United News of Bangladesh

A Swecchasebak Dal leader was allegedly beaten to death by neighbours over a long-standing land dispute in Narsingdi's Monohardi upazila on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Mizan Mia, 45, vice-president of Ward No. 4 Swecchasebak Dal under Borchapa Union and son of Safur Uddin of Borchapa Purbopara village. The accused are Shahidullah, 65, former vice-president of Ward No. 4 Awami League, and his son, Jibon Mia. The victim's family said Mizan and Shahidullah had been at odds over a road adjacent to their houses for a long time. Although the dispute had been taken to local arbitration on several occasions, Shahidullah did not accept the decisions. The family said the incident occurred around noon when Mizan attempted to cut down a tree standing on the disputed road, triggering an argument between the two sides. During the altercation, Shahidullah and his son allegedly struck Mizan on the head with sticks, leaving him critically injured. Locals rescued Mizan and took him to Monohardi Upazila Health Complex, where the attending physician declared him dead. Jahangir Badsha, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Monohardi Police Station, said the body was sent to the Narsingdi Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy, and legal action was underway. The OC also clarified that the incident was not a political clash, as the two sides are close relatives and the dispute was family-related.

Police recovered the half-decomposed body of an unidentified man from a pond beside a railway bridge in Chapainawabganj on Saturday noon. The body was recovered from the Mahadanga area under Chapainawabganj municipality, near the railway bridge adjacent to the railway tracks. Ekramul Hossain, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Chapainawabganj Sadar Model Police Station  said locals spotted the half-decomposed body lying on the pond bank beside the Mahadanga railway bridge and informed police. Police rushed to the scene, recovered the body and sent it to the morgue of the 250-bed Chapainawabganj District Hospital for an autopsy. Legal action has been initiated in connection with the incident, the OC added.

What began as a desperate attempt to escape crushing debt has left a poor day labourer with one kidney, little money and a long legal battle. For Montu Mia, a resident of Gobindaganj upazila in Gaibandha, the promise of Tk 10 lakh  seemed like a lifeline. He was lured into donating a kidney under the assurance that a wealthy woman in Dhaka urgently needed the organ and would pay him the agreed amount, according to a case filed in Number 5 Congnisance court. Instead, Montu claims he received only Tk 50,000 after undergoing surgery in Nepal. According to the case statement, Montu had accumulated debts from NGOs and local lenders while struggling to support his family through daily wage work. It was during this difficult period that several brokers approached him with what they described as an opportunity to eliminate his debts forever. Driven by financial desperation, Montu agreed. The accused arranged his passport, gave him Tk 50,000 in advance in early January this year and then transported him through India to Nepal, where surgery was performed to remove one of his kidneys, it said. After remaining in Nepal for several days for post-operative care, he was sent back to Bangladesh without receiving the remaining Tk 950,000 promised under the agreement. When he demanded the rest of the money, the accused denied owing him anything, according to the case statement. After failing to secure justice through local mediation, Montu filed the case. The court directed Kalai Police Station to treat the complaint as a formal First Information Report (FIR), leading police to register the case. The case was filed against eight identified and four unidentified people. The accused include residents of Bogura, Joypurhat and Noakhali several of whom have been identified in the complaint as brokers involved in arranging kidney transactions. Kalai Police Station Officer-in-Charge Rafiqul Islam said the case has been registered following the court’s directive. “The matter is being investigated seriously, and legal action will be taken against those found responsible,” he said. Although Bangladesh has laws regulating organ transplantation illegal organ trafficking networks continue to exploit economically vulnerable people through false promises and coercion. These networks often operate across borders, taking advantage of weaker oversight and complex international routes. Legal experts say such cases expose not only criminal exploitation but also the harsh realities faced by impoverished families burdened by debt. Advocate Uzzal Hossain, a lawyer at the district judge’s court, said those involved in illegal organ trading should face exemplary punishment. “People who exploit poor and helpless individuals through the illegal trade of human organs are committing a heinous crime. Strict enforcement of the law is essential to dismantle such networks,” he said.

All classes and examination of Khulna University (KU) will resume on Sunday as the students have withdrawn their protest programmes following the positive progress over their three-point demand. The announcement came in a statement issued by the protesting students on Friday night, bringing an end to more than a week of demonstrations, class and examination boycotts, and disruption of administrative activities on the campus. According to the statement, the students placed their three-point demand before the university administration during a meeting on July 23 and subsequently boycotted all academic and administrative activities until visible progress was made in implementing the demands. After reviewing the administration's successive initiatives and decisions taken by the university syndicate, the students decided to withdraw the movement and called for the resumption of all academic activities from Sunday. They said they would continue monitoring the situation until the demands are fully implemented. They also warned of tougher programmes if the administration shows any delay or lack of cooperation in implementing the remaining decisions. First-year student Md Sadman Rahman said their term examinations were suspended midway due to the movement and that they wanted classes and examinations to resume as soon as possible. "We also want full implementation of our core demands. Since the administration has already taken several important steps, we are returning to classes. We hope the remaining decisions will also be implemented soon," he said. Professor Md Salauddin, Director of Student Affairs, said the university administration has attached importance to the students' reasonable demands from the beginning. "In line with the decisions of the syndicate, necessary administrative and legal measures have been taken, while the issues under investigation are progressing through due process. We are relieved that the students have decided to return to classes and examinations," he said. The university administration remains committed to ensuring a safe, accountable and education-friendly campus environment and would continue taking the necessary measures to achieve that goal, he added.

Three members of a family were killed and another was injured when a truck rammed into a motorbike at Domra in Digholia upazila of Khulna district on Friday night. The deceased were identified as Farzana Khatun, 26, wife of Shihab Sheikh, Maimuna, 2, daughter of Shihab, and Rubia Khatun, 16, sister-in-law of Shihab of Kalia upazila in Narail district. Shuvro Prakash, Officer-in-Charge of Digholia Police Station, said the accident occurred around 11:30 pm when the Rupsha-bound truck from Gazirhat hit the motorbike carrying four people, leaving three dead on the spot and another injured. The injured, Shihab Sheikh, was taken to a local hospital.    

Police recovered the body of a 19-year-old male on Friday afternoon after his father allegedly strangled him to death following a dispute over a smartphone instalment payment and an ongoing family conflict in Joypurhat town. Police also detained the victim's stepmother for questioning. The incident occurred in the Sagarpara area of the municipal town. The accused, identified as Lutfor Rahman, allegedly fled after locking the rented house from outside following the killing. Police recovered the body of the victim, Naim Islam Yamin, 19,  on Friday afternoon after being alerted by local residents. The body was sent to the Joypurhat 400-bed General Hospital morgue for an autopsy. According to police and locals, Naim's family is originally from Nilphamari but had been living in a rented house in Sagarpara with his father and stepmother. Naim had recently purchased a smartphone to be paid for in instalments. On July 29, an argument reportedly broke out between him and his father over payment of an upcoming instalment, during which Lutfor allegedly assaulted his son. Police suspect that Lutfor strangled Naim sometime on Thursday night. After the alleged murder, he reportedly wrapped the body in a mattress, locked the room from outside and fled. Md Nur-e-Alam Siddiqui,  Joypurhat Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC), said preliminary investigation suggests the victim was killed by his father following a family dispute linked to the smartphone instalment payment. The accused remains absconding and a drive is underway to arrest him. The victim's stepmother, Banu Khatun, has been taken into police custody for questioning, while preparations are underway to file a murder case.

At least 18 Rohingyas were rescued alive after a boat carrying people fleeing Myanmar capsized in the sea off Teknaf while attempting to enter Bangladesh on Friday morning, with many others still reported missing. The incident occurred around 12:00pm near the boat jetty at Poschim para of Shah Porir Dwip in Subrang union under Teknaf upazila. The rescued Rohingyas were handed over to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB). Rohingyas: US urges global partners to increase contributions Md Ismail, Local fisherman, said they managed to rescue 18 people after the boat sank but many others remain missing. He said none of those rescued were women or children. Lt Col Hanifur Rahman Bhuiyan, Commanding Officer of Teknaf-2 BGB Battalion, said 18 Rohingyas had been rescued following the boat capsize near Shah Porir Dwip and are now in BGB custody. He said authorities are verifying the reasons behind their entry into Bangladesh, after which necessary legal steps will be taken.

Police arrested a young man after a TikTok video showing the harassment of a six-year-old girl in Feni sparked outrage on social media. The arrestee, identified as Mozammel Hossai Prokash, 20, is a resident of Maishail in Chandina upazila of Cumilla and currently lives with his family in a rented house near Uttar Silonia Madania Madrasa in Feni Sadar. The two other accused were identified as Salman, 20, of Paschim Silonia, and Mahfuz, 19, of Jatrasiddhi area. The incident took place on July 28 in Gobindapur under Feni Sadar upazila while the child was returning home from school. The video surfaced on social media on Thursday, drawing widespread criticism and prompting police action. Police arrested the prime accused from the Lalpol area on Thursday evening. Later that night, the victim's father filed a case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act with Feni Model Police Station against three youths. According to the case statement, two of the accused allegedly blocked the child's path, held her hands, pulled her and harassed her, while another recorded the incident and later uploaded the video to TikTok. The victim informed her father about the incident the following day. After learning that the video had gone viral, the family identified the accused with help from local residents and filed the case. The complaint said the child has been traumatised by the incident. Feni Model Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Sajal Kanti Das said the video came to the attention of police after it spread on social media. He said Mozammel was shown arrested in the case, while efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining two accused.

A person was killed and two others were injured in a gunfight between rival groups over the control of a fish enclosure in Banshkhali upazila of Chattogram early Friday. The deceased was identified as Mohammad Zillur Rahman, 47. The incident took place around 4:00am in the West Saral area of Saral union. According to locals, the rival groups had long been at loggerheads over the ownership and control of the fish enclosure. The dispute turned violent in the early hours of Friday when members of the two groups exchanged gunfire, leaving Zillur and two others with bullet injuries. Locals rescued the injured and rushed them to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared Zillur dead. The identities of the two injured could not be confirmed immediately. Officer-in-Charge of Banshkhali Police Station Md Rabiul Haque said police were conducting drives to arrest those involved in the incident.

A farm worker died after being electrocuted while planting paddy seedlings in a field in Fatikchhari upazila of Chattogram on Friday morning. The deceased was identified as Mustakim, son of Riaz Uddin of Netrokona. He had come to Fatikchhari to work as an agricultural labourer. According to locals, Mustakim and two other workers went to a field in Shahnagar village under Lelang Union to plant paddy seedlings. A power cable had fallen into the water in the field, but the workers did not notice it. At one time, Mustakim came into contact with the electrified water and died on the spot. The other two workers narrowly escaped. Mohammad Azam, a member of the local union parishad, said the accident occurred as the workers were unaware of the broken power cable lying in the field.