United News of Bangladesh

At least 22 inmates were injured as some prisoners of Gazipur district jail tried to revolt following the release of some politically affiliated inmates on Thursday. Jailer Mushfiqur Rahman said some political prisoners walked out of jail after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina led government recently. The other prison inmates, who were convicted in different cases including robbery, staged demonstrations for not getting released from the jail on Thursday morning. 209 inmates escape from Kashimpur jail; 6 shot dead At one stage, they set fire on the beds and furniture and tried to flee the jail. Later, the prison guards charged baton and fired bullets to quell the clash, leaving 22 inmates injured. On information, a team of army rushed in and brought the situation under control.  

A Swechchhasebak League leader was stabbed to death in an attack by assailants in Bhedarganj Upazila of  Shariatpur on Wednesday night. The deceased has been identified as Faruk Molla, son of Abdul Hai Molla from the same upazila. He served as the vice-president of the Swechchhasebak League in Char Kumaria Union. According to local sources, Faruk was critically injured in the attack. The assailants brutally beat and hacked him, causing severe injuries. Later, Local residents rushed him to Damudya Upazila Health Complex, where the on duty Dr. Shahinoor Islam, a resident Medical Officer declared him dead.  

Six inmates of Kashimpur central jail in Gazipur were shot dead by security personnel while 209 others managed to flee on Tuesday. Senior Jail Superintendent of Kashimpur High Security Central Jail Subrata Kumar Bala confirmed the matter on Wednesday. The names and identities of the deceased will be revealed later, said the jail official. Bala stated that on Tuesday (August 6), the inmates inside Kashimpur High Security Central Jail rebelled. During the rebellion, the inmates tried to break the prison. When the prison guards tried to stop them, the inmates attacked the guards and tried to escape by breaking the walls, climbing over the walls, and some even tried to escape by attaching pipes to the walls, he said. At one point, the army was called, and they conducted a commando operation to suppress the rebellion. However, in the meantime, 209 inmates managed to escape by climbing over the walls. At that time, six inmates were killed by security personnel’s firing. The bodies of the deceased have been sent to the morgue of Gazipur Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital for post-mortem. After 9:30 AM on Tuesday, members of the army arrived by helicopter and took control of the main gate and all other gates of the prison. Earlier that morning, locals heard extensive gunfire from inside the prison.

A Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) activist was shot dead by unidentified miscreants in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna Tuesday night. The deceased was identified as a Sachin Biswas Saju,22, son of the late Bilat Biswas from Notun Rupur Dakshinpara village. Tanvir Hasan Sumon, former general secretary of the upazila Chhatra Dal, claimed that Sachin was an activist of the No 6 ward Chhatra Dal in Pakshi Union. 3 Killed in auto-rickshaw accident in Pabna Locals said he was in a picnic with friends at a house near the Jigatola Mosque around 10:30 PM on Tuesday night. He stepped out to talk on his mobile phone when assailants shot him in the head and stabbed him before fleeing on a motorcycle. Later, locals took him to Ishwardi Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead. Monirul Islam, Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) of Ishwardi Police Station, confirmed Sachin's death but could not provide further details.

At least three people were killed in firing by police when miscreants attacked Beanibazar police station in Sylhet on Monday after the news of resignation of Sheikh Hasina surfaced. Though the casualties happened on Monday afternoon, relatives of the deceased took the bodies from around the police station on Tuesday as a tense situation had been prevailing in the upazila for the past two days. On Monday afternoon, the news of Sheikh Hasina's resignation and departure from the country led to jubilant crowds taking to the streets, distributing sweets, and holding processions. Around 3pm, thousands of people of all ages flooded the municipal town. During this time, they chanted slogans against Sheikh Hasina and various Awami League leaders and activists. The agitated crowd vandalized and set fire to several establishments, including the Beanibazar police station, the Freedom Fighters' Sangsad Bhaban, the Bangabandhu mural, and the personal office of a local leader. Several state vehicles and structures of the Beanibazar police station were reduced to ashes. Despite the police surrendering, the assailants attacked their quarters. In the ensuing chaos, the police opened fire, resulting in the deaths of three individuals and leaving seven others in critical condition. The identities of the deceased and injured have not yet been disclosed. Upazila Executive Officer Kazi Shamim said that the extent of the damage from the attacks cannot yet be determined. The military has been deployed to help restore order.

The houses of two Members of Parliament and over 100 leaders and activists of Awami League were vandalised and set ablaze on Monday night in Lalmonirhat. Lalmonirhat Fire Service reported the recovery of six charred bodies from the residence of district AL joint secretary Suman Khan. The bodies of the unidentified people were recovered from the fourth floor of the house around 4:30 am. Acting Station Officer Shahidur Rahman confirmed the recovery of the bodies, which have been taken to Lalmonirhat Sadar Police Station.The unrest began following the announcement of Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and her departure from the country.On Monday afternoon victory processions were brought out marking Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, with celebrating crowds moving through major roads and intersections across the district.However, the celebrations quickly turned violent. The homes and properties of several Awami League leaders came under attack, including those of Motahar Hossain, MP for Lalmonirhat-1 and District Awami League President; Motiar Rahman, MP for Lalmonirhat-3 (Sadar) and District Awami League General Secretary; and Sakhawat Hossain Suman Khan, The vandalism continued till late night.Due to the severity of the burn injuries, the identities of the deceased could not be immediately determined.Families of missing students involved in recent anti-discrimination protests expressed fear that the bodies may belong to their loved ones. Rajibul Karim Sarkar, father of a missing student, said that the clothing and shoes found among the burnt remains resembled his son's belongings. He speculated that the victims might have been trapped in the building.Authorities plan to conduct DNA tests to identify the deceased and return them to their families. Efforts to contact the police station’s Officer-in-Charge, Omar Faruq, for additional comments were unsuccessful.

At least 18 people died after mobs set fire to five-star Zabeer International Hotel, owned by Shahin Chakladar, General Secretary of Jashore District Awami League and Member of Parliament on Monday night. The blaze broke out around 11:30 PM, according to A M Mamun, Assistant Director of Jashore Fire Service. The incident followed the resignation of Sheikh Hasina from the post of prime minister, which led to thousands of jubilant crowds taking to the streets in celebration. Major thoroughfares in the city were filled with people, and some of the crowd vandalised various landmarks, including a mural of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, a sculpture of Sheikh Russel, and the district Awami League office. The Zabeer International Hotel, along with Chakladar's house, office, and press, were set on fire by the mob. Initially, no rescue operations could be carried out at the hotel. About an hour later, an Air Force helicopter rescued several trapped individuals. As the fire was partially brought under control, bodies began to be recovered from various floors of the 14-story hotel. Over 50 people were injured in the incident. Around 3:45 PM, students and citizens held a victory march in Jashore, during which an enraged segment of the crowd began vandalising the Zabeer International Hotel at Chitra Mor. At 4:15 PM, they set the hotel on fire. Fire service personnel arrived to extinguish the blaze, and some trapped individuals signaled for help from the 14th-floor balcony. A rescue helicopter attempted to land on the roof but failed. However, it managed to rescue a person who stood on the roof. In addition to Chakladar's hotel, other properties were attacked, including the house of Kazi Nabil Ahmed, MP for Jashore-3 (Sadar), located in Kazipara, the district Awami League office, and the Sheikh Russel sculpture. In the evening, Rashed Khan, coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in Jashore, condemned the arson attack on the Zaber Hotel at a press conference. He said that before the students' march reached the hotel, miscreants had already attacked and vandalized it. Khan urged the authorities to identify and bring those responsible for the violence and arson to justice.

Three people, including Koyra Upazila Parishad Chairman and Upazila Awami League President GM Mohsin Reza, were killed following a mob attack on Monday evening in Khulna The attack occurred after Reza allegedly opened fire on a victory procession, injuring several people. The other two were identified as Reza's driver, Alamgir Hossain, and his personal assistant, Mofizul Islam. The situation at the scene remains tense, according to the Officer-in-Charge of Koyra Police Station, Md. Mizanur Rahman, who confirmed the details of the incident. According to locals and police the procession was organised by local residents to celebrate after hearing news of Sheikh Hasina's resignation as PM and departure from the country. As the procession passed by Reza's residence, he allegedly fired seven rounds from his pistol, wounding seven individuals, including Sabbir, Altaf, Abu Musa, and Nuruzzaman. In response, the enraged crowd stormed Reza's residence, attacked him and his two associates, and set fire to the property. All three victims died at the scene, reportedly from the fire.

A total of 596 prisoners and detainees have escaped from Satkhira District Jail following an attack on the facility. The jailbreak occurred on Monday evening when a group of miscreants launched an assault on the jail, causing extensive damage and freeing the inmates housed in 10 separate cells. Hasna Jahan Bithi, the jailer of Satkhira District Jail, confirmed the matter, stating, "A group of miscreants attacked the jail around 7 pm on Monday. They broke the lock on the jail gate and freed the inmates from 10 cells. However, many have started surrendering since Tuesday morning." By 10 am on Tuesday, more than 200 inmates returned to the jail, according to sources. Eyewitnesses reported seeing groups of escaped inmates arriving at the jail throughout the morning, signaling their intent to surrender.

At least four people were burned to death after some agitated people set fire to the house of Arefin Alam Ranju, the former convenor of the district Jubo League, in the cinema area of Chuadanga town. As of 11:30pm on Monday, the identities of the victims could not be ascertained. Eyewitnesses said that around 4 pm, a group of unidentified people broke the main gate of Jubo League leader Arefin Alam's house and tried to enter. At that time, Arefin Alam fired a shot with his personal shotgun. Then around 4:30 pm a group of people came there and broke the gate of the house and entered and started vandalism. The six-storey house was set on fire during the attack.On information, a fire service unit rushed to the spot at 5:30pm and brought the fire under control after an frantic efforts. Jahangir Alam, Station Officer of Chuadanga Fire Service and Civil Defense, said the recovered the four bodies from the fourth floor of the building. The body could not be identified as it was burnt and mutilated, he added. Arefin Alam's mobile phone was switched off when contacted to inquire about this. Earlier, the angry mob attacked and vandalised the offices of district Awami League and lawmakers of different constituencies of Chuadanga. Apart from this, the residence of former Upazila Parishad Chairman Asadul Haque Biswas and his brother Akramul Haque Biswas, Mayor Jahangir Alam of Chuadanga Municipality and former Mayor Obaidur Rahman Chowdhury, former secretary of District Chhatra League, Mohammad Janif, were vandalised. Bangabandhu's portrait was also vandalised at various places.