District
Cop killed in Naogaon road crash
A policeman was killed as a speeding truck rammed into his motorbike in Patnitola upazila of the district Sunday morning.
The deceased was Rulul Amin, 33, an assistant sub inspector of Patnitola police station and a resident of Joypurhat Sadar upazila.
Witnesses and police said Ruhul was going to the police station from Modhuil Bazar by his motorbike amid dense fog.
Read more:Couple among 4 dead in Gaibandha road accident
The accident occurred around 10: 30 am when the truck hit the motorbike on Nazipur-Sapahar Road in Chakabdal Kunchipukur area, leaving him dead on the spot, said Palash Chandra Dev, officer-in-charge of Patnitola police station.
Read more:Biker, pillion rider dead in Kushtia road accident
The body was sent to Sadar hospital morgue for autopsy, he said adding that it will be handed over to his family after completing legal procedures.
A case was filed in this connection, he said.
Chitra erosion threatens mass grave of 1971 in Magura
A mass grave where eight freedom fighters were buried in 1971 at Hajrahati village in Magura’s Shalikha upazila is currently under threat of erosion by the Chitra river.
On December 7, 1971, eight freedom fighters who had returned home after receiving training in India were apprehended by Razakars, who collaborated with the Pakistani occupation forces during the War of Liberation in 1971 and killed mercilessly on the bank of the Chitra river. Later, locals buried the bodies of the freedom fighters at the place of their murder.
The eight freedom fighters were Jodunath Guha, Panchanan Pal, Haripad Das, Nityandon Vadra, Monoranjan Dutta, Narugopal Ray, Suresh Kar and an unidentified man.
After entering Bangladesh crossing the Indian border in Kaliganj upazila of Jhenidah district, these freedom fighters fought bravely against the Pakistani military. They were caught and killed during the final stage of the Liberation War while.
“I still search for my brother Jodunath on the bank of the Chitra river. I go to the mass grave with his picture and cry out for my brother,” said Chobi Rani Adhikari, sister of one of the slain freedom fighters.
Chobi added that although it has been 51 years since the country became independent, the mass grave beside the Chitra river hasn’t been maintained properly.
Also Read: Independent candidate lands in jail ahead of Magura Zilla Parishad polls
“During monsoon, water from the river enters the grave. The grave will be washed away by the river someday if no measures are taken,” Chobi added.
Ratan Kumar Das, a local who was 13 during the Liberation War, said some seven to eight freedom fighters were going to Faridpur via Hajrahati during the final days of the war when they were apprehended and killed by Razakars of the area.
“Although we’ve requested the upazila administration time and again, no step has been taken by them to preserve the mass grave. Some officials of the administration have visited the grave multiple times and that’s all,” Ratan said.
SM Abdur Rahman, Joint Convener of Muktijoddha Sangsad’s district unit and a Deputy Commander during the Liberation War, said that family members of the slain freedom fighters gather at the grave every year and arrange events to commemorate their sacrifice.
“Bangladesh has been liberated through the sacrifice of the freedom fighters. It’s our duty to respect them. That’s why immediate steps are necessary to protect Hajrahati Mass Grave from ruin,” said Rahman.
Mother, son drown as boat capsizes in Narail
A mother and her son drowned and five others went missing after a boat capsized in the Nabaganga River in Narail's Kalia upazila on Friday night.
The boat with 17 people on board capsized around 8:30pm while going to Bahirdanga from Baghbari of Kalia municipality, according to Md Tasmeem, office-in-charge (OC) of Kalia police station.
Read: Two friends die as their motorcycle spins out of control in Keraniganj
The deceased were identified as Nazma Begum, 25, of Babupur village and her 3-year-old son Nashim.
Ten occupants managed to swim to safety, OC Tasmeem added. It leaves five of the occupants unaccounted for.
Read: Two missing children’s bodies recovered from the Padma
Md. Fossiar Rahman, a resident of Kalia municipality, said Nazma Begum was going to visit her father's house in Bahir Danga village with her son Nashim. He said that the accident occurred as the boat was overloaded.
"We are conducting a search and rescue operation for the missing passengers," said OC Tasmeem, adding that the bodies will be handed over to their families after due process.
Two friends die as their motorcycle spins out of control in Keraniganj
Two teenagers were killed after their bike crashed into a roadside railing in the Rajendrapur area of South Keraniganj on Thursday night, police said.
The deceased were identified as Anik,18, and Shawon,19, both residents of the Magda Muslim Bagh area of the capital.
The accident occurred at midnight when they were returning from Mawa Ghat, said Shamim Al Mamun, inspector of Hasara highway police station.
Read: 1 killed, 27 hurt as train hits bus in Sirajganj
"The one riding the bike lost control, leading to the accident," he said.
Later, they were rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors declared Anik dead on arrival, said Bachchu Mia, in-charge of DMCH Police Outpost.
Shawon succumbed to his injuries around 3am while undergoing treatment at the hospital, added Bachhu Mia.
Read: Noakhali Chhatra Dal leader killed as covered van rams motorcycle
The bodies of the two friends were handed over to their families after the autopsies on Friday afternoon.
An unnatural death case has been registered at Hasara police station.
Jubo League leader killed in clash over disputed land in Pabna
A Jubo League leader was hacked to death and five others were injured in a clash between two groups of villagers over occupying a piece of disputed land in Pabna’s Chatmohar upazila on Friday.
Anisur Rahman Anis was vice-president of Parswodanga Union Jubo League, and son of late Akbar Ali of Prabhakar Para village in the upazila. Anis was 50.
Locals rushed him to the upazila health complex, but the doctors declared him dead on arrival.
The injured are Jakirul Sarker, Badrul Islam, Aslam Hossain, Nahid Hossain, and Monsur Rahman. Jakirul, admitted at Pabna General Hospital, is said to be in critical condition.
Locals said there was a longstanding dispute between Anis and one Aynal Haque over ownership of the land in question.
On Friday morning, Anis started building a fence around it. The barbaric clash was triggered as when Aynal and his men tried to stop the fence from being put up. The injured come from both sides.
Jalal Uddin, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Chatmohar Police Station, said that three people were detained immediately for interrogation.
Due process to file a case in connection with the incident is being followed, the OC added.
Salvage operation of MV-Sagar Nandini-2 underway at last
The salvage operation of the MV-Sagar Nandini-2 vessel that sank carrying 11 lakh metric tonnes of furnace oil in the Meghna River, was launched on Thursday four days after its sinking.
A team comprising members of river police, coast guard, divers and Bangladesh Water Transport Inland Authority (BIWTA) started the operation with the help of two barges---Jahura and Humaira this morning.
Md Shahjahan, director of river protection and management division of BIWTA, said the furnace oil from the sunken vessel will be first extracted while the dredging work was going on to retrieve it.
He said it is not certain how many days it will take to salvage the vessel as the operation depends on tide.
The salvage operation will hopefully be completed within next Sunday, he said, adding that they were working carefully due to having explosive substances inside the vessel.
On the other hand, fishermen were informed that they spotted fishes floating in the river and might have died due to oil spilled into the river.
Read more: Ferry gets stuck in Meghna shoal, passengers rescued
The fishers, however, said oil was seen in the river for the first two days since its sinking, though the water is now clear.
The vessel named ‘Sagar Nandini-2’ from Chattogram port sank in Meghna as another vessel hit it at Tulatuli Majher Char while heading towards Chandpur Padma Depot around 4am on Sunday.
The accident took place due to poor visibility caused by the dense fog.
All the fuel spilled into the river. Local people later collected the fuel in containers.
Fortunately, all 13 crew members of the vessel were rescued by another vessel passing through the area.
The authorities concerned formed two separate investigation committees to unveil the reason behind the sinking.
Meanwhile, a large area in the Meghna river has been polluted by furnace oil spill since the vessel with 11 lakh litres of oil sank in the river — posing threat to biodiversity and environment.
Read more: Oil spill in Meghna river threatening environment, vessel still not recovered after 36 hours
Two missing children’s bodies recovered from the Padma
Bodies of two children who went missing while taking bath in the Padma river in Kushtia have been recovered.
The deceased were identified as Rifat Mandal, 8, son of Rifat Mandal and Morsalin, 6, son of Mojibor Ragman in Daulatpur upazila.
The children went missing on Wednesday morning and after searching the whole day locals recovered their bodies from the river around 11 pm, said Mojibur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Daulatpur police station.
Read more: Missing man’s body recovered a day after wife drowned in Padma river
The bodies were handed over to their families, he said.
1 killed, 27 hurt as train hits bus in Sirajganj
A man was killed and 27 people were injured when a train hit a bus on a level crossing near Shaheed Mansur Ali Station in Sadar upazila of Sirajganj district early Thursday.
The identity of the deceased could not be known immediately.
Harun-or-Rashid, officer-in-charge of Sirajganj Bazar Railway Police Station, said the Rajshahi-bound inter-city train ‘Padma Express’ from Dhaka hit the Dhaka-bound bus from Thakurgaon while it was passing the level crossing at Kaddar intersection around 4:30 am, leaving one killed on the spot and 27 others injured.
Read more: Noakhali Chhatra Dal leader killed as covered van rams motorcycle
The accident occurred when the bus tried to pass the level crossing hurriedly amid dense fog. The gateman was found absent.
Rail communication of Dhaka with northern parts of the country has been suspended as the engine of the train went out of order after the accident.
The injured were taken to Sirajganj 250-bed Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib General Hospital.
Oil tanker capsize in Meghna: Salvage operations set to begin Thursday
The salvage operation of oil tanker MV-Sagar Nandini-2, which sank with 11 lakh litres of oil after another vessel hit it in the River Meghna Sunday, will be launched Thursday morning.
Although two barges were supposed to come from Chandpur to retrieve the vessel that had capsized, one of them, Johura, arrived Tuesday night and another one could not reach the site on time, Coast Guard (South Zone) Media Officer KM Shafiul Kinjal said.
The full-fledged salvage operation will start tomorrow as the remaining barge arrived in the afternoon, he said.
Members of Coast Guard continued to skim oil from the sunken vessel to stop it from spilling into the river so that the biodiversity of the river is not affected, Shafiul said. "Also, they are working to ensure the security of Shagor Nandini-2."
On Sunday, the vessel sank after being hit by another vessel in Meghna due to dense fog in Sadar upazila of Bhola. The oil on the ship spilled into the river.
Later, local administration formed a nine-member probe body, headed by Additional District Magistrate Ripon Kumar Saha, to look into the incident. The committee was asked to submit its report within seven working days.
Read more: Oil spill in Meghna river threatening environment, vessel still not recovered after 36 hours
23 job-seekers held for cheating in recruitment test of Ctg Customs
Twenty-three job seekers were arrested in connection with cheating in a recruitment test for the post of sipahi of Chattogram Customs over the past couple of days.
According to Chattogram Customs, a total of 3,344 job seekers sat for the written test against the 98 vacant posts on December 22.
Some 350 examinees, who passed the written exam, were asked to face the viva on December 26, 27 and 28.
The customs authorities detained 18 fake job-seekers on Tuesday and five on Wednesday when they appeared before the viva boards.
The job-seekers succeeded in the written exams through forgery which was identified during the viva.
Later, the detainees were handed over to Pahartali Police station.
Earlier on the day of the written exam, the customs authorities also detained seven more job-seekers for forgery and later handed them over to Khulshi police station.
According to the case statement, differences were found between the writing of the written test and signatures during the viva of the arrestees.
Besides, the passed students could not answer the questions made from the written question papers.
Primarily the arrestees admitted that they succeeded in the written test through others in exchange of Tk10,000 to 80,000.
Rozina Khatun, officer-in-charge of the concerned Pahartali police station, said two separate cases were filed in this connection.
Of the cases, 23 people were sued as identified (those arrested) and 23 unnamed others were also sued, she said.
Read more: BCL leader, 5 others held for cheating in teachers’ recruitment test