United News of Bangladesh

A police inspector was seriously injured in a machete attack by suspected muggers in Khulna city early Friday. According to police, three unidentified muggers intercepted Shah Alam, 43, an inspector posted at Khulna Police Lines, in front of Collegiate School under Khulna Sadar Police Station around 2:30am while he was returning after taking part in a special police operation in Rupsha upazila. The attackers took away his mobile phone and money before hacking him above both wrists with machetes, leaving him seriously injured. The police officer was initially taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital. As his condition deteriorated, he was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Additional Superintendent of Police of Khulna Shiful Islam said legal action is being taken in connection with the attack.

An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of police, who was detained along with three other individuals during a drive in a suspected drug den in Barishal city, has allegedly escaped from police custody. The accused, Delwar Hossain, 38, is an ASI of the Airport Police Station under Barishal Metropolitan Police. Members of the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) arrested Delwar and the three others during a raid on a house in the South Korapur area under the Airport Police Station around 6:30am on Thursday. The other arrestees were Nahid Hasan, 26, son of Abu Sayeed Mollah of Bhattokhamar Noapara in Fakirhat upazila of Bagerhat; Mirazul Islam, 34, son of late MA Bari of South Korapur; and Fatema Akter Nurjat, 30, daughter of Hemayet Gazi of Palashpur under Kaunia Police Station in Barishal city. DNC Inspector Md Jahidul Islam said the four were arrested during the raid and handed over to the Airport Police Station. According to police station sources, Delwar escaped from the station by Thursday evening. However, Officer-in-Charge Rafiqul Islam did not directly confirm the escape. Asked about Delwar's whereabouts, he said, “He might not have fled; he might have gone somewhere out of fear.” The incident sparked anger among local residents.

Three police members, including the officer-in-charge of Daulatpur Police Station, were injured when an angry mob attacked them while they were rescuing the superintendent of a madrasah accused of raping several students in Daulatpur upazila on Thursday. The accused, Ashiqullah, 40, Muhtamim (superintendent) of Markazul Madrasa in the Malithapara area of Khalishakundi union and son of late Qari Enamullah of the Jamdia area in Bagherpara upazila of Jashore. The injured are OC Khaledur Rahman, Assistant Sub-Inspector Nazrul Islam and Constable Azam Hossain. They were given primary treatment at the Daulatpur Upazila Health Complex. According to locals and relatives of the victims, several students of the madrasah were allegedly raped by Ashiqullah at different times. As the matter came to light, victims’ relatives and locals went to the madrasah around Thursday noon and confined and assaulted him. Police later went to the madrasah to bring the situation under control and rescue the accused. The mob attacked the police while they were taking him into custody, leaving the OC and two other police members injured. A police pickup was also vandalised. OC Khaledur Rahman said police rescued Ashiqullah from the angry crowd and took him into custody. He said legal action will be taken after investigation if the victims’ families submitted written complaints.

The upazila administration recovered 56 sacks of illegally stockpiled fertiliser from a kitchen in Kaliganj upazila of Lalmonirhat on Thursday and fined a man Tk 15,000 for illegally hoarding the fertiliser. The fine was imposed on Md Jamal Uddin through a mobile court during an operation conducted at Bairati Hajirhat area under Tushbhandar Union around 8:30pm. Kaliganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Saiful Islam, who led the operation, said Jamal had allegedly been illegally stockpiling fertiliser at his house in Bairati Hajirhat for a long time. Acting on a tip-off, the administration conducted a raid at his house and recovered 56 sacks of fertiliser from the kitchen. Of the seized fertiliser, 40 sacks were urea, four sacks MOP and 12 sacks DAP. The seized fertiliser was later sold to an authorised dealer at government-fixed prices, fetching Tk 70,600 in total. UNO Saiful Islam said anyone who stockpiles fertiliser in violation of government directives will face legal action, adding that such drives would continue in the interest of farmers.

Two youths were killed in separate lightning strikes in Ishwarganj Upazila of  Mymensingh and Ghatail upazila of Tangail on Thursday. The deceased were Mohammad Tota Mia, 28, son of Fazlur Rahman of Uzanchar Naopara (Maijpara) village of Rajibpur Union in Ishwarganj, and Saiful Islam, son of Abdul Majid of Hatilaeit Bazar area under Rangamatia Union of Phulbaria upazila of Mymensingh. The incidents occurred in Uzanchar Naopara village and Mominpur area of Rasulpur Union in Ghatail in the afternoon. Ishwarganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Sazzad Rumon said Tota Mia went to a crop field around 4pm with his cousin Abdus Samad and neighbour Manik Mia to cut grass for cattle. A lightning strike suddenly hit the area, leaving Tota Mia critically injured. Abdus Samad and Manik Mia lost consciousness due to the loud thunder and shock but regained consciousness after some time. Locals rescued Tota Mia and were taking him to Ishwarganj Upazila Health Complex when he died on the way. In the other incident, Saiful went fishing with a fishing rod in the Atarochura Beel in Mominpur area of Ghatail upazila, about four kilometres from his home, in the morning. A storm accompanied by rain began in the afternoon, and Saiful was struck by lightning and died on the spot. Phulbaria Police Station OC Mohammad Rashedul Hasan confirmed the incident.

Police recovered the body of a 15-year-old schoolgirl from a crop field in Jagatpur of Lalmai upazila on Thursday morning. The deceased was identified as Jannatul Tazmin, daughter of Abdul Alim of Churamankati in Jashore Sadar. She was a seventh-grade student of Farida Vidyayatan in Cumilla city. Lalmai Police Station Officer-In-Charge Md Mizanur Rahman said police recovered the body around 7am from a crop field near Manumura jungle in Jagatpur Northpara. A green CNG-run autorickshaw was also found abandoned nearby. Locals spotted the vehicle and later found the girl’s body about 50 yards from the road, lying beside a field ridge with a gamcha wrapped around her neck. Police, along with CID and PBI teams, visited the scene and collected evidence. The girl’s father said she left their rented home in Cumilla on October 4, saying she was going to a friend’s house, and later travelled to Cox’s Bazar with the friend. He last spoke to her around 2am Wednesday after she returned to Cumilla. After losing contact with her, he traced her mobile phone location to the Lalmai area and later learned that her body had been recovered from Jagatpur. OC Md Mizanur Rahman said the body was sent to Cumilla Medical College Hospital for autopsy. “Several police teams are working to determine how the incident occurred and identify those involved,” he said.

At least 51 people, including women and children, were bitten by a suspected rabid dog in different areas of Kumarkhali upazila of Kushtia within about 20 hours from Wednesday evening. The attacks took place between around 6:30pm on Wednesday and 3:30pm on Thursday in different areas of Kumarkhali town and Nandolalpur and Shelaidah unions. Pratyay Biswas, assistant surgeon at Kumarkhali Upazila Health Complex, said at least 51 people received treatment at the hospital with dog-bite injuries during the period. “Forty-seven patients have been given anti-rabies vaccines, while the remaining six have been advised to return to the hospital on Friday morning for vaccination,” he said.

Labour organisations at Chittagong Port on Thursday announced a daylong mass hunger strike for October 12, demanding cancellation of the agreement signed with Dubai-based DP World to operate the port’s New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) for 15 years. The announcement came at a rally in the port area in the afternoon, shortly after the agreement was signed in Dhaka under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement. The agreement was signed at 3pm at the Invest Bangladesh Authority auditorium in Dhaka. Under the deal, DP World will operate the NCT, the largest container terminal at Chattogram Port, for 15 years. Several left-leaning political parties and organisations staged a sit-in outside the auditorium, protesting the agreement. In Chattogram, various labour organisations brought out a procession and held a rally in the port area in protest against the deal. At the rally, labour leaders demanded immediate cancellation of the agreement, describing it as against the country’s interests. They warned that further programmes, including bringing the port to a standstill, will be announced if the agreement is not cancelled. At a brief rally in front of the port building, organisers said the mass hunger strike will be held there on October 12. Humamun Kabir, coordinator of Chattogram Bandar Rakkha Sangram Parishad, described the NCT as the “heart” of Chattogram Port, saying leasing such an important terminal to a foreign company will harm the port’s interests. He demanded that the NCT be operated under Bangladeshi management. On Wednesday night, the Parishad and various labour organisations brought out a torch procession in the port area as part of their previously announced programme. In Dhaka, police dispersed a protest rally in front of the Invest Bangladesh Authority as several left-leaning organisations demonstrated against the agreement with DP World. The protest was organised by several organisations, including the Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal, Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Bangladesh JSD), BASAD (Marxist) and Bangladesh Samyabadi Andolan. Around 2:45pm, police charged the protesters with batons and dispersed the gathering. Officer-in-Charge of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station Monir Hossain said the protesters had laid down on the road, disrupting vehicular movement. “Police removed them for the sake of vehicular movement,” he told UNB.

The usually bustling Borostation fishery ghat in Chandpur fell eerily silent on Thursday as a 22-day fishing ban came into effect to protect mother hilsa during their breeding season, leaving the district’s largest fish landing centre and the adjoining Meghna River virtually deserted.22-day hilsa fishing ban begins in Chandpur A 22-day ban on fishing in a 70-km sanctuary of the Padma-Meghna rivers in Chandpur began on Thursday to protect mother hilsa during their breeding season. On the first day of the ban, no fishing boats were seen in the Meghna River or at the century-old Borostation fish landing centre in the town. During a visit to the Borostation area, the confluence of three rivers, Tilabari and the launch terminal around 11:30am to noon, the river was found almost completely empty, with no fishing boats visible as far as the eye could see. Members of the district fishermen’s organisation were seen travelling on a trawler and using loudspeakers to raise awareness among fishermen about the ban. The usually busy Borostation fish landing centre was also deserted, with an unusual silence prevailing there. The area remained active until around 11:30pm on Wednesday, the night before the ban came into effect. All ice factories in the district have also been closed for the 22-day period on the instructions of the administration, according to the district taskforce.  

A fire broke out in an air-conditioned bus at Mohakhali bus terminal in the capital on Thursday afternoon. Anwarul Islam Warehouse Inspector at Fire Service & Civil Defence (FSCD) said the fire originated from the bus’s air-conditioning system after it arrived at the terminal from Sherpur around 1:32pm. Two units from Tejgaon Fire Station rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control at 1:46pm. The fire was completely extinguished at 2:02pm. The fire might have originated from an electrical malfunction in the bus, the Fire Service said. No casualties were reported.