district
8 of 2 families found unconscious in Sylhet
Eight members of two families have been found unconscious at their respective house in Sadar upazila of Sylhet, said police.
Two members of a family found them unconscious on Saturday morning in their tin-shed houses and rushed them to MAG Osmani Medical College and Hospital (SOMCH).
They are Shajeda Begum, 50, her son Sohanur Rahman Sagar, 17, daughter Nigar Sultana, 29, of a family and Subhas Chandra Dey, 65, Sreebhas Chandra Dey, 60, Satyen Dey, 35, Shibani Chandra Dey, 52, and Gouri Rani Dey, 57 of another family.
Nigar Sultana, who gained consciousness at the hospital, said the members of the two families slept in their respective rooms after having dinner on Friday night. However, her brother Saheed was awake almost the whole night.
“Around 5 am on Saturday, our eyes were burning and we woke up. We vomited several times,” she added.
Later, Nigar’s brother found the window grill of their kitchen broken.
Sylhet Airport Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mainul Zakir said they suspect that thieves might have done this.
“We have collected some evidence. However, nothing can be said before investigation,” he added.
Read: 2 die after 5 members of UK expat family found unconscious in Sylhet
On July 26, two members of a UK expatriate family died at a hospital in Sylhet after five members of the family were found unconscious at rented house in Osmaninagar upazila of the district.
The deceased were Rafiqul Islam, 50, and his 16-year-old son Mahikul Islam.
On August 6, Samira Islam, daughter of Rafiqul Islam, died at a hospital.
2 bikers killed in Pabna accident
A motorcyclist and his pillion rider were killed as a speeding truck hit their motorcycle on Pabna-Pakshi highway in Sadar upazila of Pabna early Sunday, said police.
The deceased were identified as Iqbal Hossain Khan, 52, and Abdul Majid Sheikh, 52, of the district.
Read: 75-yr-old killed in road accident in Dhaka
The accident occurred around 12am when the Pabna-bound truck hit the motorcycle coming from opposite direction on the highway in Hemayetpur union, leaving one dead on the spot, said Nuruzzaman, sub-inspector (SI) of Hemayetpur police outpost.
Another injured was rushed to Pabna General Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
The bodies were kept at the hospital morgue for autopsy, the SI added.
Tea workers go on indefinite strike for minimum Tk300 daily wage
Thousands of workers of 167 tea gardens across the country, including 92 of Moulvibazar, went on an indefinite strike Saturday, demanding an increase in their daily wages to Tk300 from Tk120.
Many workers also took to the streets in Choumohunay of Srimangal to press home their demand.
The protesters said they will continue the strike until their demand is met.
However, there will be no protests on Sunday, which is the weekly holiday for the workers, and Monday, which is National Mourning Day.
Read: Tea workers go on strike demanding better pay
Pankaj Panda, vice president of Bangladesh Tea Workers Union Central Committee, and Bijoy Hajra, president of Bangladesh Tea Workers' Union Balishira Valley, and Organising Secretary of the Union's Central Committee and other leaders from different valleys spoke at the protest rally.
Workers demanded an increase to Tk300 a day, with inflation rising and the currency depreciating and said that workers in the country’s all tea gardens began a full-scale strike on Saturday, after four days of two-hour stoppages.
Bangladesh is producing a record amount of tea every year through the toil of the tea workers. In 2021, a record 96 million kilograms of tea was produced in the country thanks to the hard labour of the underpaid tea workers.
Although two agreements on increasing wages have been reached, the fate of more than 1.5 lakh tea workers in the country hasn’t changed a bit.
Earlier on Friday, Bijoy Hajra, President of Bangladesh Tea Workers’ Union Balishira Valley and Organizing Secretary of the Union’s Central Committee, said that rampant price hikes of daily essentials are making it impossible for the tea workers to run their families on a meagre income of Tk 120 per day.
“We’ve discussed the matter with the tea garden owners time and again but they are constantly breaking the agreements reached between the Union and the owners. Increasing the wages of the tea workers is a longstanding demand. Though the existing agreements say that wages will be increased every year, the owners haven’t done so for the last three years. That’s why we’ve been forced to call for a tough movement,” said Bijoy.
UP member burnt to death in Barguna; case filed
A case has been filed at Betagi police station in Barguna following the murder of a UP member who was locked in his house and burnt to death in the early hours of Tuesday.Manowara Begum, the mother of the victim Farooq Ahmed Shamim, filed a murder case at Betagi police station, accusing unknown persons on Saturday afternoon, Betagi Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) M Shah Alam Howladar, said.On Tuesday night, some miscreants locked the door of the bedroom of UP member Farooq of Ward No. 2 at Mayar Ghun Bazar of Sarishamuri Union of Betagi upazila.In this fire, UP member Farooq, his wife Suchi Akter,25 and their two sons Mainul Khan,5, and Samiul Khan,2, sustained burn injuries. Farooq Ahmed received 75 percent burn injuries, added the OC.They were admitted to the Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital.
Read: Woman burnt to death by ex-husband in PatuakhaliLater, UP member was shifted to Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka as his condition deteriorated.Farooq Ahmed died while undergoing treatment at the hospital on Thursday afternoon.
Moulvibazar journalist critically injured in 'merciless' attack
The journalist of a local newspaper was critically injured in a "swift, bloody and merciless" attack in Moulvibazar's Kamalganj Saturday, police said.
Saturday noon, three people on a motorcycle waylaid Abdul Basid Khan, correspondent of Kamalganj-based newspaper Daily Khabarpatra. Basid, who was returning to his office after covering news, suffered serious wounds after being repeatedly stabbed by them.
Read: TIB demands a special law to protect journalists
"Hearing Basid scream, locals rushed to the spot and took him to Kamalganj Upazila Health Complex. The journalist was later transferred to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital as his condition worsened," Yeardos Hasan, officer-in-charge of Kamalganj Police Station, said.
It was not possible to say who delivered the fatal blows. However, all of the attackers shared a common intention: that Basid should die, or suffer very serious injuries.
"Basid is now undergoing treatment at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital. And police are conducting drives to arrest the suspects," Yeardos said.
10 hurt in Chattogram as ‘BCL activists’ attack Student Union’s human chain
Ten people were injured as some Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists allegedly attacked on the human chain of the Bangladesh Students’ Union on Sir Ashutosh Government College premises in Chattogram’s Boalkhali upazila.
Yasin Arafat, Joint Convener of Boalkhali Upazila unit of BSU, said that followers of BCL leader Shimul Sarder attacked them while they were demanding end of multipronged crises that the college is facing.
Himel Chowdhury, Convener of the college unit of BSU, said they had formed the human chain protesting some longstanding issues including the quality of education and shortage of academic buildings.
“BCL activists led by the college BCL’s Joint Convener Shimul Sarder, Royal Debnath and Md Kaiyum prevented the college students from joining our program. At one stage, they assaulted us with sticks and steel pipes. Besides beating us, they also took away some of our mobile phone sets,” said Himel.
Denying the allegations, BCL leader Shimul said that no one attacked the BSU activists.
Read: DU: JCD activists, campus journo attacked by BCL
“They were trying to create anarchy in the name of a human chain. A fist-fight took palce when we tried to disperse them, nothing else,” Shimul said.
Abdur Razzak, Officer In-charge (OC) of Boalkhali Police Station, said although a heated argument ensued between the two groups, nothing like an attack occurred.
“The situation is normal now. Police members have been deployed to thwart any untoward situation,” the OC said.
Human chain for potable water in coastal Satkhira
Residents of the coastal areas of Satkhira formed a human chain in front of the press club on Saturday, demanding supply of pure drinking water in the district.
Despite repeated requests, the protesters claimed, the authorities turned a blind eye to the issue.
Highlighting the sufferings of the residents, the protesters vowed to intensify their stir if "our demand for clean drinking water in the coastal areas is ignored".
Read: Farmers’ suicide ‘for irrigation water’: Human chain demands justice
"Women are forced to walk 4-5 kms daily to fetch safe drinking water. Salinity in water is damaging crops in the coastal areas as well," said a protester.
The protest was held under the aegis of NGO ‘Swadesh’.
Stolen diesel seized by Coast Guard in Chandpur
Coast Guard members seized 3,800 litres of stolen diesel from a Launch Ghat area of Matlab Uttar Upazila of Chandpur on Friday.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of coastguard conducted a drive at Mohanpur’s Dasani Launch Ghat area and seized the diesel stolen from two abandoned houses, Lieutenant Commander Khandaker Munif Taqi, media officer of Bangladesh Coast Guard Headquarters, said.
The estimated market value of the seized diesel is Tk 4,33,200, added the officer.
However, no one could be arrested in this connection.
Read: 3 held over stealing oil from standing train in Feni
The Coast Guard subsequently handed it over to Mohanpur Police Station.
Youth stabbed dead by miscreants in Chattogram
A youth was stabbed to death by miscreants in front of his house in Fatikchhari upazila of Chattogram district on Thursday night.
The deceased was identified as Anwarul Azim, 33, a resident of Dharmapur union parishad (UP) under the upazila. He used to live with his family in the port city Chattogram but visit home sometimes.
Morshedul Alam, member of the UP, said Azim went out of his house for Esha prayer on Thursday night and didn’t come back after a long time.
Later, the family members found the bloodstained body of Azim in front of the gate of their house when they were searching for him, he said.
Read: Youth stabbed dead in Faridpur, one detained
He was rushed to a local hospital where physicians pronounced him dead on arrival, the UP member continued.
Kazi Ibne Anowar Masud, Officer-in-charge (OC) of Fatikchhari Police Station, said on information they recovered the body from the hospital and sent it to Chattogram Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Filing a case related to the incident is underway, added the OC.
Toddler drowns in Kurigram pond
A one-and-a-half-year-old drowned in a pond near his house while playing there in Kurigram's Rowmari upazila Friday.
The deceased was identified as Abu Horayra, son of Samaun Islam of Uttarpara village of Sadar union.
"Horayra was playing in the yard of his house at 10am. As the family members were not around, he fell into the pond and drowned," Samaun said.
"His family members started looking for him as he was not seen anywhere. At one stage, Horayra's body was found floating on the pond near his house," Rup Kumar Sarkar, officer-in-charge of Roumari Police Station, said.
Read: 2 children drown in Naogaon pond