United News of Bangladesh

Two children drowned, and another was hospitalized in separate incidents in Naogaon’s Manda upazila on Sunday afternoon. The incidents occurred in Chakrajapur village of Prasadpur union and Choyapur area of Varsho union. The deceased were identified as Mariyam Khatun, 6, daughter of Nazrul Islam from Kalma village in Tanore upazila, and Riya Moni, 10, daughter of Sujauddaula from Chakrajapur village. The injured child, Rima Akhter, 10, daughter of Zahid Hossain, is currently receiving treatment at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. Riya Moni drowned in a canal next to her home while playing with two other children, and her body was later recovered by local residents. Meanwhile, Mariyam Khatun drowned while bathing in a nearby pond, and Rima attempted to rescue her. When locals arrived, they found Mariyam dead, but Rima was rescued in critical condition. Rima was initially taken to Manda Health Complex and later transferred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital as her condition worsened. Mansur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Manda Police Station, stated that since there were no complaints, the bodies of the two children were handed over to their families for burial without any post-mortem.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained five drug peddlers with 1,937 bottles of phensedyl from Sylhet’s Companiganj upazila early Sunday. The detainees are Imam Uddin, 35, son of late Najib Ali, son of deceased Tera Mia, 35, son of late Tara Mia, Mosaid, 40, son of late Ataul, Md Raihan Ahmed, 18, son of Md Taj Uddin, and Jahangir Alam, 30, son of late Yusuf Ali, of Gaurinagar village of the upazila. A team from RAB-9 conducted a raid in the Gourinagar area and detained individuals around 4:15am on Sunday, according to a press briefing by RAB. The detainees were subsequently handed over to the Companiganj police station, RAB stated.

A 22-day ban on fishing in the Meghna and Tetulia rivers of Bhola and the Jamuna River in Sirajganj has come into effect, starting from midnight on October 13 and lasting until November 3. This measure aims to ensure the safe breeding of the hilsa fish. To enforce the ban, the Department of Fisheries, along with law enforcement agencies, has initiated patrol operations across the rivers. On Sunday, the first day of the ban, eight fishermen were arrested in the early morning while illegally fishing in the Meghna River in Charfashion upazila. Authorities, including the Fisheries Department, upazila administration, and police, seized a large amount of fishing nets during the operation. Bishwajit Kumar Deb,fisheries officer of Bhola , said that the eight detained fishermen were fined Tk 30 thousands by a mobile court. Additionally, 8,000 meters of illegal fishing nets were confiscated and destroyed by fire, while 80 kilograms of illegally caught fish were distributed to local orphanages. He further mentioned that 17 teams from the Fisheries Department are continuously patrolling the rivers. They are being supported by the Naval Police, Coast Guard, and Navy. Executive magistrates are also conducting regular operations. In a supportive move, letters have been sent to banks and financial institutions, requesting them to defer loan installments for affected fishermen. Some unions have already distributed VGF rice to fishermen in need. In Sirajganj’s Chauhali upazila, the operation to conserve hilsa has also begun in the Jamuna River. Since midnight on Saturday, officials from the local administration, the Department of Fisheries, the Naval Police, and members of the Task Force Committee have been patrolling the river. Tanvir Hasan Majumder, the Upazila Fisheries Officer of Chauhali, confirmed that patrol activities have started to protect hilsa, although no fishermen were found on the river during the operation.

A suspected accused, arrested in connection with the murder of a local journalist Swapan Bhadra, gave his deposition before the court on Sunday. Mymensingh Chief Judicial Magistrate recorded the deposition of Md Sagar, 20, in the afternoon, said officer-in-charge of Kotwali Model Police Station Shafiqul Islam Khan. Besides, Sabita Rani, wife of journalist Swapan, filed a case against Sagar and three more unidentified people. Journalist hacked to death in Mymensingh Swapan Bhadra, 55, son of Jagesh Chandra Bhadra and a former vice president of the Tarakanda Press Club, was hacked to death following an old feud in Tarakanda upazila of Mymensingh, on Saturday morning. Bhadra was actively involved with both local and national newspapers. According to police and local sources, Bhadra was known for his outspoken stance against terrorism and drug trafficking in the area. He had a long-standing dispute with a local drug dealer named Sagar. Sagar, a listed criminal, had long been involved in drug peddling. Around 11 am on Saturday, while Bhadra was reading a newspaper outside his home, Sagar attacked him with a knife, leaving him with fatal injuries. Locals rushed him to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.  

A woman and her cousin, who were going to Gaibandha to attend the funeral of the woman's mother, was killed and another injured when a truck ran over them at Bhabanipur in Sherpur upazila of Bogura district early Sunday. The deceased were identified as Nupur Akter, wife of Rakibul Islam and daughter of Nazrul Islam, and Runa Akter, daughter of Abdur Rashid of Gaibandha. The injured was identified as Rakibul, Nupur's husband. All of them were workers of a garment factory in Gazipur. Azizul Islam, in-charge of Sherpur Highway Police Camp, said Nupur along with her husband and cousin Runa was heading towards Gaibandha from Gazipur by a motorbike after receiving the death news of her mother on Saturday night. When the motorbike reached near Amera Gas Pump under Bhabanipur union, all of them fell down as the motorbike overturned. At one stage, a truck suddenly appeared there and ran over them, leaving two cousins dead on the spot and injured Rakibul. Later, he was taken to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College and Hospital. The bodies were handed over to their families after completing all legal processes in this regard. Police could not arrest anyone as the driver managed to flee the scene.

The Principal of Chattogram Imperial College of Nursing, Dolly Akter, has accused the college authorities of unjustly terminating her due to her pregnancy. She alleged that she and her eight-month-old baby were evicted from the college hostel in the middle of the night. The incident reportedly took place at the Apollo Imperial Hospital, located in Chattogram city's Khulshi area. The college is operated by Imperial Hospital Limited. Dolly Akter claims that she was dismissed from her position as principal with just one day’s notice, without any valid reason provided. According to her, the proper procedure—requiring approval from the vice-chancellor of Chattogram Medical University and the recruitment committee for such dismissals—was not followed. Case filed seven years after attack on Khaleda Zia's motorcade in Feni The official notice of her termination, dated October 9, made no mention of the reason for her dismissal. It simply stated that the decision was made by the hospital’s management. The notice was signed by Md. Arifur Rahman, head of the hospital’s human resources department. In a statement, Dolly Akter said, "I was dismissed without reason after being pregnant for the second consecutive year. The Imperial Hospital authorities evicted me from the hostel at midnight and left me in a city hotel." She explained that last year, during her first pregnancy, she had been granted four months of maternity leave as per institutional rules. This year, after experiencing health issues, she consulted the gynecologist at Imperial Hospital on September 21. Upon medical examination, she discovered that she was pregnant again. "From that point on, the college authorities began to harass me in various ways. HR officials said to me, 'You took four months of maternity leave last year, and now you’ll be taking leave again this year. So, it's best if you resign and leave,'" Dolly Akter said. 20 dead, 24 injured in Sylhet division road accidents in Sept When she refused to resign, the situation escalated. On October 9, she was summoned to the human resources department and pressured to resign. When she refused again, she was handed a termination letter and told to immediately hand over all college-related documents to the secretary and vacate the hostel. Despite multiple attempts, Md. Arifur Rahman, the head of HR at Imperial Hospital, declined to comment on the allegations when contacted by the media.

A 60-year-old man was hacked to death allegedly by his rival over a disputed land in Baraigram upazila of Natore district on Sunday. The deceased was Torab Ali. His rival Md Rana was seriously injured. According to locals, there was a dispute between Torab Ali and  Rana over the boundary of the land. In the morning, when Torab Ali attempted to drain out stagnant water from his banana orchard into Rana’s nearby pond Rana obstructed him. Brother ‘kills’ sister, sister-in-law over land dispute in Meherpur At one stage, they attacked each other with sharp weapons that left Torab and Rana  injured. Later, family members rushed to the scene and took both Torab and Rana to a local clinic, where doctors declared Torab dead and Rana was transferred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for further treatment. Officer-in-Charge of Baraigram Police Station Sirajul Islam said police visited the scene and necessary legal steps will be taken.

A fire that broke out in the medicine department building of Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) has been brought under control within an hour. The fire broke out in the warehouse of the building, located on the ground floor of the hospital, on Sunday morning. Witnesses said smoke billowing from the building engulfed the hospital building. Panic gripped the patients and their relatives, forcing them to flee the building immediately. 31 rescued after fire breaks out on LNG-carrying vessel off Ctg port The fire was first reported after a local resident noticed smoke coming from the hospital's medicine building and immediately alerted the fire service, said Assistant Director Dr. Moniruzzaman Shahin of SBMCH. Upon receiving the information, seven firefighting units rushed to the scene and brought the fire under control with the help of local volunteers after an hour. It is initially suspected that the fire originated from an electrical short circuit, said Deputy Assistant Director of Barishal Fire Service and Civil Defense Belal Uddin. The fire spread rapidly due to the presence of explosive materials inside the warehouse, he said. Another BSC ship catches fire in Ctg; one dies However, the firefighters are still working to control the smoke as of the filing of this report at 4 pm. No casualties have been reported immediately, and there are no details about the extent of the damages. The hospital authorities managed to evacuate the patients.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said on Saturday that Bangladesh is a shining example of communal harmony. He noted that people from all castes and religions have been living peacefully side by side in this country. He made this statement during a visit to Sebasangh Durga Mandir in his hometown Narsingdi city, on the occasion of Maha Nabami Puja on Saturday. All set for Durga Puja to conclude peacefully through immersion of idols He noted that Durga Puja is being celebrated peacefully across the country, with only one or two isolated incidents reported, and no significant disturbances during the festivities. The adviser emphasized that authorities have been instructed to take swift action in the event of any untoward incidents. He assured that the puja is proceeding in an overall peaceful atmosphere, with the final idol worship scheduled for Sunday. Bangladesh needs election-time neutral govt for fair polls: Speakers  He urged everyone to remain vigilant to ensure the celebrations continue smoothly. Among others, Narsingdi Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Rashed Hossain Chowdhury, Captain of the 28 East Bengal Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Humayon Rashid, Deputy Director of the Local Government Department, and Narsingdi Municipal Administrator Moushumi Sarkar Rakhi, were also present.

Two people were injured in a violent attack allegedly carried out by their paternal cousins following a land dispute in the Alekharchar area of Cumilla’s Adarsha Sadar upazila on Friday. Locals said the victims are Mahbubur Rahman and his sister, Sheuli Akter. Armed attackers rob bank officials of Tk 7 lakh; 4 injured A video of the attack has gone viral on social media. Sheuli went to Kotwali Police Station to file a case over the matter but police denied to take the case on Saturday. When contacted on Saturday evening, officer-in-charge of the police station said, "The case is yet to be registered and we are looking into the matter." Witnesses said that the victims’ paternal cousins—Mazharul Haque, his son Mahi, and Mokhlesur Rahman—brutally assaulted Mahbubur with bamboo sticks. According to Sheuli, the trouble began when Mahbubur confronted them as they attempted to demolish a boundary wall she had built to protect her legally purchased property. “They attacked my brother with bamboo sticks and local weapons, causing serious injuries. He has been hospitalised with head injuries,” Sheuli said. She also alleged that the attackers demanded Tk 5 lakh as extortion and destroyed the boundary wall, resulting in a loss of Tk 1 lakh. Abdul Karim, Sheuli’s husband, said that their family has endured harassment and threats from the accused for several months. “Despite having all the legal documents in our names, they continue to verbally abuse and physically harm my wife’s family,” he emphasised, highlighting the prolonged nature of the conflict. When asked, Mokhlesur Rahman acknowledged that Sheuli is the legitimate owner of the disputed land but claimed that Mazharul Haque refuses to recognise her ownership. Five injured in attack at Narsingdi Bar Association office