The HC rule came on a PIL (public interest litigation) petition filed by ZI Khan Panna as chairman of Bangladesh Bar Council's Human Rights and Legal Aid Committee in the wake of persistent violence and unrest in five Chapainawabganj unions including Kansat. Thursday's PBUSP-BNP battle was the latest in a series of violent incidents that so far has killed 14 people and injured scores of others over a simple demand of villagers for uninterrupted power supply to those unions.

The court yesterday asked the government to explain in three weeks time why it should not be ordered to pay adequate compensations to the families of the violence victims.

The rule also wants the government and the local administration and power-supply authorities to rationalise why they should not be directed to ensure a minimum supply of electricity to the restive area at night.

The home secretary, inspector general of police, deputy commissioner and police super of Chapainawabganj, officer-in-charge of Shibganj Police Station, Rural Electrification Board, and Palli Bidyut Samity are the respondents in the case.

They have to explain why the January 4 and January 23 police firings on demonstrating villagers at Kansat, killing 10 people, should not be declared illegal.

Dr Kamal Hossain assisted by Advocate Idrisur Rahman, Barrister Sara Hossain and Barrister Tanjib-ul Alam moved for the petitioner.

SECTION 144 IN KANSAT
Our Rajshahi Correspondent reports: Shibganj upazila administration with an express aim to restore law and order imposed Section 144 in Kansat and the four other agitating unions yesterday, the third day of the PBUSP hartal protesting at Thursday's skirmishes that claimed four lives including that of a 14-year-old boy.

The ban on any gathering slapped on residents of the restive bordering area sparked fresh tension. With this, the government has virtually declared a war with the thousands of unarmed power-starved people of the area, PBUSP leaders said.

A man travelled about 5km from Bekipara Crossroads to Kansat Bazaar along Chapainwabganj-Sona Masjid Land Port road in a rickshaw escorted by nearly 100 policemen announcing the ban over a loudhailer.

“All gatherings of more than three people are prohibited from 12 noon today [Sunday] within the 5km radius of Kansat. The curfew will continue until 6:00am tomorrow [Monday] with a one-hour break from 8:00pm,” announced the man by an order of the acting upazila nirbahi officer of Shibganj, Dewan Abdus Samad.

The announcement claimed the step was taken to avert violence like last Thursday's.

The authorities gathered about 1,000 police, 100 Armed Police Battalion members and 200 BDR troops in and around Kansat to enforce the ban. "If necessary, we will bring more forces to restore normalcy in this area,” said Chapainawabganj SP Mahfujul Islam.

The administrative step came after the PBUSP on Saturday announced to hold a rally yesterday evening at Kansat Bazaar. But, as Section 144 was imposed, it held the meeting at Abbas Bazaar 3km off Kansat.

PBUSP joint convenors Arep Ali Tisu, Jahir Chowdhury and Golam Rabbani's wife Shamim Akhtar Parul addressed the gathering of some 5,000 people. They blasted the local administration for playing with the lives of thousands of villagers at the diktat of a ruling party lawmaker. The speakers called upon the locals to stay united and resist the local administration's attempts to ruin their movement.

A senior police official seeking anonymity claimed they are now trying to reinstate peace shattered by PBUSP Convenor Golam Rabbani.

"The PBUSP leaders have lost their morale. So, they failed to hold the rally at its scheduled place breaking the Section 144. We will now move onward to bring the people responsible for Thursday's violence to book," he said, hinting at raids on the villages.

Police meanwhile have removed the barricades from Chapai-nwabganj-Sona Masjid Land Port road. But trading activities at the land port remained suspended yesterday, as the police could not assure security of the traders.

Businessmen said about 300 goods-laden trucks remained stranded at the port yesterday. Of them some 100 lorries are loaded with onions and 50 with fruits, and both items are perishable, they told The daily Star.