Chattogram, Mar 20 (UNB) – A fire broke out at a warehouse of Singer in Pahartoli on Wednesday morning.

It broke out around 5:45am and spread rapidly, said Jashim Uddin, deputy assistant director of Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defense.

Four firefighting units went to the spot and extinguished the blaze.

Singer products such as TV, fan, air-conditioner, solar panel and furniture were destroyed in the fire.

The origin of the fire and the extent of damage could not be known yet.

Dhaka, Mar 20 (UNB) – A case has been filed in connection with the death of Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) student Abrar Ahmed Chowdhury in a road accident at Pragati Sarani in the city.

Brig Gen (retd) Arif Ahmed Chowdhury filed the case at Gulshan Police Station on Tuesday night, said Assistant Sub-Inspector Enamul Haque.

Abrar died after being run over by a bus of ‘Suprovat Paribahan’ in front of the main gate of Bashundhara residential area around 7:15am on Tuesday.

Protests triggered by his death continued for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.

Benapole, Mar 20 (UNB) – A schoolgirl in Jashore lost a leg in a road crash in Navaron on Wednesday.

Sixth graders Nipa, Rina and Saleha were injured after a pick-up van of Polly Bidyut Samity hit their school van on Jashore-Benapole Highway.

Nipa’s leg was severed.

The 13-year-olds are students of Buruj Bagan High School. 

The pick-up van rammed into the school van carrying the students around 10am, said Mashiur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sharsha Police Station. The injured were taken to a local hospital.

Agitated locals blocked the highway after the accident, halting vehicule movement.
 

Satkhira, Mar 20 (UNB) – Bangladesh Chhatra League’s district unit general secretary was accused of mugging and extortion by a local leader of ruling Awami League’s municipal unit on Tuesday night.

Aminur Rahman, treasurer of Awami League’s Satkhira municipality unit and also the vice-president of Sultanpur Boro Fisheries Traders Association, filed a complaint against Syed Sadiqur Rahman, general secretary of district unit Chhatra League, at the sadar police station.

According to the complaint, Sadiqur contacted Aminur around Tuesday noon. The Chhatra League leader told him to come to veterinary hospital and demanded Tk 5 lakh in extortion.

Aminur claimed Sadiqur assaulted him and tried to kill him. The Chhatra League leader and his cohorts snatched Tk 2 lakh from him and asked him to pay Tk 3 lakh the following day. They also warned Aminur against contacting police.

The complainant claimed pedestrians and police rescued him hearing his screams.

But Sadiqur rejected the allegations and claimed Aminur was a ‘drug trader’. “I did not extort money from anyone. Aminur’s complaint is false,” he said. 

Mostafizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said they would take legal actions after investigating the complaint.
 

Dhaka, Mar 20 (UNB) - Bangladesh’s capital was ranked worst in the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Wednesday.

Dhaka had a score of 179 at 10:50am, indicating that the air quality was unhealthy.

A numerical value between 151 and 200 indicates that everyone may begin to experience health effects. Members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.

India’s Delhi, Vietnam’s Hanoi, and Poland’s Krakow occupied the next three slots with scores of 174, 173 and 169 respectively.

Air quality between 201 and 300 is classified as ‘very unhealthy’. If the score is between 301 and 500, then it is classified as ‘hazardous’.

The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, tells people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.

Dhaka, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, has been grappling with air pollution for a long time. The air quality generally worsens during summer and shows signs of improvement in monsoon when the dust settles.