United News of Bangladesh

Miscreants have stolen several track bolts (nuts) from the rail bridge in the Thakmaari Baddhobhumi area of Rajahat Upazila in Kurigram. Kurigram Railway Station Master Shamsujjoha confirmed the incident on Tuesday afternoon. New bolts have been installed in place of the lost ones. There is no problem with train operations now, he said. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Sayedul Arif and Police Superintendent Al Asad Md Mahfuzul Islam visited the scene. According to locals and railway sources, someone took the nuts from the sleepers on the rail bridge located in the Thakmaari Baddhobhumi area of Kurigram Rangpur railway line. Upon receiving the news from the rail woman at Kurigram Railway Station Master in the afternoon, they arrived and started work on the rail line. "I have visited the scene of the incident. After talking to the railway department officials, I learned that the matter of nut theft is not an act of sabotage; someone has stolen the nuts. The railway department is working at the scene," said the SP.

A clear message has been sent to all candidates to hold the election in a free, fair and acceptable manner, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said Tuesday. “The administration has made it clear that it will remain neutral in the election and make it free and fair,” the CEC said, while speaking at a view-exchange meeting with 36 candidates of six constituencies in Rangpur at the Rangpur Circuit House. In favour of free, fair, inclusive election, not for or against any political party: TIB “If the candidates of the political parties or the independent candidates are not sincere and aware, fail to gain the mutual trust among them and do not behave properly, then it will be tough to hold a free, fair and neutral election. This message has been sent to all on behalf of the Election Commission,” he said. However, candidates are hopeful about holding free, fair and neutral elections. Jatiya Party has its own demand, will be given seats in upcoming election: Quader Election Commissioner Rasheda Sultana, EC Secretary Jahangir Alam, Rangpur Division Commissioner Habibur Rahman, Deputy Inspector General of Rangpur range Abdul Baten, Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Maniruzzaman, District Returning Officer, Mobashwer Hasan were present there.  

Miscreants set a bus on fire in Chandanaish upazila on Dhaka-Cox's Bazar highway in Chattogram early Tuesday. According to fire service sources, unidentified miscreants set fire to the passenger minibus which was parked in Chandnaish Fakirhat area. Read: 2 buses burnt in Dhaka during hartal  SM Obaidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Chandnaish Police Station, confirmed the matter. On information, police and fire service personnel rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control. The seats of the bus were damaged in the fire but no casualties were reported. Read: Dawn to dusk hartal called by BNP, like-minded parties underway  Efforts are on to identify and arrest the people who were involved in the arson attack and a case has been filed in this connection, the OC added.

A 6-year-old girl who suffered burn injuries in a fire incident in Chattogram’s Boalkhali upazila died at Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute in Dhaka early Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Aritri Chakrabarty, daughter of Sanjay Chakrabarty from Bidgram of Popadia union in Boalkhali upazila. Miscreants open fire on tourist vehicles in Khagrachari; 3 cars vandalised According to deceased’s family members, Aritri got burnt when her clothes caught fire from a candle kept at worship place on Monday. She was taken to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital. Later, doctors referred her to the Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute in Dhaka for better treatment where she died in the early morning. Poor people suffer due to severe cold in Kurigram Popadia union parishad member Kishore Vanjo confirmed her death.

A 70-year-old farmer was trampled to death by a wild elephant at Lohagara upazila in Chattogram district on Monday. The deceased was identified as Shaheb Mia, a resident of Adhunagar Shikdarpara. A herd of wild elephant entered into the betel leaf field of Saheb Mia at Bhadulliar Duri in the morning, said Rafiqul Islam, upazila forest officer. Farmer trampled to death by wild elephant in Sherpur Saheb was attacked by a wild elephant when he was working at his field, leaving him dead on the spot. A process is on to provide compensation to the family members of the deceased, said Rafiqul. Man dead in wild elephant attack as villagers try to chase them away in Mymensingh

Miscreants fired a bullet at a tourist vehicle on Dighinala-Sajek road in Shuknachhari area of Khagrachari on Monday noon. However, no casualties were reported from the incident. A Mahendra car, a pickup van and a private car carrying tourists were vandalized at the time. Mohammad Nurul Haque, officer-in-charge (OC) of Dighinala Police Station, said unidentified miscreants fired one round of bullets at the tourist car. No one was injured in the incident. On information, the army and police recovered the vehicles along with the tourists immediately and took them to the army's Baghaihat zone. Later, they were taken to their destination under the protection of law enforcement agencies. Meanwhile, all types of vehicular movement on inter-district and district internal roads have been stopped due to the blockade called by the UPDF. Earlier on December 11, four UPDF activists were killed in an attack by rival groups at Anilpara village in Logang union of Panchhari upazila. The UPDF Prasit Bikash Group called a blockade to protest the incident.

People in northern district Kurigram have been experiencing severe cold coupled with dense fog over the past few days that has thrown normal life out of gear. The poor and low-income people and those living in chars in the district are the worst sufferers caused by the bone-shivering cold. The adverse weather is forcing people especially day labourers to stay indoors. Read: Surge in cold-related illnesses overwhelms healthcare facilities in Sirajganj  People are seen to make them warm by setting fire to hays and other objects in open spaces and roadsides.    Though the sun is seen for a while at the beginning of day, it remains invisible the rest of the time, resulting in an increase of cold. The temperatures of the district have been fluctuating between 10.18 to 11.5 Degree Celsius over the past three weeks. The district’s met office recorded 11.5 Degree Celsius temperature at 9 am on Monday morning. Read: Two Bangladeshis shot dead by BSF over ‘entering’ Indian territory through Chuadanga border  Md Adul Malek Sarkar, chairman of Ghogadah union parishad under Sadar upazila, told UNB that they are yet to get any winter clothes from the government for the needy people. Subal Chandra Sarkar, officer-in-charge at Kurigram Agricultural Meteorological Observatory, predicted that the temperatures will fall below 10 Degree Celsius within two to three days . 

Two men were killed in a head-on collision between their motorcycles on the Sylhet-Tamabil highway on Saturday night. The deceased were identified as Al-Amin, 25, resident of Shantinagar village of Gowainghat upazila, and Shakil Ahmed Imon, 30, resident of Laxmipur village in Jaintapur upazila. Another person named Saidul Alam, who was riding with Imon, was injured in the accident. The accident occurred before the Tamabil police outpost in Sylhet’s Gowainghat upazila. Quoting locals, police said Al-Amin was going to Naljuri by a motorcycle from Tamabil Point. Imon and Saidul were going to Jaflong from Jaintapur by another motorcycle on Saturday night. On the way, the two motorcycles collided in front of Tamabil police outpost on Tamabil-Sylhet highway. All three motorcyclists were injured. Later, locals rescued and rushed them to Jaintapur Upazila Health Complex where the duty doctor declared Al Amin and Shakil dead. Rafiqul Islam, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Gowainghat Police Station, said both motorcycles have been recovered.

Police in a drive arrested seven people including a ward councillor of Gazipur city in connection with the derailment of a train in Gazipur that left one dead and seven others injured on December 13. The arrestees were identified as Hasan Ajmal Bhuiya, no 28 ward councillor of Gazipur city corporation, Sohel Rana, Jannatul Islam, Mehedi Hasan, Julkar Naim Ashrafi, Shahanur Alam and Saidul Islam. All of them were current and former leaders and activists of BNP and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal. Gazipur derailment: Train operation on Joydebpur-Mymensingh router resumes, probe begins In a press briefing, Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Mahbub Alam, said the arrestees thronged the house of councillor Ajmal Bhuiya and held a meeting to carry out sabotage activities. The arrestees in a planned way uprooted the rail slippers using gas cylinder for two hours at the dead night on Wednesday, he said. Gazipur train derailment: 20ft of track removed by ‘pro-blockade saboteurs,’ says DC One died and seven others were injured as seven coaches of the Dhaka-bound Mohonganj Express derailed near the Bhawal railway station after parts of the rail track were uprooted on December 13. The deceased was identified as Aslam Mia, a passenger of the train. A case was filed with Kamalapur Railway Police Station on Thursday. Three separate probe bodies were formed to loot into the accident.  

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested a man with 20 gold bars from Putkhali border in Benapole of Jashore district last night. The arrestee was identified as Atiar Rahman, 55, son of late Mohar Ali of Putkhali.  Lt Col Mohammad Khurshid Anwar, commander of 21-BGB Battalion, said a patrol team of the border force conducted a drive in the Putkhali border area around 11:45 pm after being informed that a smuggler was going to the border with gold bars. Read: Chuadanga records country's lowest temperature  As a man arrived there, the BGB personnel challenged him and recovered the gold bars weighing 2.4 kg, he said, adding that the market price of the gold bars was estimated at Tk 2.13 crore.  The gold bars were handed over to the exchequer and a case was filed against the arrestee, the BGB officer added.  Read: Police sue 37 BNP leaders on charge of violence in Chattagram