United News of Bangladesh

Three children drowned in a pond Bhalta Guchha village in Kahalu upazila of Bogura on Tuesday morning. The deceased were identified as Zakirul, 6, son of Md Asadul Islam, Fahim, 8, and Suraiya, 5, children of Faruk Mondol. According to locals, the three children left their homes around 10am and did not return. At around 1pm, a local woman, Salma Khatun, spotted Zakirul's body floating in a village pond and raised an alarm. Locals recovered the child and rushed him to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogura where a doctor declared him dead. Later Fahim's body was recovered from the pond. As Suraiya could not be found, the Kahalu Fire Service was informed. Firefighters later recovered her body from the same pond. Md Shafiqul Islam, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kahaloo Police Station, said the bodies were handed over to the families for burial after completion of the necessary legal formalities.

A youth was allegedly beaten to death by a neighbour in the capital’s Jatrabari area on Monday evening. The deceased was identified as Rifat Mridha, 18, a resident of Khan Bari intersection in Rayerbagh under Jatrabari Police Station. The incident occurred in front of Rifat’s house around Monday evening. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition, where doctors declared him dead around 9:30pm. Rifat, son of Hashem Mridha hailed from Chanpura village in Dashmina upazila of Patuakhali. He used to work at a carton factory and lived with his family in Rayerbagh. Rifat’s father said his son was sitting on the road in front of their house when a neighbour named Shakil came there and asked him why he was sitting there and whether he wanted to smoke marijuana. “Rifat replied that he did not take marijuana and accused Shakil of doing so. Following the exchange, Shakil started abusing and beating him,” Hashem said. He said the matter was initially settled, but after some time Shakil returned and again assaulted Rifat with punches, kicks and blows. At one point, Rifat lost consciousness and Shakil fled the scene. Family members later rescued him and took him to a local hospital. As his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Hashem alleged that Shakil and his mother lived in a rented house beside their residence and fled after locking the house following the incident. Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the DMCH police outpost said the body has been kept at the hospital morgue and the matter has been reported to the concerned police station.

Two more children died with measles symptoms in Sylhet division in the past 24 hours till 8:00 am on Tuesday, while 51 new patients were admitted to hospitals during the same period. With the latest deaths, the number of fatalities linked to measles and related symptoms in the division has risen to 105, said Sylhet divisional office of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The deceased children were identified as seven-month-old Nusiba, daughter of Renu Mia of Nabiganj area in Habiganj, and two-year-two-month-old Raksa, daughter of Tarek Ahmed of Atigram in Kanaighat upazila of Sylhet. Nusiba died while undergoing treatment at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, while Raksa died at Shaheed Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital. Health officials said a total of 545 measles patients have been identified in Sylhet division since January this year. Among the four districts, Sunamganj recorded the highest number of cases with 267 patients, followed by Sylhet with 180, Habiganj with 56 and Moulvibazar with 22. Currently, 273 patients are receiving treatment at different hospitals across the division. Of them, 101 are admitted to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital and 105 to Shaheed Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital. The remaining patients are undergoing treatment at district hospitals in Sunamganj, Moulvibazar and Habiganj, as well as various private healthcare facilities.

Train services between Rajshahi and the rest of the country were suspended on Tuesday after Rajshahi University (RU) students blocked a railway track protesting the alleged assault of a student by a travelling ticket examiner (TTE). The students blocked the railway line near the university campus, demanding punishment of the accused TTE for beating a student who protested against collecting fares from passengers without issuing receipts. Due to the blockade, no trains, including Dhaka-bound Bonolota Express and Silk City Express, could leave Rajshahi Railway Station from the morning. Several trains heading towards Rajshahi also remained halted, causing severe suffering to thousands of passengers. The student who was allegedly assaulted was identified as Forkan Uddin, a student of the Department of Law at RU from the 2019-20 academic session. Forkan said he was returning to Rajshahi from Dhaka by Padma Express when he noticed TTEs collecting fares directly from passengers without providing receipts. “I protested and asked why they were taking money without issuing tickets, as railway revenue belongs to the state,” he said. He alleged that several TTEs then grabbed him from behind and took him between two coaches, where they beat him on his neck and back. He also claimed that they tried to throw him out of the train through a window. Forkan said he narrowly escaped but his glasses were damaged, demanding immediate and exemplary punishment for those responsible. Following the incident, students became agitated and announced that train movement would remain suspended through the railway track near the university’s Fine Arts area until their demands were met. They demanded that the accused TTE, identified as Suman, be brought before them and face legal action. Ariful Islam, general secretary of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Hall Students’ Union, said incidents of irregularities in railway services and harassment of passengers who protest have become common. “Train movement will remain suspended until the authorities ensure proper justice and compensation for the victim,” he said. Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RAKSU) General Secretary Salahuddin Ammar visited the spot and expressed solidarity with the protesters. RAKSU Vice-President Mostakur Rahman Zahid also voiced support for the movement through a Facebook post, demanding an apology from the accused and legal action against him. RU Proctor Prof Dr Mahbubur Rahman said a student was seriously assaulted by TTEs the previous night and acknowledged that the students’ demands were reasonable despite temporary inconvenience to passengers. He said the university administration was holding discussions with all parties to resolve the issue quickly. Officials from Bangladesh Railway, university authorities and law enforcement agencies were present at the spot and negotiating with the students to restore normal train services. Farid Ahmed, general manager of Bangladesh Railway’s Western Zone, said discussions with the students were ongoing and expressed hope that a solution would be reached soon. However, the blockade had not been withdrawn until the latest report, leaving passengers stranded at Rajshahi Railway Station and causing further disruption to train services.

Police have arrested the helper of a bus over the attempted rape of a female garment worker on a moving bus in Ashulia, a week after the incident. The accused, Kawshar Hossain Sanzid, 25, a helper of Itihash Paribahan, was arrested from Gazipur on Monday with the help of information technology, police said. Sub-Inspector Anwar Hossain PPM of Ashulia Police Station said Sanzid had gone into hiding in the Shah Alam Bari area under Basan Police Station in Gazipur, where he had taken a job as the driver of a courier service vehicle. He was tracked down and arrested on Monday night, the SI said. Earlier, police seized the Itihash Paribahan bus (Dhaka Metro-B-15-8508) allegedly used in the crime and arrested its driver, Azizul Sikder. According to the case statement, the incident occurred on the night of July 12 when the victim was returning to her workplace from her home district of Dinajpur. She boarded an Itihash Paribahan bus bound for Savar after getting off at Chandra intersection. Police said that after the bus reached Sripur Bus Stand, all other passengers got off and the driver and helper allegedly refused to allow any new passengers to board. The woman became frightened and repeatedly asked them to stop the bus so she could get off, but instead the driver continued driving at high speed. During the incident, Sanzid was allegedly behind the wheel of the bus, police said. At one stage, the woman jumped from the moving bus to save herself, suffering serious injuries. Police said further legal proceedings are underway.

A mobile court of the district administration sealed off DMT Safeway Hospital in Sylhet city on Monday, for operating without a valid licence and other required documents. The hospital, located in the Mirzajangal area, had allegedly been running medical services for a long time without obtaining the necessary government approvals. The drive was led by Executive Magistrate Sihab Bin Amin. According to officials, a mobile court inspected the hospital on Sunday and asked the authorities to produce valid licences and documents. As the hospital failed to show any licence, it was given 24 hours to submit the required papers. However, after the deadline expired, the hospital authorities failed to provide any valid government approval or licence to the district administration, prompting the mobile court to take action on Monday. Following the drive, a notice was hung at the hospital's main entrance, ordering a complete suspension of all activities until further notice. Executive Magistrate Sihab Bin Amin said the institution had been operating illegally without any valid authorisation. "In the interest of public safety and in accordance with government regulations, the hospital will remain sealed until further instructions. No patient admission or treatment will be allowed during this period," he said. The hospital had previously faced allegations of patient deaths due to alleged medical negligence. In January this year, it was also fined Tk 5,000 during another drive.

A schoolgirl was found dead in Satkhira's Kaliganj upazila on Monday, while a woman suspected of involvement in the killing was beaten to death by an angry mob. The victim, Farzana Sultana, 9, a Class-III student of Kajla Kashibati Government Primary School, went missing after school. Following a search, police recovered her body from a wardrobe drawer inside the house of Sumaiya Khatun, 26, in the evening. Khatun is the wife of a jhalmuri vendor near Farzana's school. The recovery sparked outrage among locals, who allegedly beat Sumaiya to death before police brought the situation under control. Police said the motive behind the killing is yet to be determined, although locals suspect Sumaiya may have sought to snatch the child's gold earrings. Kaliganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shahidul Islam said both bodies were sent for autopsy and an investigation is underway. Legal action is also being taken over the mob killing.

A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered by a neighbor in a village under Auria Union of Narail Sadar Upazila on Monday evening. The accused, Rabiul Shikdar alias Rabi, 40, son of Atiar Shikdar of the same village, has been on the run since the incident. According to family members and locals, the child was walking near her house around 5:30 pm. At one point, Rabiul called her into his residence. Missing her for a while, family members launched a search operation. Around 6:00 pm, they found the girl wrapped in a quilt inside Rabiul’s house. Sensing their presence, Rabiul fled the scene. She was rushed to Narail District Hospital, where Dr. Asif Akbar, the physician on duty at the emergency department, declared her dead upon arrival after examination. Rokibul Hasan, Narail Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) , said the body has been kept at the hospital morgue for an autopsy. "The accused, Rabiul Shikdar, went into hiding immediately after the incident. Police are conducting drives to apprehend him," the ASP added.

An unidentified sexagenarian man was found dead at a fish farm in Atabah of Kaliakoir upazila in Gazipur district on Monday. Locals spotted the floating body of the man, believed to be around 65 years old, wearing a white checked T-shirt, in a fish farm owned by Pervez Hossain in the morning and informed police. Police later recovered the body and sent it to the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy, said Shahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Kaliakoir Police Station. The exact cause of death will be known after the autopsy report is received, the OC said.

Rising water levels in major rivers and forecasts of heavy rainfall may trigger flashflood in at least 16 districts, according to the latest Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) bulletin. Water levels in the Teesta, Dharla, and Dudhkumar rivers have risen significantly over the past 24 hours and are expected to continue increasing for the next two days, said the FFWC bulletin. These rivers could cross the danger level within 24 to 48 hours, triggering flood in low-lying areas of Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Gaibandha, and Kurigram. In the northeast, the Surma River has continued to rise, while the Kushiyara River has shown a slight recession. However, both rivers are expected to rise again over the next three days and  the rivers may exceed danger levels in parts of Sylhet and Sunamganj, potentially worsening the ongoing flood situation. Several other northeastern rivers, including the Sarigowain, Jadukata, Jinjiram, Someshwari, Bhugai, and Kangsha, are also rising. The Bhugai, Kangsha, and Someshwari rivers may cross the danger level in Sherpur, Mymensingh, and Netrokona, while the Sarigowain and Jadukata rivers could overflow in Sylhet and Sunamganj, leading to flashflood in nearby low-lying areas. Meteorological agencies have forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours across the Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, and Sylhet divisions, as well as adjoining upstream areas of Assam, Meghalaya, and West Bengal in India. The rainfall is expected to further aggravate river conditions. The Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Ganges rivers have recorded rising water levels, while the Padma has remained stable. These rivers are expected to continue rising over the next five days and may reach the warning level in parts of Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Bogura, Sirajganj, and Tangail within the next 24 to 72 hours, causing flashflood in adjacent low-lying areas. Water levels in several rivers across the Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions, including the Upper Karatoya, Upper Atrai, Tangon, Punarbhaba, Mahananda, Jamuneshwari, Atrai, and Ghaghat, have increased and are likely to continue rising. The Atrai and Chhoto Jamuna rivers may reach the warning level in Naogaon and Natore, increasing the risk of flashflood. In Chattogram Division, the Sangu River has risen, while the Halda River has receded and the Matamuhuri River has remained stable. Water levels in these rivers are expected to rise over the next day before increasing more rapidly during the following two days. Authorities have urged residents in vulnerable low-lying areas to remain alert and follow official flood advisories as weather conditions continue to deteriorate.