Ahmed Rashid Tutul at Lalmatia and the killing of Riyad Morshed Babu, a student of Shanta Mariam University. This is not all, the police said Shariful was one of the brains behind the murders of Jagriti Prokashoni owner, Faisal Arefin Dipan, blogger Oyashiqur Rahman Babu, secular activist Nazim Uddin Samad and LGBT rights activist Xulhaz Mannan and his friend Mahbub Tonoy. The alleged gun fight took place within hours of another suspected militant, nineteen-year-old Golam Faizullah Fahim, being killed in a reported ambush when he was taken along on a search for his Islamist associates, the police claimed. The search team was reportedly ambushed in a farmland. Faizullah was in police custody for questioning for attacking Hindu mathematics lecturer Ripon Chakrabarti and grievously injuring him in Bangladesh's Madaripur. Eyewitnesses managed to catch him and hand him to the police. As per the police, Fahim was a college student and was a member of the banned Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir -- an international group which wants to combine all Muslim countries in a unitary Islamic state. The group is outlawed in several countries, including Bangladesh. Seven suspected Islamist militants have now been shot dead since Bangladesh launched a nationwide crackdown on local jihadist groups in the wake of a spike in the murders of secular activists and religious minorities. The drive has seen more than 11,000 people including 194 militants arrested over the past week despite widespread criticism by local and international human rights groups. Nearly 50 people have been killed over the last three years in a wave of gruesome murders targeting Hindus, Christians, Sufi Muslims, secular activists and foreigners, with most blamed on or claimed by Islamist militants. Many of the victims were hacked to death with machetes. (WION)

Bangladesh bloggers' murder:?Main suspect?dead in gunfight with police

A teenage suspected Islamist militant being held in custody in Bangladesh was shot dead on Saturday&nbsp;in a gunfight, police said, days after he allegedly hacked and critically wounded a Hindu lecturer. 
 
Golam Faizullah Fahim, 19, who was in custody for questioning, was killed when officers came under attack in a farmland area after taking him to a river in search of his Islamist associates. 
 
&quot;Miscreants fired at the police van as we came near a jute farm. A gunfight ensued. After the gunfight we saw Fahim was shot and wounded. He died after we brought him to a hospital,&quot; Sarwar Hossain, police chief of Madaripur where the shooting took place, told AFP. 
 
Locals in Madaripur caught Fahim&nbsp;on Wednesday&nbsp;after he and two other suspected Islamists attacked and wounded 50-year-old mathematics lecturer Ripon Chakrabarti, a Hindu, police said. 
 
The attack was the latest in a wave of brutal assaults on secular activists, writers and religious minorities by suspected Islamist militants. 
 
Police later told reporters Fahim was a college student and was a member of banned Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir. 
 
Hizb ut-Tahrir (Party of Liberation) is an international group which wants to combine all Muslim countries in a unitary Islamic state. The group is outlawed in several countries, including Bangladesh. 
 
Six suspected Islamist militants have now been shot dead since Bangladesh launched a nationwide crackdown on local jihadist groups in the wake of a spike in murders of secular activists and religious minorities. 
 
The drive has seen more than 11,000 people including 194 militants arrested over the past week despite widespread criticism by local and international human rights groups. 
 
Rights activists also questioned the incidents of deaths in police custody, saying the militants were shot dead in &quot;cold blood&quot; in encounters staged by officers. 
 
Nearly 50 people have been killed over the last three years in a wave of gruesome murders targeting Hindus, Christians, Sufi Muslims, secular activists and foreigners, with most blamed on or claimed by Islamist militants. 
 
Many of the victims were hacked to death with machetes. 
 
This month alone, an elderly Hindu priest was found nearly decapitated in a rice field and a Hindu monastery worker was hacked to death, while a Christian grocer was found murdered near a church. 
 
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Hindu priest&#39;s murder and other recent attacks. 
 
But authorities instead blame homegrown militant groups and say international groups IS and Al-Qaeda have no presence in Bangladesh. 
 
Although it is officially secular, around 90 per cent of Bangladesh&#39;s 160 million-strong population is Muslim. Some eight per cent of the population is Hindu. 
(AFP)

Teen was in police custody. Was killed when officers taking him to search for his associates came under attack

A teenage suspected Islamist militant being held in custody in Bangladesh was shot dead on Saturday in a gunfight, police said, days after he allegedly hacked and critically wounded a Hindu lecturer. Golam Faizullah Fahim, 19, who was in custody for questioning, was killed when officers came under attack in a farmland area after taking him to a river in search of his Islamist associates. "Miscreants fired at the police van as we came near a jute farm. A gunfight ensued. After the gunfight we saw Fahim was shot and wounded. He died after we brought him to a hospital," Sarwar Hossain, police chief of Madaripur where the shooting took place, told AFP. Locals in Madaripur caught Fahim on Wednesday after he and two other suspected Islamists attacked and wounded 50-year-old mathematics lecturer Ripon Chakrabarti, a Hindu, police said. The attack was the latest in a wave of brutal assaults on secular activists, writers and religious minorities by suspected Islamist militants. Police later told reporters Fahim was a college student and was a member of banned Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir. Hizb ut-Tahrir (Party of Liberation) is an international group which wants to combine all Muslim countries in a unitary Islamic state. The group is outlawed in several countries, including Bangladesh. Six suspected Islamist militants have now been shot dead since Bangladesh launched a nationwide crackdown on local jihadist groups in the wake of a spike in murders of secular activists and religious minorities. The drive has seen more than 11,000 people including 194 militants arrested over the past week despite widespread criticism by local and international human rights groups. Rights activists also questioned the incidents of deaths in police custody, saying the militants were shot dead in "cold blood" in encounters staged by officers. Nearly 50 people have been killed over the last three years in a wave of gruesome murders targeting Hindus, Christians, Sufi Muslims, secular activists and foreigners, with most blamed on or claimed by Islamist militants. Many of the victims were hacked to death with machetes. This month alone, an elderly Hindu priest was found nearly decapitated in a rice field and a Hindu monastery worker was hacked to death, while a Christian grocer was found murdered near a church. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Hindu priest's murder and other recent attacks. But authorities instead blame homegrown militant groups and say international groups IS and Al-Qaeda have no presence in Bangladesh. Although it is officially secular, around 90 per cent of Bangladesh's 160 million-strong population is Muslim. Some eight per cent of the population is Hindu. (AFP)

Teenage 'Islamist' shot dead in Bangladesh, had attacked Hindu lecturer few days earlier

Last&nbsp;year &ndash; 2015 &ndash; was the worst year ever to be a journalist in South Asia.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Reporters are routinely threatened, attacked, jailed, and murdered every year in the region according to a new Reporters Without Borders report.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Working with the constant fear of being killed or hurt is no easy task. The feeling that something bad could happen at any time&nbsp;affects every aspect of your life. And you suddenly start feeling unsafe everywhere&nbsp;and all the time.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

According to the World Press Freedom Index 2016,&nbsp;there has been a &ldquo;deep and disturbing&rdquo; decline in media freedom around the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The news from South Asia is particularly bad. &ldquo;The media freedom situation worsened significantly or stagnated&rdquo; in the region the report says.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Maldives came in at 112 out of 180 countries on the index. It turns out the country is not just an earthly paradise of palms and coral. Radical Islam has been gaining in strength in the archipelago; freedom of the press has been one of its victims.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Communication Authority of the Maldives&nbsp;which controls all communication in the country,&nbsp;including the media,&nbsp;launched the first attack on the press in 2011 by shutting down journalist Ismail&nbsp;Khilath&nbsp;Rasheed&#39;s blog accusing him of producing anti-Islamic material.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Rasheed fought back&nbsp;by&nbsp;organising&nbsp;a small rally in the capital&nbsp;Mal?&nbsp;in support of the freedom of expression. He was attacked by a group of men armed with stones.&nbsp;They ended up fracturing his skull. A year later, while he was walking near his home, a man tried to slit his throat. Fortunately, the attacker missed a vital artery and Rasheed survived,&nbsp;but his attacker remains unidentified and at large.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The situation has not improved since. This April, the Maldivian police attacked a rally&#39;s participants demanding greater press freedom. Sixteen journalists were arrested.&nbsp;Four other reporters covering demonstrations against the imprisonment of former&nbsp;president&nbsp;Mohamed&nbsp;Nasheed&nbsp;were imprisoned.&nbsp;&nbsp;

There was good news,&nbsp;at least on paper,&nbsp;from Sri Lanka. The country moved 24 positions up the rankings as compared to 2014. Newly-elected President&nbsp;Maithripala&nbsp;Sirisena&#39;s government seems to be better for journalists. It lifted restrictions on foreign journalists visiting the country &ndash; they are now free to move about and no longer have to get their visas cleared by the&nbsp;defence&nbsp;ministry. And all exiled journalists have been invited to return to the country.&nbsp;

During the 10 years that Mahinda Rajapaksa was president, reporters allegedly received constant threats,&nbsp;and as many as 34 lost their lives. The murder of&nbsp;Lasantha&nbsp;Manilal&nbsp;Wickrematunge, founder of the newspaper The&nbsp;Sunday&nbsp;Leader, remains unsolved. In 2009, while he was driving to office, armed motorcyclists flanked his car and shot him. The Sirisena government has now decided to reopen the case and, interestingly, his brother has been appointed Sri Lanka&#39;s consul general in Sidney.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Pakistan remains the most dangerous place to work. Journalists in the country are faced with threats from all fronts &ndash; extremist groups,&nbsp;hardline&nbsp;Islamist&nbsp;organisations&nbsp;and government institutions. The resulting atmosphere of fear often leads to high levels of self-censorship.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Bangladesh,&nbsp;too,&nbsp;has become increasingly deadly for journalists. Several bloggers critical of Islamist extremists have recently been hacked to death; fundamentalist groups claimed responsibility for a number of the killings.&nbsp;&nbsp;

India is also surprisingly bad for reporters. Despite a lively media scene, the world&#39;s largest democracy does not seem to be a good place for a free press. India ranked 133rd on the World Press Freedom Index.&nbsp;&nbsp;

It is also among the top 15 countries in which a reporter is most likely to face abuse&nbsp;and even Afghanistan fares better. The report states: &ldquo;The governments of India&hellip; took little action in response to violence against media personnel and were sometimes directly involved in violations of their freedom.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The report&#39;s findings are not just bad news for journalists, they&nbsp;are bad news for everybody.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Journalists&nbsp;can end up self-censoring if they&nbsp;find&nbsp;themselves threatened. That is perhaps the most dangerous threat to journalism.&nbsp; A journalist must question, verify versions, and find discrepancies. And if he does his job honestly and professionally&nbsp;it should be made public. Sometimes&nbsp;this means exposing influential people. A reporter who fears for his or her life might decide to look away, to pretend something just did&nbsp;not happen. That is exactly what ruins a good investigation. Fortunately, some journalists have been brave enough to continue reporting despite having&nbsp;been&nbsp;badly&nbsp;threatened,&nbsp;but this cannot&nbsp;and should not&nbsp;be the norm.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Media is useful to society so long as it is independent and safe -- rights that any democratic government should protect.&nbsp;Media&nbsp;needs to be free to do its job without fear&nbsp;and&nbsp;to be effective.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Journalists in India more likely to face abuse than those in Afghanistan: Reporters Without Borders

Last year – 2015 – was the worst year ever to be a journalist in South Asia. Reporters are routinely threatened, attacked, jailed, and murdered every year in the region according to a new Reporters Without Borders report. Working with the constant fear of being killed or hurt is no easy task. The feeling that something bad could happen at any time affects every aspect of your life. And you suddenly start feeling unsafe everywhere and all the time. According to the World Press Freedom Index 2016, there has been a “deep and disturbing” decline in media freedom around the world. The news from South Asia is particularly bad. “The media freedom situation worsened significantly or stagnated” in the region the report says. The Maldives came in at 112 out of 180 countries on the index. It turns out the country is not just an earthly paradise of palms and coral. Radical Islam has been gaining in strength in the archipelago; freedom of the press has been one of its victims. The Communication Authority of the Maldives which controls all communication in the country, including the media, launched the first attack on the press in 2011 by shutting down journalist Ismail Khilath Rasheed's blog accusing him of producing anti-Islamic material. Rasheed fought back by organising a small rally in the capital Mal? in support of the freedom of expression. He was attacked by a group of men armed with stones. They ended up fracturing his skull. A year later, while he was walking near his home, a man tried to slit his throat. Fortunately, the attacker missed a vital artery and Rasheed survived, but his attacker remains unidentified and at large. The situation has not improved since. This April, the Maldivian police attacked a rally's participants demanding greater press freedom. Sixteen journalists were arrested. Four other reporters covering demonstrations against the imprisonment of former president Mohamed Nasheed were imprisoned. There was good news, at least on paper, from Sri Lanka. The country moved 24 positions up the rankings as compared to 2014. Newly-elected President Maithripala Sirisena's government seems to be better for journalists. It lifted restrictions on foreign journalists visiting the country – they are now free to move about and no longer have to get their visas cleared by the defence ministry. And all exiled journalists have been invited to return to the country. During the 10 years that Mahinda Rajapaksa was president, reporters allegedly received constant threats, and as many as 34 lost their lives. The murder of Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge, founder of the newspaper The Sunday Leader, remains unsolved. In 2009, while he was driving to office, armed motorcyclists flanked his car and shot him. The Sirisena government has now decided to reopen the case and, interestingly, his brother has been appointed Sri Lanka's consul general in Sidney. Pakistan remains the most dangerous place to work. Journalists in the country are faced with threats from all fronts – extremist groups, hardline Islamist organisations and government institutions. The resulting atmosphere of fear often leads to high levels of self-censorship. Bangladesh, too, has become increasingly deadly for journalists. Several bloggers critical of Islamist extremists have recently been hacked to death; fundamentalist groups claimed responsibility for a number of the killings. India is also surprisingly bad for reporters. Despite a lively media scene, the world's largest democracy does not seem to be a good place for a free press. India ranked 133rd on the World Press Freedom Index. It is also among the top 15 countries in which a reporter is most likely to face abuse and even Afghanistan fares better. The report states: “The governments of India… took little action in response to violence against media personnel and were sometimes directly involved in violations of their freedom.” The report's findings are not just bad news for journalists, they are bad news for everybody. Journalists can end up self-censoring if they find themselves threatened. That is perhaps the most dangerous threat to journalism. A journalist must question, verify versions, and find discrepancies. And if he does his job honestly and professionally it should be made public. Sometimes this means exposing influential people. A reporter who fears for his or her life might decide to look away, to pretend something just did not happen. That is exactly what ruins a good investigation. Fortunately, some journalists have been brave enough to continue reporting despite having been badly threatened, but this cannot and should not be the norm. Media is useful to society so long as it is independent and safe -- rights that any democratic government should protect. Media needs to be free to do its job without fear and to be effective.

2015 worst year for press freedom in South Asia

To meet their ever-growing energy needs, countries in South Asia are focussing on renewable energy in the long run. Some are also turning to nuclear power to bridge existing energy deficits in the short run. 
 
India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the three biggest economies of South Asia, are all on a growth trajectory. They grew by 7.3, 4.24 and 6.5 per cent respectively in 2015 (World Bank). The International Monetary Fund estimated that the world&rsquo;s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3.1 per cent in the corresponding period. Since sustained economic growth is inextricably linked to energy security, these countries need to take urgent measures to increase power generation, expand grid mapping and to check transmission losses. India and Pakistan have embarked on ambitious programmes of meeting their energy security needs by reducing dependence on conventional (fossil fuel dependent: oil, coal, gas) energy. And both New Delhi and Islamabad have placed the emphasis on tapping renewable and nuclear energy to achieve their goals. Bangladesh has modest renewable energy plans. It has steered clear of nuclear energy thus far. This is the way to go. 
 
According to the Indian Ministry of Renewable Energy, the country has plans to increase the contribution of nuclear power to overall electricity generation capacity (also called installed capacity) from 3.0 per cent to 9 per cent by 2035. New Delhi aims to draw 25 per cent of its total electricity supply from its nuclear power plants by 2050. India&rsquo;s nuclear power generation is by and large dependent on imported uranium. But due to earlier sanctions and lack of substantial uranium reserves, it has put a lot of resources to develop a unique nuclear fuel cycle to exploit its copious thorium deposits. However, the reactor is an experimental one and it will be a long while before it can be scaled up. 
 
India targets to achieve 40 per cent of total power generation capacity from renewable sources, mainly solar and wind, by 2030. This would translate to around 3,50,000 Megawatts by 2030. Clearly, in the long run, the Indians are hedging their bets on the renewable path. 
 
The picture is strikingly similar in Pakistan which grapples with six to eight hours daily power outages in its cities. Islamabad plans to construct 32 nuclear power plants by 2050. The Nuclear Vision 2050 document states generation of more than 40,000 Megawatts of nuclear power by 2050 which translates into 15 per cent of the projected capacity. 
 
The last Pakistan government in power announced that by 2030, almost 50 per cent of the country&rsquo;s installed capacity would come from renewable sources. The Quaid-e-Azam Solar Power Plant which is being built with Chinese help has been a step in the right direction. The largest solar project in the world, as Ecowatch calls it, started selling electricity to the grid in 2015. When completed in 2017, its installed capacity will touch 1000 Megawatts, according to China Dialogue. 
 
Bangladesh has set a target of getting 3168 Megawatts of renewable energy installed by 2021 which will account for 10 per cent of its total capacity, according to the country&rsquo;s Power Ministry. 
On the surface, it is surprising for countries, ranked medium to low in terms of human development indices and per capita GDP, to opt for the expensive renewable highway. Renewable power projects are many times costlier to build than nuclear ones. 
 
The cheapest power station to build are the ones which run on coal, oil and gas. But their operational costs are the highest and vary according to price fluctuations in international crude and coal markets. It is unsustainable in the long run and does not help in reducing carbon emission. 
 
Nuclear plants are many times expensive than those running on fossil fuels. But they are several times cheaper than solar or wind energy stations and require less space. 
 
But its operational cost in countries like India and Pakistan is not nominal as the reactors use expensive fuel such as uranium or plutonium which need to be imported. Alongside, nuclear plants require the most rigorous safety and maintenance standards which involve high costs. 
 
And in case of an accident at the plant in a country as densely populated like India, the financial and humanitarian cost may assume monumental proportions. The passing of the Nuclear Liability Act by the Indian Parliament in 2010 effectively absolved the reactor-selling nations such as Russia, France or the US of any liability in case of an accident. This is a gambit that goes horribly wrong when it does. 
 
There was widespread opposition to ratification of the Nuclear Liability Act. Protests even spread to rural pockets leading to clashes between agitators and policemen. But India&rsquo;s energy demand doubled between 1991 and 2011 and the government pushed the pedal. 
 
Renewable energy projects cost a bomb but are the cheapest to run. They have zero raw material costs, negligible maintenance costs and zero carbon emission. And last but not the least, in case of any critical failure, they do not endanger the lives and livelihoods of thousands or pose a threat to the natural environment. 
As technology advances and economies of scale kick in, and they are scaling rapidly, the costs will come down. 
 
Ideally, countries in South Asia must collaborate, taking into account each other&rsquo;s strong points to offset the high costs of renewable power projects. For example, cement and other construction materials in Pakistan are cheaper than India. In technology components, India enjoys a cost advantage because of the economies of scale. The countries in the region are already discussing buying from and selling electricity to each other. It would be a good idea to involve Nepal and Bhutan as well. The point is to take the &lsquo;power&rsquo; equation in the region to the next level.

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other South Asian countries must work with each other to offset the high costs of renewable power projects

To meet their ever-growing energy needs, countries in South Asia are focussing on renewable energy in the long run. Some are also turning to nuclear power to bridge existing energy deficits in the short run. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the three biggest economies of South Asia, are all on a growth trajectory. They grew by 7.3, 4.24 and 6.5 per cent respectively in 2015 (World Bank). The International Monetary Fund estimated that the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3.1 per cent in the corresponding period. Since sustained economic growth is inextricably linked to energy security, these countries need to take urgent measures to increase power generation, expand grid mapping and to check transmission losses. India and Pakistan have embarked on ambitious programmes of meeting their energy security needs by reducing dependence on conventional (fossil fuel dependent: oil, coal, gas) energy. And both New Delhi and Islamabad have placed the emphasis on tapping renewable and nuclear energy to achieve their goals. Bangladesh has modest renewable energy plans. It has steered clear of nuclear energy thus far. This is the way to go. According to the Indian Ministry of Renewable Energy, the country has plans to increase the contribution of nuclear power to overall electricity generation capacity (also called installed capacity) from 3.0 per cent to 9 per cent by 2035. New Delhi aims to draw 25 per cent of its total electricity supply from its nuclear power plants by 2050. India’s nuclear power generation is by and large dependent on imported uranium. But due to earlier sanctions and lack of substantial uranium reserves, it has put a lot of resources to develop a unique nuclear fuel cycle to exploit its copious thorium deposits. However, the reactor is an experimental one and it will be a long while before it can be scaled up. India targets to achieve 40 per cent of total power generation capacity from renewable sources, mainly solar and wind, by 2030. This would translate to around 3,50,000 Megawatts by 2030. Clearly, in the long run, the Indians are hedging their bets on the renewable path. The picture is strikingly similar in Pakistan which grapples with six to eight hours daily power outages in its cities. Islamabad plans to construct 32 nuclear power plants by 2050. The Nuclear Vision 2050 document states generation of more than 40,000 Megawatts of nuclear power by 2050 which translates into 15 per cent of the projected capacity. The last Pakistan government in power announced that by 2030, almost 50 per cent of the country’s installed capacity would come from renewable sources. The Quaid-e-Azam Solar Power Plant which is being built with Chinese help has been a step in the right direction. The largest solar project in the world, as Ecowatch calls it, started selling electricity to the grid in 2015. When completed in 2017, its installed capacity will touch 1000 Megawatts, according to China Dialogue. Bangladesh has set a target of getting 3168 Megawatts of renewable energy installed by 2021 which will account for 10 per cent of its total capacity, according to the country’s Power Ministry. On the surface, it is surprising for countries, ranked medium to low in terms of human development indices and per capita GDP, to opt for the expensive renewable highway. Renewable power projects are many times costlier to build than nuclear ones. The cheapest power station to build are the ones which run on coal, oil and gas. But their operational costs are the highest and vary according to price fluctuations in international crude and coal markets. It is unsustainable in the long run and does not help in reducing carbon emission. Nuclear plants are many times expensive than those running on fossil fuels. But they are several times cheaper than solar or wind energy stations and require less space. But its operational cost in countries like India and Pakistan is not nominal as the reactors use expensive fuel such as uranium or plutonium which need to be imported. Alongside, nuclear plants require the most rigorous safety and maintenance standards which involve high costs. And in case of an accident at the plant in a country as densely populated like India, the financial and humanitarian cost may assume monumental proportions. The passing of the Nuclear Liability Act by the Indian Parliament in 2010 effectively absolved the reactor-selling nations such as Russia, France or the US of any liability in case of an accident. This is a gambit that goes horribly wrong when it does. There was widespread opposition to ratification of the Nuclear Liability Act. Protests even spread to rural pockets leading to clashes between agitators and policemen. But India’s energy demand doubled between 1991 and 2011 and the government pushed the pedal. Renewable energy projects cost a bomb but are the cheapest to run. They have zero raw material costs, negligible maintenance costs and zero carbon emission. And last but not the least, in case of any critical failure, they do not endanger the lives and livelihoods of thousands or pose a threat to the natural environment. As technology advances and economies of scale kick in, and they are scaling rapidly, the costs will come down. Ideally, countries in South Asia must collaborate, taking into account each other’s strong points to offset the high costs of renewable power projects. For example, cement and other construction materials in Pakistan are cheaper than India. In technology components, India enjoys a cost advantage because of the economies of scale. The countries in the region are already discussing buying from and selling electricity to each other. It would be a good idea to involve Nepal and Bhutan as well. The point is to take the ‘power’ equation in the region to the next level.

South Asian mandate to renewable energy for sustainable growth

Bangladeshi clerics said on Monday they have issued a fatwa against the killing of minorities and secular campaigners in the mainly Muslim country where police have arrested over 10,000 people in a crackdown on militancy. 
 
Nearly 50 people have been killed over the past three years in a wave of gruesome attacks by Islamist militants targeting Hindus, Christians, Sufi Muslims, activists and foreigners. Many were hacked to death with machetes. 
 
Farid Uddin Masuod, who heads the Council of Bangladesh Clerics, said over 100,000 clerics had signed the fatwa, or religious edict, which will be made public on June 18. 
 
&quot;The fatwa unequivocally said these killings of non-Muslims, minorities and secular activists are forbidden in Islam,&quot; he told AFP. 
&quot;We&#39;ve said these killings are illegal and are crimes against humanity,&quot; Masuod added. 
 
Last week an elderly Hindu priest was found nearly decapitated in a rice field and a Hindu monastery worker was hacked to death, while a Christian grocer was murdered near a church. 
 
Other victims have included liberal activists and secular bloggers along with two foreigners and two gay rights activists. 
 
The Islamic State (IS) and a South Asian branch of Al-Qaeda have claimed responsibility for many of the murders. But the police and the government say they have no presence in the country. 
 
The fatwa announcement came as police said they had detained 3,115 people on the fourth day of a nationwide anti-militant drive aimed at stopping the killings, taking the total number to 11,307. 
 
Bangladeshi authorities had faced criticism for failing to tackle the violence, but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina vowed at the weekend to catch &quot;each and every killer&quot;. 
 
She has accused the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its Islamist party ally, Jamaat-e-Islami, of orchestrating the killings to destabilise the country. 
 
&#39;Acts of terrorism&#39; 
 
However, the BNP says 2,100 of its activists have been arrested and accuses the government of using the crackdown to suppress political dissent. 
 
Most of those arrested are wanted for criminal offences unconnected with militancy. 
 
Deputy inspector general of Bangladesh police A.K.M Shahidur Rahman told AFP just 145 of those arrested were members of Islamist militant groups. 
 
Police said they had detained two local leaders of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) on the outskirts of the capital with a meat cleaver and some Jihadi books in their possession. 
 
Police have blamed the ABT and another homegrown militant group, Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), for most of the murders. 
Many of the ABT&#39;s leaders are highly educated and the group has a reputation for sophistication. 
 
The crackdown comes after five suspected Islamist militants were shot dead in gunbattles with police in recent days. 
 
It is thought to have been triggered by the murder this month of Mahmuda Begum, wife of a top anti-terror police officer. 
 
The officer had led several high-profile operations against the JMB, scores of whose members were among those arrested in the latest sweep. 
 
Masuod said the police crackdown was important, but the clerics&#39; fatwa will discredit any Islamist groups that tried to defend the killings. 
 
&quot;The fatwa clearly says these killings are not a just part of Jihad, but mere acts of terrorism,&quot; he said. 
(AFP)

Nearly 50 people have been killed over the last three years in a wave of gruesome attacks targeting minorities, activists and foreigners

Bangladeshi clerics said on Monday they have issued a fatwa against the killing of minorities and secular campaigners in the mainly Muslim country where police have arrested over 10,000 people in a crackdown on militancy. Nearly 50 people have been killed over the past three years in a wave of gruesome attacks by Islamist militants targeting Hindus, Christians, Sufi Muslims, activists and foreigners. Many were hacked to death with machetes. Farid Uddin Masuod, who heads the Council of Bangladesh Clerics, said over 100,000 clerics had signed the fatwa, or religious edict, which will be made public on June 18. "The fatwa unequivocally said these killings of non-Muslims, minorities and secular activists are forbidden in Islam," he told AFP. "We've said these killings are illegal and are crimes against humanity," Masuod added. Last week an elderly Hindu priest was found nearly decapitated in a rice field and a Hindu monastery worker was hacked to death, while a Christian grocer was murdered near a church. Other victims have included liberal activists and secular bloggers along with two foreigners and two gay rights activists. The Islamic State (IS) and a South Asian branch of Al-Qaeda have claimed responsibility for many of the murders. But the police and the government say they have no presence in the country. The fatwa announcement came as police said they had detained 3,115 people on the fourth day of a nationwide anti-militant drive aimed at stopping the killings, taking the total number to 11,307. Bangladeshi authorities had faced criticism for failing to tackle the violence, but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina vowed at the weekend to catch "each and every killer". She has accused the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its Islamist party ally, Jamaat-e-Islami, of orchestrating the killings to destabilise the country. 'Acts of terrorism' However, the BNP says 2,100 of its activists have been arrested and accuses the government of using the crackdown to suppress political dissent. Most of those arrested are wanted for criminal offences unconnected with militancy. Deputy inspector general of Bangladesh police A.K.M Shahidur Rahman told AFP just 145 of those arrested were members of Islamist militant groups. Police said they had detained two local leaders of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) on the outskirts of the capital with a meat cleaver and some Jihadi books in their possession. Police have blamed the ABT and another homegrown militant group, Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), for most of the murders. Many of the ABT's leaders are highly educated and the group has a reputation for sophistication. The crackdown comes after five suspected Islamist militants were shot dead in gunbattles with police in recent days. It is thought to have been triggered by the murder this month of Mahmuda Begum, wife of a top anti-terror police officer. The officer had led several high-profile operations against the JMB, scores of whose members were among those arrested in the latest sweep. Masuod said the police crackdown was important, but the clerics' fatwa will discredit any Islamist groups that tried to defend the killings. "The fatwa clearly says these killings are not a just part of Jihad, but mere acts of terrorism," he said. (AFP)

Bangladesh clerics issue fatwa on Islamist killings

Authorities in Bangladesh have arrested at least 103 militants as part of a broad crackdown on Islamists after a wave of deadly attacks on members of minority groups and liberal activists, police said on Monday.

In addition to the arrest of the Islamist militants, about 6,000 suspected criminals have been arrested since law enforcement agencies began a week-long drive on Friday to halt a series of targeted killings in the mainly Muslim nation.

All the arrests were made on specific charges, national police chief AKM&nbsp;Shahidul Hoque said, relating to firearms, narcotics and other offences.

&quot;We will have to prevent the emergence of militancy collectively as a whole nation. It is not possible to eliminate it by police alone,&rdquo; Hoque said.

Over the past week, an elderly Hindu priest, a Hindu monastery worker and a Christian shopkeeper were hacked to death in attacks for which Islamic State claimed responsibility. The Muslim wife of a counter-terrorism police official was also stabbed and shot dead.

Militants have killed more than 30 people in Bangladesh since early last year, with atheist bloggers, liberal academics, gay rights campaigners, foreign aid workers, members of&nbsp;minority Muslim sects&nbsp;and other&nbsp;religious&nbsp;groups among the victims.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for 21 of the attacks since its first claim in September last year and al Qaeda has claimed most of the rest, according to Site Intelligence Group, a US-based monitoring service.

The government denies that either group has a presence in Bangladesh and says home-grown radicals are responsible.

Last month, junior foreign minister Shahriar Alam told Reuters that Islamic State was trying to ride a wave of religious radicalisation by falsely claiming killings and said there was enough evidence implicating domestic militant groups.

Police said two domestic militant groups - Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen and Ansarullah Bangla Team - were behind the attacks as part of their efforts to impose strict Islamic law on Bangladesh, whose population of 160 million are mostly moderate Muslims.

At least 10 suspected members of the outlawed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen have been killed in shootouts since November, including five last week, police said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to track down the killers, blaming the growing violence on political opponents linked to Islamist parties.

The main opposition party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, dismisses such accusations and said the mass arrests were a ploy to suppress political opponents.

Police also arrest 100 Islamist militants, who killed over 30 minorities and activists, in the mainly Muslim nation

Authorities in Bangladesh have arrested at least 103 militants as part of a broad crackdown on Islamists after a wave of deadly attacks on members of minority groups and liberal activists, police said on Monday. In addition to the arrest of the Islamist militants, about 6,000 suspected criminals have been arrested since law enforcement agencies began a week-long drive on Friday to halt a series of targeted killings in the mainly Muslim nation. All the arrests were made on specific charges, national police chief AKM Shahidul Hoque said, relating to firearms, narcotics and other offences. "We will have to prevent the emergence of militancy collectively as a whole nation. It is not possible to eliminate it by police alone,” Hoque said. Over the past week, an elderly Hindu priest, a Hindu monastery worker and a Christian shopkeeper were hacked to death in attacks for which Islamic State claimed responsibility. The Muslim wife of a counter-terrorism police official was also stabbed and shot dead. Militants have killed more than 30 people in Bangladesh since early last year, with atheist bloggers, liberal academics, gay rights campaigners, foreign aid workers, members of minority Muslim sects and other religious groups among the victims. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for 21 of the attacks since its first claim in September last year and al Qaeda has claimed most of the rest, according to Site Intelligence Group, a US-based monitoring service. The government denies that either group has a presence in Bangladesh and says home-grown radicals are responsible. Last month, junior foreign minister Shahriar Alam told Reuters that Islamic State was trying to ride a wave of religious radicalisation by falsely claiming killings and said there was enough evidence implicating domestic militant groups. Police said two domestic militant groups - Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen and Ansarullah Bangla Team - were behind the attacks as part of their efforts to impose strict Islamic law on Bangladesh, whose population of 160 million are mostly moderate Muslims. At least 10 suspected members of the outlawed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen have been killed in shootouts since November, including five last week, police said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to track down the killers, blaming the growing violence on political opponents linked to Islamist parties. The main opposition party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, dismisses such accusations and said the mass arrests were a ploy to suppress political opponents.

5,000 arrested in Bangladesh in crackdown on wave of targeted killings

Unidentified attackers hacked a 62-year-old Hindu monastery worker to death in Bangladesh&#39;s Pabna district on Friday, police said, the latest in a series of such attacks on religious minorities in the mainly Muslim country. 
 
The latest murder came as Bangladeshi police announced a special week-long crackdown on militants as they ramp up their efforts to stem the killings with five members of a banned Islamist outfit killed in gunbattles with officers in the past three days. 
 
Nityaranjan Pande was taking his regular early morning walk when the attackers set upon him, killing him on the spot, police said. 
 
&quot;As a diabetic, everyday he walks early in the morning. Today as he was walking, several attackers hacked him in the neck. He died on the spot,&quot; local police station chief Abdullah Al-Hasan told AFP. 
 
&quot;He had been working at the monastery for about 40 years. In recent years he was the head of its office staff,&quot; he said. 
 
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. 
 
The head of police in the northwestern district of Pabna, where the Shri Shri Thakur Anukulchandra Ashram is located, said the killing bore the hallmarks of recent attacks by Islamist extremists on minorities and secular activists. 
 
&quot;There was no eye-witness to the attack as it happened very early in the morning,&quot; Alamgir Kabir told AFP. 
 
Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of murders of secular and liberal activists and religious minorities that have left nearly 50 people dead in the past three years. 
 
Police crackdown 
 
The murders have spiked in recent weeks with a gruesome wave of killings that has spanned from the capital Dhaka to remote parts of the north and coastal south. 
 
In the past week alone, an elderly Hindu priest was found nearly decapitated in a rice field, a Christian grocer was hacked to death near a church, while the wife of an anti-terrorism officer was found stabbed and shot. 
 
Her husband had led several high-profile operations against the banned Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), an Islamist militant group, in the southeastern city of Chittagong. 
 
Most of the latest attacks have been claimed either by the Islamic State group or by a South Asian branch of Al-Qaeda 
 
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina&#39;s government has, however, blamed homegrown Islamists for the attacks, rejecting claims of responsibility from IS and Al-Qaeda. 
 
The JMB is one of the main domestic militant outfits in the frame for the murders with police shooting dead five members of the group since Tuesday. 
 
Shahidul Hoque, inspector general of police, vowed in an address to a meeting of top police officials in Dhaka Thursday that those involved in the killing of the police officer&#39;s wife would be &quot;brought to justice very soon&quot;. 
 
Experts say a government crackdown on opponents, including a ban on Bangladesh&#39;s largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, following a protracted political crisis, has pushed many towards extremism. 
 
Victims of the attacks by suspected Islamists have included secular bloggers, gay rights activists and followers of minority religions. 
 
Although it is officially secular, about 90 per cent of Bangladesh&#39;s 160 million-strong population is Muslim. Some eight per cent of the population is Hindu.

The 62-year-old was attacked during his early morning walk by unidentified assailants

Unidentified attackers hacked a 62-year-old Hindu monastery worker to death in Bangladesh's Pabna district on Friday, police said, the latest in a series of such attacks on religious minorities in the mainly Muslim country. The latest murder came as Bangladeshi police announced a special week-long crackdown on militants as they ramp up their efforts to stem the killings with five members of a banned Islamist outfit killed in gunbattles with officers in the past three days. Nityaranjan Pande was taking his regular early morning walk when the attackers set upon him, killing him on the spot, police said. "As a diabetic, everyday he walks early in the morning. Today as he was walking, several attackers hacked him in the neck. He died on the spot," local police station chief Abdullah Al-Hasan told AFP. "He had been working at the monastery for about 40 years. In recent years he was the head of its office staff," he said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The head of police in the northwestern district of Pabna, where the Shri Shri Thakur Anukulchandra Ashram is located, said the killing bore the hallmarks of recent attacks by Islamist extremists on minorities and secular activists. "There was no eye-witness to the attack as it happened very early in the morning," Alamgir Kabir told AFP. Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of murders of secular and liberal activists and religious minorities that have left nearly 50 people dead in the past three years. Police crackdown The murders have spiked in recent weeks with a gruesome wave of killings that has spanned from the capital Dhaka to remote parts of the north and coastal south. In the past week alone, an elderly Hindu priest was found nearly decapitated in a rice field, a Christian grocer was hacked to death near a church, while the wife of an anti-terrorism officer was found stabbed and shot. Her husband had led several high-profile operations against the banned Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), an Islamist militant group, in the southeastern city of Chittagong. Most of the latest attacks have been claimed either by the Islamic State group or by a South Asian branch of Al-Qaeda Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government has, however, blamed homegrown Islamists for the attacks, rejecting claims of responsibility from IS and Al-Qaeda. The JMB is one of the main domestic militant outfits in the frame for the murders with police shooting dead five members of the group since Tuesday. Shahidul Hoque, inspector general of police, vowed in an address to a meeting of top police officials in Dhaka Thursday that those involved in the killing of the police officer's wife would be "brought to justice very soon". Experts say a government crackdown on opponents, including a ban on Bangladesh's largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, following a protracted political crisis, has pushed many towards extremism. Victims of the attacks by suspected Islamists have included secular bloggers, gay rights activists and followers of minority religions. Although it is officially secular, about 90 per cent of Bangladesh's 160 million-strong population is Muslim. Some eight per cent of the population is Hindu.

Hindu monastery worker hacked to death in Bangladesh

India named six new Test venues today as they prepare to host New Zealand, England and then top-ranked Australia in an exhaustive home season starting in October. 
 
India will kickstart the season against New Zealand with three Tests and five One-Day Internationals, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said. 
 
England then arrive for five Tests and six limited-overs matches, while the Australia series is scheduled for February and March next year. 
 
Bangladesh will also play a one-off Test during the season, their first such outing in India since they gained Test status in 2000. 
 
The cities of Rajkot, Visakhapatnam, Pune, Dharamsala, Ranchi and Indore will host Test matches for the first time, the BCCI said after a meeting in Mumbai. 
 
&quot;I welcome the new Test venues. Their arrival will take Test match cricket to every corner of the country,&quot; BCCI president Anurag Thakur said in a statement. 
 
India will play 13 Tests in total during the season, the most since the 1979-80 home season, along with eight ODIs and three T20 Internationals. 
 
The BCCI also said that the domestic Duleep Trophy tournament in September will be played under lights and with a pink ball for the first time in the country. 
 
Australia and New Zealand played the inaugural day-night Test in Adelaide last year, attracting huge crowds.

BCCI president Anurag Thakur believes that with these new venues, Test cricket will go to every corner of the country

India named six new Test venues today as they prepare to host New Zealand, England and then top-ranked Australia in an exhaustive home season starting in October. India will kickstart the season against New Zealand with three Tests and five One-Day Internationals, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said. England then arrive for five Tests and six limited-overs matches, while the Australia series is scheduled for February and March next year. Bangladesh will also play a one-off Test during the season, their first such outing in India since they gained Test status in 2000. The cities of Rajkot, Visakhapatnam, Pune, Dharamsala, Ranchi and Indore will host Test matches for the first time, the BCCI said after a meeting in Mumbai. "I welcome the new Test venues. Their arrival will take Test match cricket to every corner of the country," BCCI president Anurag Thakur said in a statement. India will play 13 Tests in total during the season, the most since the 1979-80 home season, along with eight ODIs and three T20 Internationals. The BCCI also said that the domestic Duleep Trophy tournament in September will be played under lights and with a pink ball for the first time in the country. Australia and New Zealand played the inaugural day-night Test in Adelaide last year, attracting huge crowds.

India names new Test venues for home season

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