United News of Bangladesh

A Dhaka court on Thursday sent television actor Zaher Alvi to jail when he surrendered before the court in connection with the death of his wife Afra Ivnath Khan Ikra. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Kamal Uddin passed the order when he surrendered before the court around 1:30 pm, said Alvi’s lawyer Harun-or-Rashid. The court also rejected the bail petition of Alvi when his lawyer filed a petition seeking his bail. Earlier on February 28, this year, Afra Ivnath Khan Ikra, wife of television actor Zaher Alvi reportedly committed suicide in the capital’s Mirpur DOHS. Alvi confirmed the matter through a post on his verified Facebook page but did not mention any reason behind it. In the post, the actor wrote, “This noon, my wife Ikra committed suicide at our Mirpur DOHS residence. Now, I am in Nepal for a shooting project. Since hearing the news, I have not been in a state to speak. I do not understand why she chose to leave this way without thinking about our child and me.” He further wrote, “I request my well-wishers and journalist brothers to please give me some time. I am trying to return to Dhaka as soon as possible and will speak to everyone after I get back. Until then, during this moment of grief, please allow me and my family some mental peace. For the sake of our child’s future, please do not spread any misleading information. Please pray for my Ikra.” Alvi and Ikra were married in 2010 and they have a son.

A police couple has been shown arrested in connection with the torture of a domestic worker in Sonadanga of Khulna. The accused are Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Sanjoy Mitra, who is posted at Sonadanga Police Station, and his wife ASI Popy Mitra. A case was filed on Thursday morning by the victim’s mother at Sonadanga Model Police Station, police said. Officer-in-Charge of Sonadanga Model Police Station Md. Rafiqul Islam said the victim’s mother arrived in Khulna from Narsingdi early in the morning and filed the case. The domestic worker has been admitted to Khulna Medical College Hospital. Locals said they witnessed through a window that the girl was being tortured with a hot pan, causing burns on her face and different parts of her body. Old injury marks were also visible on her body, they added. Locals later informed police who rescued the girl and took her to a victim support centre. Locals have demanded exemplary punishment for those involved.

Police have arrested the principal of a madrasa in Savar following a case filed over the alleged sexual assault of a student at the institution. The case was filed against Maulana Golam Rabbani, principal of Shamsul Ulum Khadimul Islam Madrasa in the Tetuljhora area, under Section 9 (1) of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act at Savar Model Police Station on Tuesday night. According to police, the case was lodged based on a complaint filed by the victim’s family. Following the filing of the case, police conducted a drive and arrested the accused principal from the Tetuljhora area. Police and case documents said legal action was taken after an investigation into the allegations raised by the victim’s family. Considering the seriousness of the accusation, law enforcers immediately launched an operation and detained the suspect. The incident has triggered concern and anger among local guardians and residents, who have demanded a fair investigation and exemplary punishment for those found responsible. Nur Mohammad, investigation officer of Savar Model Police Station, said the case was registered based on the victim’s complaint and information obtained during the preliminary investigation. “The accused has been sent to court, and further investigation into the matter is underway,” he said.

Two teenage friends drowned while bathing in the Meghna River in Sonargaon upazila of Narayanganj on Wednesday afternoon. The deceased were identified as Md Kayes, 13, son of Faruk from the Shanir Akhra area of Dhaka, and Meraj, 15, son of Raju Mia from Old Donia. According to local sources, seven school students skipped classes and went to bathe in the Sonargaon section of the Meghna River around 2:30 pm. Shortly after entering the water, Kayes and Meraj went missing. Their five friends searched for them but failed to locate them and later informed the Fire Service. Osman Gani, Deputy Assistant Director of Narayanganj Zone-2 Fire Service, said a diving team from the Narayanganj Fire Service launched a rescue operation and recovered the bodies after about two and a half hours.

Two construction workers were killed after falling from an eight-storey under-construction building in Mymensingh city on Wednesday evening. One of the deceased was identified as Masud Rana, 30, a resident of Chapainawabganj. Police said efforts are underway to identify the other victim. Locals said several workers were installing a lift on the building located in the College Road area of the city around 5 pm. Suddenly, the two fell from the eighth floor. Locals rushed them to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared them dead upon arrival. Building owner Dr Belal said the contractor had been provided with the necessary construction materials and had hired the workers. He denied any negligence on his part, saying he was currently staying in Mymensingh city due to the construction work. Officer-in-Charge of Kotwali Model Police Station Mohammad Shibirul Islam said police visited the scene after being informed. “The bodies are kept at the hospital morgue. Legal action is in process,” he said.

Two minor children were killed after being struck by lightning in separate incidents in Fulgazi and Chhagalnaiya upazilas of Feni on Wednesday. The victims were identified as Nadia Akhter, 9, daughter of Md Shahid of Basantapur village in Fulgazi and a third-grade student, and Abir Hossain, 7, son of Md Arif of Purba Debpur village in Chhagalnaiya upazila. Locals said the two children were struck by lightning amid rain in the afternoon. They were later rescued and taken to hospital, where the on-duty doctor declared them dead, they said.

A woman was killed as her husband allegedly slit her throat with a razor following a family dispute in Narayanganj's Bandar upazila on Wednesday evening. The deceased was identified as Sathi, 38, wife of Jony Shil of the Jhautala area in the upazila. According to locals, the couple, originally from the Bihari community, had been living in a rented house in the area for about four years. Jony ran a barbershop at a local market. Other tenants of the building said the couple frequently quarrelled. On Wednesday evening, residents noticed blood near the door of their room and informed police. Police later entered the room and recovered Sathi’s throat-slit body around 7:30pm, said Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bandar Police Station Golam Moktar Ashraf Uddin. He said they launched a drive to arrest the accused, who went into hiding after the incident.

The Char Development and Implementation Council on Tuesday organised a rally and memorandum submission programme in Kurigram, pressing for a 10-point demand that includes forming a Ministry of Char Affairs, a separate budget for char areas, and compensation and rehabilitation for people affected by river erosion. The programme began with a march from Singha Chattar in the Ghoshpara area of Kurigram town in the morning. The procession passed through various roads before ending at the Deputy Commissioner's office premises, where a rally was held. Following the rally, leaders of the organisation submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the Deputy Commissioner. The rally was chaired by the organisation's president, Professor Shafiqul Islam Bebu, and addressed by General Secretary Ashraful Haque Rubel, Principal Khaja Sharif Uddin Rintu, Principal Shah Alam, Prof Mokhlesur Rahman, Iman Ali, Rafiqul Islam, Syed Ahmed Babu, Professor Nazmun Nahar Beauty, BM Abul Hossain, Yusuf Hossain, Prof Golam Rasul Raja, Yasin Ali and Saiful Islam Badal, among others. Prof Bebu said millions of people living in Bangladesh's char areas remain outside the mainstream of development and continue to suffer from river erosion, poverty, unemployment and poor infrastructure.

What began as a journey to purchase mikes for a village mosque ended in tragedy when two elderly brothers were killed and two other individuals injured after a truck slammed into their battery-run auto-rickshaw in Rajshahi's Puthia upazila on Wednesday afternoon. The deceased were identified as Abdul Khaleque Pramanik, 65, and his brother Hasen Pramanik, 60, sons of late Riaz Pramanik of Nakulbaria village in the upazila. The injured are Lalon, son of Hatem, and Laltu, son of Jalal, of the same village. Witnesses said the four men were travelling to Rajshahi in the auto-rickshaw to purchase mikes for their village mosque. When the vehicle reached Baneshwar, a truck travelling towards Natore from the opposite direction crashed into it in front of the local Yamaha showroom, leaving Khaleque dead on the spot and three others injured. Locals rescued the injured and took them to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, where Hasen Pramanik succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment. Mahabur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Paba Highway Police Station, said the truck driver and his assistant fled the scene after the accident. Police have seized the vehicle and initiated legal proceedings.

A group of 7-8 people allegedly gang-raped a woman after abducting her at Kurchai village in Gafargaon upazila of Mymensingh district early Wednesday. Quoting locals, Officer-in-Charge of Pagla Police Station Aminul Islam said the women along with her husband and a three-year-old child used to live at her mother’s house at the village. Around 1:00am, a group of masked miscreants, numbering 7-8, swooped on the house and beat her husband up. Later, they picked the woman up after tying her husband at the house and took her to an abandoned house around 200 metres away, where they violated her in turns. Later, the family members rescued the woman and her mother filed a case at Pagla Police Station. The OC said they sent the woman to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital for medical test. He said they were investigating the matter and legal action is under process. Locals said the woman got divorced with her husband one and half months ago over family dispute. However, the couple continued to live together.