Chattogram
Ex-JMB commander gets 20 yrs jail in Chattogram
A Chattogram court on Tuesday sentenced a former commander of banned militant outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to 20 years imprisonment in two cases filed over the Explosives Substances Act and the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The convict was Ershad Hossain alias Mamun, son of Riazul Islam of Dinajpur district.
Judge of the Chattogram Additional Session Judge Court-4, Shariful Alam Bhuiya announced the verdict.
The court also fined him Tk 20,000 and if he failed to pay the money he will be jailed for one year more.
According to the prosecution, police arrested Ershad from a house in Akbar Shah area and seized some explosives, bomb making materials and some books from his possession on March 23, 2015.
Sub-inspector of Akbar Shah Police Station, Shahidur Rahman filed two separate cases against him under the Explosives Substance Act and the Anti-Terrorism Act.
On April 8, 2016, police submitted chargesheets against him in the two cases.
The court also acquitted three persons—Bulbul Ahmed Sarkar alias Fuad, 26, Md Sujon, 24 and Mahabubur Rahman alias Khokon, 35—as allegations brought against them could not be proved.
Rain, thundershowers likely in Dhaka, Ctg, Khulna and other divisions: Met Office
Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) on Friday predicted rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind in different parts of the country over 24 hours, starting at 9 am Friday.
“Rain/thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty/squally wind is likely to occur at one or two places over Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram & Sylhet divisions with hails at isolated places,” A Met Office bulletin reads.
Weather may remain mainly dry with temporary partly cloudy skies elsewhere over the country, the bulletin added.
Meanwhile, both the day and night temperature will rise slightly all over the country, according to the bulletin.
A trough of westerly low lies over India’s West Bengal and adjoining areas.
A low-pressure area is likely to form over the south Bay of Bengal around May 7 and it is likely to intensify, said a special bulletin from the Met Office on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that a cyclonic storm brewing in the southeast Bay of Bengal will proceed towards the north-northwest until May 10 and then recurve towards the south-east Bangladesh and adjoining Myanmar coasts on May 11.
A cyclonic circulation is likely to develop over the southeast Bay of Bengal around May 6 which is likely to develop into a severe cyclonic storm, according to IMD's model guidance.
According to IMD, the low pressure area formed under the influence of cyclonic circulation may concentrate into a depression over the same area around May 8.
"And thereafter there is a good possibility of its intensification into a cyclonic storm while moving nearly northward towards central Bay of Bengal," the IMD bulletin added.
The IMD Global Forecast System is indicating a north-northwestwards movement of the storm till 10th and then a "northeast awards recurvature towards southeast Bangladesh and adjoining Myanmar coasts.”
Train movement from Ctg, Sylhet to Dhaka resumes 9 hrs after rail tracks in B’baria bent due to heat
Train movement from Chattogram and Sylhet (up line) to Dhaka resumed on Saturday night around nine hours after the rail tracks got bent due to severe heat in Brahmanbaria.
Mehedhi Hasan Md Tarek, executive engineer of Akhaura Railway, said the train communication of Dhaka with Chattogram and Sylhet (up line) resumed around 8pm after fixing the train tracks.
“We ended the repair works of the bent tracks immediately along with fixing the fittings after the temperature fell down in the afternoon,” he said, adding that patrolling measures will be taken to ward off such incidents in future.
Also Read: Container train derails in Brahmanbaria; Rail communication from Ctg, Sylhet to Dhaka snapped
According to the railway, rail tracks may bend when temperature goes beyond 40 Degree Celsius. The tracks in the district got bent for the second time in a week.
Earlier, the train movement from Chattogram and Sylhet (up line) to Dhaka was suspended as the rail tracks got bent due to severe heat.
Brahmanbaria Railway Station’s Master Md Rafiqul Islam then said the tracks got bent at Dariyarpur in the outskirts of the city around 11am after Dhaka-bound Upakul Express from Nokhali crossed the area around 10 am, snapping rail communication.
However the train movement from Dhaka to Chattogram and Sylhet (down line) remained normal.
Earlier on Thursday afternoon, seven bogies of a container train veered off the tracks in the Dariyarpur area while heading towards the capital from Chattogram due to severe heat around 12:50pm.
The rail tracks became normal for movement around 16 hours later after it was fixed.
Fire at Ctg tyre warehouse under control, train communication resumes
The fire that broke out at a tyre warehouse in Dewanhat area of Chattogram port city on Saturday noon was brought under control after around one and a half hours.
Abdul Hamid, deputy assistant director of Chattogram Fire Service and Civil Defense, said the blaze was brought under control after around one and a half hours of frantic efforts by firefighters from 11 units.
The train movement between Dhaka and Chattogram resumed after the fire was brought under control, he said.
The origin of the fire and the extent of damages could not be ascertained immediately, the fire service officer said.
Earlier, the fire broke out in the warehouse, adjacent to Dhaka-Chattogram rail track around 12:45 pm and spread soon.
Also Read: Fire breaks out at Teknaf Rohingya camp
Train communication of Chattogram with Dhaka and other parts of the country got stopped following the fire as the Chattogram-bound ‘Sonar Bangla’ express train failed to enter the Chattogram rail station.
Besides, two trains-Bijoy and Mahanagar Express trains- remained stuck at Marshal Yard.
Met Office predicts rain in Barishal, Ctg, Sylhet; heatwave to continue in Dhaka
Amid sweltering heat in most parts of the country, Bangladesh Metrological Department (BMD) has predicted rains and thundershowers at one or two places in Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions in 24 hours from 9 am on Monday (April 17, 2023).“Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country, having chances of rain or thunder showers at one or two places over Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions,” said a Met office bulletin.
Severe heat wave is sweeping over Khulna division and Dhaka, Faridpur, Gopalgang, Manikganj, Narayanganj, Rajshahi and Pabna districts.
Read More: Khulna reeling under severe heatwave
Mild to moderate heat wave is sweeping elsewhere over the country & it may continue.
Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged over the country.
A trough of low lies over West Bengal and adjoining area. Seasonal low lies over South Bay.
Read more: Bangladesh: Heatwave may abate in 24 hrs
Shakib takes five as Bangladesh beat Ireland by 77 runs to seal T20 series
Bangladesh beat Ireland by 77 runs in the second T20 Wednesday in Chattogram to win the series with one match to spare.
Put in to bat first, the Tigers Bangladesh scored 202 for three after the match was reduced to 17 overs per side due to rain.
Litton Das and Rony Talukdar scored 124 runs in just 9.2 overs in the first wicket stand. Litton smashed 10 fours and three sixes to score 83 off 41 balls before falling to Ben White in the 12th over.
The wicketkeeper-batter Litton hit fifty off 18 balls, the fastest fifty by a Bangladeshi in T20s. He broke the 20-ball fifty record of Mohammad Ashraful in 2007.
Talukdar, too, played a free-flowing knock of 44 off 23 balls before being caught by Mark Adair off Ben White.
After that, skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Towhid Hridoy continued to pile on the runs. Shakib struck three fours and three sixes in his unbeaten knock of 38 off 24 balls.
For Ireland, White was the pick of the bowlers, taking two wickets for 28 runs in his four overs. Adair also managed to pick up a wicket but conceded 52 runs in his four overs.
Read more: Shakib becomes leading wicket-taker in T20s
Chasing 203, Ireland failed to offer any resistance against Bangladesh's quality attack. The in-form Taskin Ahmed picked up the wicket of Ireland captain Paul Stirling off the first ball of the innings.
After Taskin's first wicket, Shakib bagged five wickets in his first three overs and returned the figures of five for 22 in four overs. With this, he became the highest wicket-taker in T20s, surpassing New Zealand's Tim Southee.
Shakib now has 136 wickets in the format in 114 matches while Southee has 134 in 107 matches. After Shakib's bowling spell, Taskin took two more wickets and took three for 27 in four overs.
Curtis Campher hit an unbeaten fifty off 30 balls for Ireland.
Both teams will now compete in the solitary Test in Dhaka, starting on April 4.
Body of 10-year-old missing girl recovered in Ctg after 9 days
Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has recovered the body a 10-year old girl, who was abducted while going to school on March 21, at Pahartali Wireless Chicken Farm area of the Chattogram city.
Body of Abida Sultana Ayoni was recovered from a pond early Wednesday and it is suspected that she was raped before murder, said PBI SP Nayeema Sultana.
Prime suspect in this case Rubel was interrogated and according to his information, Abida’s body was recovered from the pond, she said.
Details will be revealed through a press conference today, said the PBI SP.
According to the case statement, the 4th grader was going to school on that day. When she reached Kazir Dighi's Sagarika Road area, local vegetable seller Rubel lured her to give kittens and abducted her which was caught on CCTV footage. Since then the girl remained untraced.
Building catches fire in Chattogram
A fire broke out at Moti Tower in Chwakbazar area in Chattogram port city on Saturday.
The fire started at a tailor’s shop on the ground floor of Moti Tower around 9:45 am and spread soon, said Shahidul Islam, senior station officer of Chandanpura Fire Service and Civil Defense.
On information, two firefighting units rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze after one hour.
Also read: Narayanganj fire death toll rises to 2 as another victim dies
However, the origin of the fire could not be known immediately.
The extent of damages is yet to be ascertained.
India can use ports in Ctg, Sylhet for better connectivity: PM
Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (March 19, 2023) said that India can use ports in Chattogram and Sylhet if they want.
The Prime Minister said this while Member of the Governing Council of India Foundation, Ram Madhav, called on her at her official residence Ganabhaban.
PM’s Deputy Press Secretary KM Shakhawat Moon briefed reporters after the meeting.
Sheikh Hasina said that the government puts emphasis on regional connectivity which will result in better people-to-people ties.
Also read: Teen gangs must be stopped: PM
The PM conveyed her greetings to the Indian Prime Minister during her meeting with Ram Madhav.
The member of the Governing Council of India Foundation highly appreciated the socioeconomic advancement of Bangladesh under the leadership of PM Sheikh Hasina.
He said that Bangladesh and India have excellent friendship as neighbouring countries and hoped that the relation will continue in the coming days.
Ambassador at Large M Ziauddin, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam and Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah were present during the event.
Read More: Be vigilant against food hoarding, black-marketing: PM
EC sues Jubo League leader for snatching EVM ballot unit in Chattogram:Official
The Election Commission has filed a case against a Jubo League leader on charge of snatching an Electronic Voting Machine’s ballot unit panel from a polling centre during the Boalkhali Upazila Parishad election in Chattogram.
Presiding officer of the centre, Sajal Das, filed the case with Boalkhali Police Station last night against Nirmalendu Dey Sumon, the joint general secretary of Sreepur-Kharandwip Union Jubo League and son of late Gaurang Dey of ward-9.
Confirming the case, Boalkhali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Abdur Razzaque said, an investigation is underway regarding the matter.
Also Read: Pabna rickshaw-puller murder: Jubo League activist put on 3-day remand
Earlier yesterday, the Boalkhali Upazila Parishad by-election was held. However, there was no voter turnout throughout the day. Almost all the centres were empty.
In the meantime, around noon, Sumon entered room-5 of Jaistyapura Ramni Mohan High School centre in Sreepur-Kharandwip union and took away the EVM ballot unit panel from the polling room.
Assistant Presiding Officer Harunur Rashid protested, but the Jubo League leader did not pay heed to it.
Later, Union Awami League President Ratan Chowdhury recovered the EVM ballot unit panel and returned it to the centre.
Police detained Ratan for questioning in this connection and later released him.