The government plans to set up a complaint cell at the home ministry to help people refused by police stations file cases.

The idea was discussed at a meeting of the home ministry's monitoring cell yesterday in the wake of a series of complaints that police refused to record cases by the victims in various incidents.

Home ministry sources said the cell, likely to start functioning shortly, will receive complaints through telephone and fax and act accordingly.

The 33rd meeting of the monitoring cell formed to review sensational and important cases was chaired by State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar.

The meeting reviewed the recent cases concerning the murders of 11 members of a Hindu family at Banshkhali in Chittagong , union parishad chairman of Eklashpur in Chandpur Rahmatullah at Pallabi and killing of Jubo League leader and businessman Azharul Haque inside the Chest Diseases Hospital in Mohakhali.

The state minister ordered the

investigation officers (IOs) to probe the cases quickly and properly.

In the Banshkhali tragedy, 11 members of a family including a four-day-old baby were burnt dead as robbers set fire to their house in a remote village, about 30 miles south off Chittagong city.

The IO of Rahamatullah murder case told the cell eight accused were arrested and two witnesses gave judicial statements before a magistrate.

The meeting was told that the cell has listed 213 cases for review -49 are under investigation, 103 on trial while 39 have been disposed of. Nineteen other cases have ended up in acquittal of the accused, final report and death reference or are merely on record.

There were 319 accused in 39 disposed of cases; 81 of them were awarded death penalty, 107 life, 41 failed for varying periods, 120 fined and 98 acquitted.

The meeting was attended, among others, the cabinet secretary, home secretary, inspector general of police, secretaries at the Prime Minister's Office and the establishment ministry, and the attorney general.