United News of Bangladesh

Residents of several villages in Ullapara upazila of Sirajganj have been enduring severe hardship due to the dilapidated condition of a key rural road that has remained largely neglected for nearly two decades. The road, stretching from Hatdelua Battola intersection to Goaljani Ainul Haque Bazar, serves as a vital lifeline for thousands of residents, connecting villages with local markets, schools, healthcare facilities and service centres. However, years of neglect have left the road riddled with potholes, eroded edges and broken sections, severely disrupting daily life and economic activities. According to locals, around two kilometres of the road under the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) have remained without renovation since it was paved about 20 years ago. As a result, potholes have developed at various points, while both sides of the road are also eroding. The condition of the road worsens during rainfall. Even a small amount of rain makes the road almost unusable, forcing commuters to spend nearly two hours on a journey that should normally take only 30 minutes. Local farmers say transporting agricultural products to markets has become increasingly difficult, while students often struggle to reach their educational institutions on time. Patients and elderly residents also face serious difficulties travelling. “Travelling on this road has become a daily challenge. During the rainy season, vehicles can hardly move, and people are forced to walk through mud and water,” said a local resident. Residents said the carpeting layer of the road from Hatdelua Battola intersection to the southern corner intersection near the eastern bank of Chowdhurygati Pond vanished several years ago. Since then, no major repair work has been carried out. They alleged that repeated appeals to the upazila administration seeking renovation of the road have brought little result, leaving local people frustrated. The road plays a vital role in connecting villages with local markets and service centres. Residents believe that immediate renovation is necessary to restore normal communication and support local economic activities. Upazila Engineer Md Shohidullah said steps will be taken to renovate the road in the public interest. “The process for renovating the road is already underway,” he said. Executive Engineer of Sirajganj LGED Md Rezaur Rohman said instructions had already been given to the upazila engineer regarding the renovation work. He added that a tender for the improvement of the rural road is expected to be invited within the next few days. Local people now hope that the long-awaited renovation work will begin soon and bring relief to thousands of residents who depend on the road everyday travel.  

A bus that plunged into the Padma River from the pontoon of the Daulatdia Ferry Terminal in Goalanda upazila of Rajbari on Friday morning was salvaged several hours later, with no casualties reported. Rescue vessel Hamza salvaged the submerged bus from the riverbed around 12:00pm, said Mohammad Salah Uddin, assistant general manager of BIWTC's Daulatdia office. The accident occurred around 9:25am at Terminal-7 when the Dhaka-bound ‘SB Super Deluxe’ bus from Kushtia lost control and fell into the river while trying to board the ferry Bir Shreshtha Jahangir, officials and witnesses said. According to local authorities, passengers had already disembarked before the bus approached the pontoon, preventing what could have been a major tragedy. Goalanda Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sathi Das said there were no reports of deaths or missing persons. “All passengers got off the bus before it moved towards the pontoon. We have not received any missing complaints,” she said. The driver and his assistants, who were inside the vehicle at the time of the accident, were rescued with the help of locals and taken to Goalanda Upazila Health Complex for treatment. Barak Sheikh, supervisor of the transport company at Daulatdia Ghat, said the bus was carrying 37 passengers, while the driver, supervisor and helper remained on board when the accident occurred. He said the bus was attempting to board the ferry when it suddenly lost control, struck the ramp of another medium-sized ferry stationed nearby and broke through it before plunging into the river. Immediately after the incident, members of Fire Service and Civil Defence, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), River Police and other agencies launched a rescue operation. Hamza also rushed to the spot to join the rescue efforts. The latest incident has revived memories of a deadly accident at the same ferry terminal on March 25 this year, when a bus plunged into the Padma River from the pontoon, leaving at least 26 people dead.

A young man was killed after his motorcycle was hit by a bus on the Alamdanga Road in Chuadanga municipality on Thursday night amid rain. The deceased was identified as Akib Hossain, 25, son of late Delwar Hossain of the Islampara area under the municipality. Akib worked as a medical representative for Benham Pharmaceuticals Limited and also ran a pharmacy in his locality. Eyewitnesses said the accident occurred near the Ghoramara Bridge when the Purbasha Paribahan bus, heading towards Alamdanga, crashed into Akib's motorcycle around 7:45pm when it was raining, leaving him critically injured. Locals rescued and rushed him to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital, where the on-duty doctor declared him dead. Officer-in-Charge of Chuadanga Sadar Police Station Md Mizanur Rahman said the body was sent to the hospital morgue.

At least three people were killed and another injured in a road accident in Belkuchi upazila of Sirajganj early Friday. The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately, said Amirul Islam, duty officer at Belkuchi Police Station. The accident occurred around 6 am in the Meghulla area when a bus of Dhaka Express collided with a three-wheeler van, leaving three people dead on the spot and another injured. The injured person was sent to a local hospital for treatment, police said. Further details about the victims and the circumstances surrounding the accident were not immediately available. Police are investigating the incident, the duty officer added.  

Two cousins died after drowning in a pond in Bhedarganj upazila of Shariatpur on Thursday morning. The deceased were identified as Ridham, 8, and Rifat, 7. The incident occurred in the Dakshin Paprail area of the upazila around 10:30 am. Family members said Rifat had come to his maternal grandparents’ house with his mother, Sima Akhter, on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, he went out to play near the house with his cousin Ridham. When they did not return home for a long time, family members began searching for them. Later, locals and relatives found them in a nearby pond and rescued them around 10:30 am. They were taken to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared both of them dead. Deputy Inspector Faruk Hossain of Bhedarganj Police Station said police visited the scene after being informed.  He added that legal action would be taken if the family files a complaint.

Police recovered the body of a woman from beneath the floor of her son’s room in Nilphamari’s Kishoreganj upazila early Thursday, following allegations that he killed her and buried the body to conceal the crime. The deceased was identified as Marufa Begum, 60, wife of the late Ashraf Ali of Uttar Borovita Moydanpara village under Borovita union. Police recovered the body around 12:00 am on Thursday after excavating the floor of a room belonging to the victim’s son, Jewel Mia, who is accused in the case. According to family members, Marufa had been missing for several days. Her younger son, Lavin Mia, who had returned to the family home for the Eid holidays on May 30, said he became concerned after failing to find his mother when he returned. He said his wife later discovered bloodstains on a mattress inside their house. During a subsequent search, family members noticed cracks and freshly filled soil on the floor of Jewel’s room, prompting them to inform police. Acting on the information, police arrived at the scene and recovered the body after digging through the floor. Kishoreganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Lutfor Rahman said preliminary examination revealed injury marks on the left side of the victim’s forehead. “Initial findings suggest the woman was killed after being struck on the head about two days ago. The body was then buried beneath the floor of the room in an apparent attempt to hide the crime,” the OC said. The accused, Jewel Mia, fled before police arrived. However, his wife Hasi Begum, 35, and son Golam Rabbi, 18, have been taken to the police station for questioning. A murder case was filed with Kishoreganj Police Station on Thursday by Lavin Mia.

The death toll from suspected toxic liquor consumption in Mithapukur upazila of Rangpur has risen to five with the death of another man on Wednesday night. The latest victim was identified as Dula Mia, 45, son of Akbar Ali of Kumorpur Kantibari village in Balarhat union. He died at his home while undergoing treatment, said Mahidul Islam, a member of Ward No. 2 of Balarhat Union Parishad. Locals said several people consumed liquor at Balarhat Bazar on Sunday night and fell ill after returning home. Among them, Sattar Mia, 60, of Satventi Enayetpur village in Kafrikhal union, died at his home the same night. On Monday, Huzur Ali, 45, of Buzruk Jhalai village and Saju Mia, 55, of the Beltola area in Sangrampur, died while undergoing treatment at a hospital. Ershad Ali, 40, of the Pakarmatha area in Buzruk Jhalai village, died on Tuesday morning. Following the deaths, Mithapukur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Parvez visited the area. Ershad Sikder, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Mithapukur Police Station, said an investigation into the incident is underway. The bodies have been handed over to the families following legal procedures. Further action will be taken after receiving the investigation report, he said. Deputy Director of the District Narcotics Control Department Md Abu Zafar said five people had died after consuming suspected toxic liquor. He said police have filed a case and an investigation is ongoing. The exact cause of the deaths will be known after the report is received. He also said the department has launched an awareness campaign in the area, distributing leaflets and making public announcements through loudspeakers to warn people about the dangers of consuming illicit liquor.

Five people including three women were killed in lightning strikes in three upazilas of Chapainawabganj district on Thursday afternoon. They died during rainfall when lightning struck different areas of Sadar, Shibganj and Nachol upazilas. The deceased were identified as Abdullah, son of Md Rabbil of Atahar area in Jhelim union of Sadar upazila; Mahmuda Akhter, wife of Abdur Rab of Chakanrendra village in Chakkirti union of Shibganj upazila; Sadia Khatun, daughter of Abul Kashem of Ranibari-Bazarpara; Md Mesbaul, son of Fitu Ali of Shikarpur Dakshinpara in Mobarakpur union; and Sumiyara Begum of Lahabari village in Nachol upazila. Of them, three died in Shibganj upazila. Matiur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Shibganj Police Station, said the three victims from Shibganj were struck by lightning while picking mangoes in orchards near their homes during rain. Shibganj Upazila Project Implementation Officer Mizanur Rahman said the families of the victims were given Tk 25,000 each as immediate financial assistance. Chapainawabganj Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Ekramul Hossain said lightning hit Abdullah while he was  going to the field in the rain to bring cattle. He was taken to Chapainawabganj District Hospital where doctors declared him dead. In Nachol upazila, Sumiyara Begum died by lightning strike while returning home after collecting grass from a field, said Nachol Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sukomal Chandra Debnath. Authorities said financial assistance of Tk 25,000 each will also be provided to the families of the victims in Sadar and Nachol upazilas.

A university student drowned while bathing in a pond in Jamalpur on Thursday afternoon. Victim Tahmid Hasan Rafi, 23, was a second-year student of Islamic Studies at Kabi Nazrul Government College under Dhaka Central University. The incident occurred around 1:30pm when Rafi went to bathe in the pond of Government Ashek Mahmud College during heavy rain. Witnesses said Rafi and many of his friends entered the pond for a bath. At one stage, others returned to the bank, but Rafi went missing in the water. His classmates later rescued him from the pond and rushed him to Jamalpur General Hospital, where the on-duty doctor declared him dead. Family members said Rafi's father Mufti Md Zakaria Hasan is the imam of the mosque at Government Ashek Mahmud College and lives with his family in the college quarters. Rafi was married but had no children. Officer-in-Charge of Jamalpur Sadar Police Station Nazmus Shakib said an unnatural death case was filed. "As no complaint was lodged by the family, the body was handed over to them after legal formalities," he added.

A teenage girl whose body was recovered from a sack with her hands tied in the Padma River in Sadar upazila of Pabna on Wednesday was allegedly raped and murdered by her cousin, police said after cracking the case within hours. The body of Riya Akter, 15, a ninth-grade student and daughter of Azizul Pramanik of the Raghabpur area in Bharara union of the upazila, was recovered from the Padma River at Balrampur-Pirpur on Wednesday morning after locals spotted a sack. Following the recovery of the body, multiple police units launched a coordinated investigation, using local CCTV footage and information technology. Within hours, police cracked the case and arrested three suspects, including the prime accused. At a press conference held on Wednesday evening at the office of the Pabna Superintendent of Police, Additional SP Md Rezinur Rahman disclosed the chilling details of the crime. According to the police, Riya, a student at Moulana Kasim Uddin Smritee High School – was involved in a relationship with her cousin Naim. "On Tuesday night, an altercation broke out between Riya and Naim at the latter's residence. At one stage of the argument, Naim raped the girl and subsequently strangulated her to death," Rezinur Rahman stated. Following the murder, Naim, along with his accomplices, packed Riya's body into a sack and transported it via a private car to dump it into the Padma River. Locals had previously reported seeing a suspicious, unidentified private car carrying four young men in the area around 10:30pm on Tuesday. The vehicle had reportedly broken down while trying to leave the scene, forcing the occupants to seek help from local residents to push it to the Balrampur embankment.