Jashore, Jan 22 (UNB) – Police arrested a madrasa teacher allegedly for posting a distorting photo of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on social media site Facebook.

The detainee is Shafiqul Islam Lition, 35, mathematics teacher of Tuniaghar Mohila Madrasa and son of late Ali Sardar of Tuniaghar area in Manirampur upazila. 

Sub-inspector Tapan Kumar Singh of Manirampur Police Station said Shafiqul digitally edited an image defacing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and posted it on his Facebook wall.

Locals found the matter and informed it to police immediately, and police later detained him from Fateyabad village in the upazila around 12:30 pm.  
 
Later, he was produced before the court, the SI added.
 

Bagerhat, Jan 22 (UNB) – The forest officials managed to recover a rare specimen of a river turtle (Batagur Baska) that is facing extinction, just as it was about to be sold at Mongla Bazar on Monday.

 Azad Kabir, officer-in-charge of Karamjal Wildlife Reproduction Centre, said the 40-year-old river turtle, weighing 12.5 kg has been caught in the net of a local fisherman from Putimari canal in Mongla upazila of the Sundarbans few days ago. 

Later, one Abul Hossain bought it for Tk 1,000. He is the one who took it to Mongla Bazar intending to sell it on at a profit.

Seeing an antenna-like device protruding from its back with a mobile phone number provided – the tell-tale sign of animals under study for some research project, local people called the number and informed the person who answered. 

It turned out to be Abdur Rab, station manager of a Batagur Baska project, who came and took it from Abul Hossain, an exchange of Tk 1,000 between Rab and Abul a paltry detail in the grand scheme of things. 

Abdur Rab then released the recovered animal at the pond of the Karamjal Wildlife Reproduction Centre.

The movement of the tortoise is being monitored through the satellite and four tortoise of this species are now alive while another one died in Barishal one month ago, said Azad.

Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan, divisional forest officer of Sundarbans East Zone, said the batagur baska species of tortoise is facing extinction. At least five males of the species were released in Sundarbans, with GPS tracker attached, as part of a research collaboration between the Vienna Zoo in Austria, a US institute, and the Forest Department of Bangladesh. 
 

Noakhali, Jan 22 (UNB) – At least 10 people including a child received bullet injuries during a clash between local Awami League and Jubo League men over establishing supremacy in Khalifarhat area of Sadar upazila on Tuesday.

The bullet wounded Solaiman, 28, Sumon, 23, Jasim, 45, Ohid Ulla, 35, Sabuj, 23, Masud, 35, Monir Ahmed, 55, Sabuj, 23, Jaker, 30, and Shanto, 12, were admitted to the sadar hospital.

Witnesses said supporters of Sadar upazila AL leader Shipon and Jubo League leader Jahir locked into a clash over previous enmity at Khalifarhat bazar.

At one stage, the supporters of Shipon carried out an attack on Jahir’s house with firearms and sharp weapons triggering the clash followed by chase and counter chase between them.

Officer-in-charge of Sudharam Model Police Station Md Anowar Hossain said after being informed about the clash they rushed to the spot and controlled the situation. 
 

Nilphamari, Jan 22 (UNB) - Railways Minister Advocate Nurul Islam Sujan on Tuesday said the government has plans to build a separate double-lane railway bridge beside the existing Bangabandhu Bridge.
 
Soon the matter will be finalized with Japanese finance, said the minister while talking to reporters during a visit to Syadpur Railway Workshop in the noon.
 
“Intercity and mail train services will be made available in every part of the district. As per Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s direction, the railway sector will be refurbished,” he said.
 
The minister also said that the government has already undertaken 45 mega projects to enhance railway services and an agreement has been signed to add 40 more locomotives to its fleet.
 
Additional Deputy Director Md Shamsuzzaman, West zone Railway General Manager Md Amiruzzman, Nilphamari Deputy Commissioner Nazia Shirin and Superintendent of district police Md Ashraf Hossain, among others, were present there.
 

Jashore, Jan 22 (UNB) – The weeklong ‘Madhu Mela’, an annual festival marking the birth anniversary of great poet and originator of Bangla sonnets Michael Madhusudan Dutta, started at his birthplace in Sagardari of Keshabpur upazila on Tuesday.

State Minister of LGRD and Cooperatives Swapan Bhattacharya inaugurated the fair as the chief guest where Sheikh Afil Uddin MP, Mej Gen (Retd) Prof Dr M Nasir Uddin MP, Kazi Nabil Ahamed MP, Ranojit Kumar Roy MP and Ismat Ara Sadique MP were present as special guests.

Different cultural organisations in association with district and upazila administration have taken various programmes on the occasion. The fair will continue till January 28.

Marking the poet’s 195th birth anniversary that falls on January 25, the festival will feature discussions, exhibition and cultural programmes.

This year, Jatra (a form of Bengali folk-theatre) will not be displayed to observe the fair in a healthy environment.

Earlier, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages marking the birth anniversary of the poet.

Widely considered as one of the greatest poets in Bangla literature and a pioneer of Bangla sonnets, Madhusudan was born at Sagardari village on January 25, 1824.

He was educated at Hindu College in Kolkata and later converted to Christianity from Hinduism. He pioneered Bangla drama. His famous Meghnadh Bodh, a seminal work in Bangla literature, is a modern rendition of the heroic epic Ramayana.

Madhusudan’s genius and appeal was in his willingness to break from the past without abandoning it. His work ushered in the modern age for Bangla literature. He used the exceptional blank verse style in Bangla poetry.

The poet passed away at Kolkata General Hospital on June 29, 1873 and was buried there at Park Street.