United News of Bangladesh

Cumilla Zila Parishad Administrator Mostak Mia has claimed that National Citizen Party (NCP) Spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain and Chief Organiser (Southern region) Hasnat Abdullah took a total of Tk 25 crore from the Parishad’s revenue fund. According to Mostak Mia, also BNP Cumilla divisional joint organising secretary, Asif Mahmud, a former adviser to the interim government, allegedly received Tk 15 crore for projects in Muradnagar, while Hasnat Abdullah, MP from Cumilla-4, Tk 10 crore for projects in Debidwar. He made the allegations while addressing a prayer and discussion meeting held on Saturday on the district Shilpakala Academy premises. The event was organised, marking the 45th death anniversary of BNP founder and former President Ziaur Rahman. Speaking at the programme, Mostak Mia claimed that the funds were taken directly from the Cumilla Zila Parishad’s own revenue account. "From the revenue sector of the Cumilla Zila Parishad, Asif Mahmud took Tk 15 crore for Muradnagar and Hasnat Abdullah took Tk 10 crore for Debidwar. This was our own revenue money," he said. The Zila Parishad administrator further criticised the political figures, alleging a contradiction between their public statements and their conduct during the tenure of the interim government. "This is the condition of the coordinators. Although they spoke about unity, they failed to practise it among themselves. Their character during the interim government's tenure was of a different nature," he said. The claims made by Mostak Mia have not been independently verified, and no official documents or evidence were presented publicly during the event to substantiate the allegations.

A man allegedly hacked his sister-in-law and her infant son to death following a family dispute in Daulatpur upazila of Manikganj district in an attack, which also left the victim's husband injured. The incident took place at Fakirpara village under Bachamara union on Saturday night. The deceased were identified as Amena Begum, 28, wife of Abdus Salam, 40, and their one-and-a-half-year-old son Aswad. Salam was critically injured in the attack and was admitted to Daulatpur Upazila Health Complex for treatment. According to police and locals, a long-standing dispute over family matters and land ownership had existed between Abdus Salam and his younger brother Yusuf Ali, 35. Around 10:00pm on Saturday, Yusuf allegedly became involved in an argument with his elder brother and sister-in-law regarding family issues. At one stage, he allegedly attacked Amena and the couple’s young son with a sharp weapon, leaving them dead on the spot. When Salam attempted to intervene, he was also attacked and seriously wounded. Local residents rescued him and rushed him to hospital. Following the incident, the suspect fled the scene. Officer-in-Charge of Daulatpur Police Station Swapan Kumar Sarkar said preliminary findings suggest that the killings took place following a family dispute. He said they recovered the bodies and sent those to Manikganj Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. “Efforts are underway to arrest the accused," he said.

The screening of the film Banalata Express in Brahmanbaria has been postponed on Saturday, the organizers said. The event was arranged by the Brahmanbaria Film Society on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha and was scheduled to be held at Annada Government High School at around 3 pm. In a statement, the Film Society announced that a new date for the screening would be announced soon to avoid any misunderstanding. The postponement follows social media posts by students of the Qawmi Chhatra Oikya Parishad in the district. One post, featuring a red cross on a promotional card for the film, raised concerns. Subsequently, school authorities claimed they had not given permission for the screening, although the organizers insist that permission had been granted. Brahmanbaria Deputy Commissioner Md. Abu Sayeed said the organizing committee had not informed the administration about the event. Considering the discussions and criticism on social media, the screening has been suspended for the time being in the interest of law and order. The Brahmanbaria Film Society, a student-run organization, has been holding film screenings under the banner Bhatghumer Cinema Adda for a year. The Eid-ul-Azha screening of Banalata Express, directed by Tanim Noor, was part of their ongoing efforts to promote cinema in the district.

A 55-year-old farmer died after the fibrous part of a mango got stuck in his trachea in Alamdanga Upazila on Saturday morning. The victim, Shahidul Islam, was the son of the late Badar Uddin Mandal of Bhangbaria village in the upazila. Locals said Shahidul Islam was eating ripe mangoes at his home when the string inadvertently lodged in his trachea, causing severe breathing difficulties. Despite the efforts of family members and nearby residents to help him, he died shortly afterward. Boni Israel, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Alamdanga Police Station, confirmed that Shahidul Islam’s death was caused by the mango string blocking his airway. An accidental death (UD) case has been filed at the police station in connection with the incident.

A farmer in Lalmonirhat's Aditmari upazila has alleged that a group of neighbours attempted to grab his land by erecting a tin fence around his vegetable field and blocking access to his homestead despite a court order over the disputed property.  Farmer Abdur Rashid filed a written complaint with Aditmari Police Station on Saturday, seeking justice over the incident. Abdur Rashid, son of the late Jahed Ali of Boshintari village under Bhadrai Union in Aditmari upazila, alleged that his family has been living on and cultivating the disputed land for decades. According to the complaint, Jahed Ali purchased 46 decimals of land around 40 years ago and established a homestead there. Following his death, his sons Abdur Rashid and Abdur Rahim have been cultivating the land and residing on the property. Rashid alleged that neighbouring brothers Mukul Mia, Abdul Haque and Siddique, along with their associates, had long been claiming ownership of the land and threatening to take possession of it. Seeking legal remedy, Rashid filed a case with a court, which subsequently imposed restrictions under Sections 144 and 145 and directed both parties to refrain from entering the disputed land while the case remains pending. Ignoring the court order, the accused allegedly erected a tin fence around the vegetable field and the entrance to the homestead late Friday night and built a temporary shed on the land in an apparent attempt to seize possession. The family discovered the fence on Saturday morning and found that access to their home had been blocked. When they tried to remove the structures, the accused allegedly attacked them, leaving Rashid’s brother Abdur Rahim injured. Locals rescued him and admitted him to Aditmari Upazila Health Complex for treatment. Police later visited the spot, brought the situation under control and partially reopened the access route while instructing both parties not to enter the disputed land, according to local sources. Rashid subsequently lodged a written complaint against 11 people, naming Mukul Mia as the principal accused. "The land has been in our possession for a long time. Despite the case being under judicial consideration, the opposing party tried to occupy it by force and assaulted my brother," Rashid told UNB. Meanwhile, sons of Mukul Mia claimed that the land originally belonged to their ancestors and alleged that Rashid's family had been occupying it unlawfully. "We have simply fenced our own land," they said.  Nazmul Haque, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Aditmari Police Station, said police had received the complaint and would take necessary legal action after an investigation.

A 60-year-old man was killed in a road accident in the Sarighat Dakshin Bazar area of Jaintapur Upazila on Saturday. The accident occurred at around 12:30 pm on the Sylhet-Tamabil Highway, police said. The victim, Syed Ali, was a resident of Fadlipur village in the Lafnaut area of Gowainghat Upazila. He was the son of Abdul Latif. Locals said a Gowainghat-bound Safa Marwa Paribahan bus (Sylhet B-11-0159) was standing in the Sarighat Dakshin Bazar area. At that time, Syed Ali, who was standing behind the bus, was seriously injured when a Jaflong-bound Noah microbus (Dhaka Metro-Ch 13-6620) ran over him. Later, locals rescued him and took him to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Sanjay Chakraborty, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tamabil Highway Police Station, said highway police quickly reached the scene and seized the vehicle involved in the accident. The inquest report of the deceased has been prepared, and the body was sent to the Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy. He further said traffic on the highway returned to normal after the accident. Necessary legal action is being taken in connection with the incident.

At least 22 people were injured in a clash between residents of two neighbouring areas over the formation of a mosque committee in Raiganj Upazila of Sirajganj on Friday. The clash took place at Kabaripara Shahi Jame Mosque and involved worshippers from Kabaripara North and Kabaripara Dakshinpara, police said.  Of the injured, 11 were admitted to hospitals and private clinics, said Officer-in-Charge (OC) Ahsanuzzaman of Raiganj Police Station. The OC said the two groups had been at odds over the formation of the mosque management committee and control of the local Eidgah ground. The dispute turned violent during Friday prayers, a day after Eid, leaving at least 22 people from both sides injured. Police rushed to the scene and brought the situation under control. Additional police personnel have since been deployed in the area to prevent any further unrest. A case has been filed with the concerned police station in connection with the incident.

A teenage boy was killed and 15 other people were injured in a clash between two groups over protesting drug dealing in Uttarpara in Sarail upazila of Brahmanbaria district early Saturday. The deceased was identified as Raihan, 15, son of Choton Mia of the village. Officer-in-Charge of Sarail Police Station Manjur Quader Bhuiyan said one Sajeeb Mia gave Tk 300 to a young man around 10:00pm on Friday asking him to buy Yaba tablets for him but he purchased biscuit with the money instead of Yaba, and ate those. An altercation took place between Sajeeb Mia and the young man over the issue. At one stage, some anti-drug campaigners, including Jashim, Kamal and Dewan, appeared there and wanted to know the matter in detail. Two young men in support of Sajeeb – Shaheen and Ratan Mia – also appeared there and both groups locked into a heated argument, which continued till 12:30am on Saturday. At one stage, both groups equipped with sharp weapons attacked each other, leaving 16 people, including Raihan, injured. Raihan was taken to Sarail Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared him dead. On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

Three people were killed in a head-on collision between two motorcycles on the Naogaon-Bogura road at Baromile in Kahaloo upazila of Bogura district on Friday evening. The deceased were identified as Rahim, 21, son of Abul Kalam Azad; Apurba, 18, son of Yusuf; and Prem, 20, son of Suruj, all residents of Khans Naogaon Moholla in the Naogaon municipality area. They were all friends of each other. Sabuj Hossain, warehouse inspector of Kahaloo Fire Service and Civil Defence Station, said the accident occurred around 6:30pm when a motorcycle collided with another bike heading towards Bogura from Naogaon, carrying the three friends. The crash left the trio dead and another person injured. The injured person was taken to a local hospital. On information, police recovered the bodies and sent those to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital, said Bajendranath, sub-inspector of Kahaloo Police Station.

A 10-year-old boy was seriously injured in Shariatpur’s Jajira upazila after a suspected cocktail-like object he had picked up exploded while he was playing with it, leaving one of his wrists severed. The incident took place around 9:45 am on Friday (May 29) in the Char Kandhi area of Char Dhupr Union. The injured child, Rahat Mador, is the son of local resident Samsu Mador. Police said Rahat went to collect chillies from a field near his home located on an abandoned plot. There, he found an object resembling a toy. While handling it, the device suddenly exploded. The blast severely injured him, with his wrist reportedly blown off at the scene. Locals rushed to the spot after hearing the explosion and took him to Jajira Upazila Health Complex. As his condition worsened, he was transferred to Dhaka for advanced treatment and is now undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Family members alleged that there has been a long-standing land dispute in the area and called for an investigation into who may have placed the object there. Saleh Ahmed, OC of Jajira police station, said an investigation is underway, adding that legal action will be taken after verifying the facts.