Desk Report:

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has inaugurated the month-long 28th Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF)-2024.

She opened the trade fair at the Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center in Purbachal New Town, on the outskirts of the capital this morning.

While opening the fair, the premier declared the handicrafts as the product of the year of 2024 as it will contribute a lot to women empowerment, employment and their self-reliance.

The fair is organised jointly by the Ministry of Commerce and the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).

State Minister for Commerce Ahsanul Islam, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Tapan Kanti Ghosh and Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) President Mahbubul Alam, spoke at the function.

Vice chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) AHM Ahsan gave the address of welcome.

A video documentary on the government measures taken in the last 15 years for development and expansion of the trade and business and attract local and foreign investment was screened at the function.

Local textiles, machineries, carpets, cosmetics, electrical and electronics, jute and jute products, household goods, leather goods including leather and shoes, sports goods, sanitary ware, toys, stationery, crockery, plastic, melamine polymer, herbal and toiletries, imitation jewellery, processed

food, fast food, handicrafts, home decor, furniture and other products will be displayed and sold in the fair.

Companies from Turkey, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Iran are taking part in the fair this year.

There are 351 stalls, including 16-18 pavilions, for the foreign companies.

The entry fee for the fair has been fixed at Tk 50 for general visitors and Tk 25 for children below 12 years.

The fair will open at 10am and close at 9pm on weekdays. On weekends, the visitors can stay until 10pm.

Buses will be available from Farmgate to connect with Metrorail and Elevate Expressway to facilitate travel to the fair.

A Dhaka court set today to deliver a judgment against two then-teachers of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College in a case filed over instigating the suicide of ninth grader Aritry Adhikary in 2018. The court of Judge Abdullah Al Mamun of Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge 12 of Dhaka will announce the verdict on Sunday afternoon. Last November 27, the same court fixed this day to announce the verdict after the arguments of the state side and the accused side.

They are the former acting principal of Viqarunnisa school Nazneen Ferdous and former morning shift in-charge Zinat Akhtar.

Earlier, on March 20, 2019, the investigating officer of the case, Metropolitan DB Inspector Kazi Kamrul Islam filed a charge sheet against the two accused in the court. Class teacher Hasna Hena was requested to be dismissed as the allegations were not proven. Then on July 16 of that year, the Judge granted Hasna Hena’s acquittal and acquitted her from the case. The court accepted the testimony of 15 out of 18 witnesses in the case.

According to the complaint, the teacher found Aritri’s mobile phone during the examination on December 3, 2018. Aritri’s parents were asked to go to school on the allegation of cheating on mobile phones. When Dilip Adhikari went to school with his wife and daughter, the vice principal insulted them and asked them to leave the room. Then Aritri’s father and mother went to the principal’s room and she behaved in the same way. At this time Aritri quickly left the principal’s room. Later, when the parents went home to Shantinagar, they found Aritri hanging from the ceiling fan in her room with a veil hanging from it.

In that incident, on December 4, 2018, his father Dilip Adhikari filed the case at Paltan police station as the plaintiff.