Bangladesh
Statistics Alumni of CU held Eid-reunion, AGM
Statistics Alumni of CU, an organization representing the former students of Statistics Department, Chittagong University (CU) has hosted an Eid-reunion programme at Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD).
They also held its annual general meeting at the same venue which was presided over by organization’s President Dr Obaidur Rab.
Over 400 alumni and their family members from various parts of the country joined the daylong function, said the organizers on Sunday.
DNCC cleaner dies in Dhaka road crash
A cleaner of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) died after being hit by a CNG-run auto-rickshaw at Natun Bazar in Dhaka’s Gulshan area on Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Abdur Razzaque, 46, son of Foyez Uddin of Nazirpur upazila in Pirojpur district and a resident of Bhatara area in the capital.
Two die in separate road accidents in Ctg
The accident occurred around 6 am when the CNG-run auto-rickshaw hit him while crossing the road, leaving him injured, said Hasib Hossain, assistant sub-inspector of Gulshan Police Station.
Later, he was taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where the doctors declared him dead around 10 am.
3 die in separate road accidents in Ctg
The body kept at a hospital morgue.
30 injured in clash between police, RMG workers in N’ganj
Thirty people were injured in a clash between police and garment workers at BSCIC industrial area in Fatullah of Narayanganj district on Sunday.
Quoting witnesses, police said a group of workers of Abanti Colour Tex Limited blocked Dhaka-Munshiganj road around 9:30 am after placing bamboo, sticks, electric poles and logs demanding payment of their dues.
A two kilometer long tailback was created following the blockade.
On information, police rushed to the spot and the clash started around 12:30 pm when they tried to disperse the workers.
A chase and counter-chase took place in the area.
Police lobbed tear gas shells and fired rubber bullets and used water cannons to bring the situation under control.
Workers said the factory was declared closed on April 8 without clearing the dues for the month of March.
The owner of the factory earlier assured that they will pay their dues through mobile banking before Eid-ul-Fitr but the workers did not get their salary.
Vehicular movements in the area came to normal around 4 pm.
Contacted, Aslam Sunny, director of Crony group, said they have cleared the bonus of the workers but failed to provide the salary of the month of March due. He said they will pay the salary by Wednesday.
Additional police have been deployed in the area to avert further trouble, said Taslim Uddin, in-charge (investigation) of Fatullah Model Police Station.
‘Very severe’ heat wave hits parts of Bangladesh
Very severe heat wave has gripped parts of Bangladesh, with maximum temperatures ranging from 40 degrees Celsius to over 42 degrees Celsius in some areas.
“Very severe heat wave is sweeping Pabna, Jashore and Chuadanga districts and severe heat wave is sweeping Dhaka and parts of Khulna divisions and Rajshahi district,” said a bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Department on Sunday.
The country’s highest temperature was recorded at 42.2 degrees Celsius in Chuadanga on Sunday while Dhaka experienced highest 38.2 degrees Celsius temperature(the temperature recorded till 3 pm), meteorologist Shahinul Islam told UNB.
Mild heat wave sweeps Dhaka, 3 other divisions: BMD
Two people died from heat stroke in Chuadanga and Pabna districts on Saturday amid the extreme heat weather due to the prevailing heat wave for the past few days.
The season’s highest temperature in the capital Dhaka was recorded at 40.4 degrees Celsius on Saturday and the country’s highest temperature was recorded in Jashore at 42.6 degrees Celsius, which was also the season's high for the country.
The BMD issued a warning that the heat wave condition will remain unchanged for the five days commencing 9 am on Saturday (20 April).
Over 42 degrees Celsius temperature is considered as very severe heat wave while between 40-41.9 degrees Celsisus is considered as severe and 38 to 39.9 degrees Celsius is considered as moderate heat wave while 36 to 37.9 degrees Celsius is considered as mild heat wave in the country, according to the BMD.
Heatwave to continue in Dhaka, 3 other divisions for 72 hours: BMD
The heat wave condition forced the authorities concerned to close all schools, madrasas and colleges till April 27.
Dhaka University authorities also announced to hold classes online due to the scorching heat. The regular bulletin of Met office on Sunday predicted rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind at one or two places over Mymensingh, Sylhet and Chattogram divisions with hails at isolated places.
Weather may remain mainly dry with temporary partly cloudy sky elsewhere over the country, it said.
Mild to moderate heat wave is sweeping Barishal division and parts of Rajshahi division and Mymensingh, Moulvibazar, Feni, Cox’s Bazar, Chandpur and Rangamati districts and it may continue, the bulletin added.
Day temperature may rise by (1-2)°C over Rangpur division and it may remain nearly unchanged elsewhere over the country.
Night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.
Due to increase of moisture incursion, the discomfort may persists.
Won’t allow anyone to undermine independence and sovereignty: PM Hasina
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said Bangladesh wants to maintain friendship with everyone, but it will do whatever is needed to protect its independence and sovereignty.
“We do not want that anyone will undermine our independence and sovereignty. We want to go with friendship, but to protect our country’s independence and sovereignty we will do whatever is needed,” she said, adding “We have to always keep this in our mind.”
The prime minister declared this while addressing a darbar after inaugurating the newly constructed 'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Battery Complex' at the Artillery Center and School in Chittagong's Halishahar Cantonment.
“We want peace with all. Our country is an independent and sovereign one. We have attained victory through war. We have to retain that independence that we have got by winning the war,” she said.
Hasina said that nowadays war is also fought through digital means and that’s why the country needs to build modern knowledge-based highly trained armed forces.
PM opens ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Battery Complex' in Ctg
“We want that our armed forces will be more developed, more skilled and more trained and we are working in that direction,” she said.
She also said that Bangladesh Army is now a symbol of confidence to the nation as they always remain beside the people whenever is needed.
“The armed forces will discharge their responsibilities with professional skills, dutifulness, practice, training and be imbued with patriotism,” she said.
The premier said the Awami League government has been working to achieve the sustainable development targets by 2030 and build a developed, prosperous and Smart Bangladesh by 2041.
"For this, every member of the Bangladesh Army would have to be smart having knowledge of information technology," she said.
She asked the army personnel to work for maintaining the country's glory with dutifulness, professional efficiency and patriotism having confidence on and loyalty to the leadership.
She briefly described the measures taken by her government for the overall development of the army.
As part of the modernisation of the army, she said, ultra-modern aircraft, helicopters, UAV, fourth generation tanks, APCs, missiles to destroy tank and other war weapons have been added to the army.
Hasina highly praised the overall activities of the army for the country's welfare, saying, "Bangladesh Army has been well established as the symbol of confidence of the people."
She said that Bangladesh military have been highly praised at home and abroad for its work efficiency and professionalism in the peacekeeping missions of the United Nations (UN).
Modern light armoured vehicles and mine resistant ambush protected vehicles have been purchased for the army to enhance operational capabilities and ensure their security in the UN missions, she said.
PM Hasina urges farmers to form cooperatives to boost agri production
On her arrival at the venue, the prime minister was received by Chief of Army Staff General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed.
An audio-visual documentary on Mujib Battery was screened at the function.
Man dies after being hit by train in Dhaka’s Malibagh
A 58-year-old man died after being hit by a speedy train at Malibagh level crossing in the capital on Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Abdul Wadud, a security guard of a developer company and a resident of East Hazipara area.
Quoting Wadud's son Anwar Hossain, Masud Mia, assistant sub-inspector of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police camp, said Wadud was hit by the speedy train and injured while crossing the track of Malibagh level crossing around 8:30 am.
2 die as train hits truck while crossing rail track in Feni
Later, he was taken to the local hospital where the doctors declared him dead.
22-year-old dies as train hits him in Sirajganj
Right activists denounce vilification of ex-BUET students by FB page linked to war criminal Mir Quasem's family
A Facebook page endorsed by a British advocate who actively advocated for impunity of Bangladesh’s notorious war criminal from Jamaat-e-Islami found actively orchestrating false account of torture targeting former BUET students with questionable motive and one sided account.
Goes by the name Socchar, the page, operated from US, was inaugurated by Michael Polak hired by family of Mir Quasem Ali who earlier struck a million dollar deal with top lobbyists firms in US to shore up global support exploiting human rights ground to ensure impunity for war criminals.
In 1971, Quasem was general secretary of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat, and for war crimes earned notoriety of running a death factory in Chittagong.
When the student body re-emerged as Islami Chhatra Shibir in 1977, he became its founding president.
What rights activists described as faulty account, the target of the page has been those former BUET students including Tonmoy Ahmed who was reportedly hacked brutally by student arm of the Jamaat back in 2013.
Heatwave: National University-affiliated colleges to remain shut until further notice
A U.S. based defence think tank IHS Jane's Global Terrorism & Insurgency Attack Index 2013 put Shibir as the third most active non-state armed group in the world.
Two posts from the page appeared recently that coincided with a series of email campaign launched by globally categorised as extremist outfit Hizbut Taharir targeting students to join crusade against westerners and abandon all western values. Jamaat’s student outfit Shibir and the social media mouthpiece Basherkella also found echoing the tones of Hizbut over BUET.
Pointing out errors on the posts, Tonmoy, who now acts as coordinator in Awami League web team, put up a post on his facebook.
“How can a student be dragged down from exam hall and that too in presence of teachers and students without any media reports. Moreover found the flimsy allegations are levelled based on accounts of a former shibir leader who was involved in plotting the assassination attempt against me," wondered Tonmoy.
Recalling a similar pattern of baseless vilification months prior to attack on Dwip and him, he added “Before attacks, pages affiliated with Shibir including Basherkella ran a barrage of lies slapped on us including branding us “enemies of Islam.”
According to media reports, Tonmoy during his stint on BUET exposed a network of Shibir operating secretly to exploit general students.
Throughout 2013, during the war crimes trial, Jamaat and its affiliated bodies Shibir alongside other likeminded outfits orchestrated a deadly spell of violence including firebombing of buses, targeted killing and communal attacks to stop the trial process.
Back then, in two separate attacks two BUET students who were leaders of Bangladesh Student League BUET unit and went vocal over war crimes trial were stabbed brutally with one killed and another survived reportedly in machete attacks by Shibir activists as both of them were involved in creating awareness against these fundamentalist groups.
Ranjon Karmaker, a rights activist who has worked with Amnesty International, found the sudden and selective spread of such claim “a purposeful work with intent of spreading disinformation, solely focused with the agenda to serve the purpose of Jamaat’s student outfit.
Taking a dig at recommendation placed by the page to take legal action, he added “while there is no veracity of the claim, and two more gruesome attack on buet students is absent but the vigor for legal action is deplorable and reflects a complete lack of objectivity.”
Expressing alarm over the appearance of Polak at the inauguration of the page, Ranjan added “Unless involvement of Jamaat, Pollack would not have attended the inaugural. Pollak advocated for impunity of war criminals.
UGC probe body finds evidence of corruption, irregularities against IU VC
Back then, a global campaign was launched by the group of advocates including Pollak to save those infamous culprits who orchestrated one of the worst genocides in recent history.
The nexus of Jamaat behind running the page to vilify former BUET students who were anti war crimes campaigners is evident”
In association with another Jamaat hired lawyear Toby Cadman, Polak was found issuing joint statements undermining war crimes and went on an overdrive to present their clients—dreaded war criminals—as victims.
In reality the trial has been described as watershed moment by hundreds of thousands of people including war heroes and families of martyred heroes.
2 fishermen shot by ‘Myanmar border guards’ while fishing in Naf River
Two Bangladeshi fishermen were shot and wounded allegedly by members of Myanmar’s Border Guard Police (BGP) while they were fishing in the Naf River along Naikhongdia border in Teknaf upazila.
The injured were identified Mohammad Ismail and Mohammad Faruk, both hailing from Shah Porir Island’s Majherpar in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar.
Of them, the condition of Faruk was stated to be critical and he was shifted to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital from Teknaf Upazila Health Complex.
The injured fishermen and their relatives said when a group of 10 fishermen went to the river for fishing BGP members opened fire on them, leaving the two men injured.
Teknaf Upazila Health and Family Welfare Officer Dr Pranay Rudra said Faruk was hit by three bullets and he was sent to Cox's Bazar District Sadar Hospital for better treatment.
Mohammad Osman Goni, officer-in-charge of Teknaf Police Station, said they heard that two fishermen were injured in firing and they were trying to know the details.
Heat wave forces DU to shift to online classes
Dhaka University authorities announced that it will hold classes virtually due to the prevailing heat wave condition.
DU public relations office issued a press release in this regard on Sunday (April 21, 2024).
Schools, colleges to remain closed till Apr 27 due to heat wave
"To avoid health risks due to the intense heat wave prevailing across the country, all classes of Dhaka University will be held online until further order and exams will continue as usual," the notice reads.
Heatwave: National University-affiliated colleges to remain shut until further notice
To lower the health risks, the university authorities also suggested students to wear white or light colour cotton clothes, to stay under shadows, use cap or umbrellas, carry water and saline while going out and not to drink tea or coffee.
Prof Anu Muhammad suffers serious injuries while getting down from train in Dhaka
Prof Anu Muhammad suffered injuries on his left leg while getting down from a moving train at Khilgaon rail gate in the capital Sunday (April 21, 2024) morning.
Anu Muhammad, a professor of Jahangirnagar University and member secretary of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas,Mineral Resources, Power and Ports, was admitted to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital after the accident.
Woman dies in Meherpur as heat wave scorches the country
DMCH emergency department physician Dr. Md. Alauddin said all the five toes of his left let were severed and a toe of the right leg was also damaged.
Former Professor (Medicine) of Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital. Dr.Md Harun Or Rashid said Anu Mohammad went to attend a meeting in Dinajpur and was returning to Dhaka by train today.
Anu Muhammad told reporters that the train slowed down when it reached Khilgaon rail gate area and when he tried to get down his feet got crushed under the train wheels.
Body of missing youth recovered from septic tank in Gaibandha
Meanwhile, Dhaka Railway Police Station (Kamalapur) Officer-in-Charge (OC) Ferdous Ahmed Biswas said, "We are staying at the hospital to know how the accident occurred .”