United News of Bangladesh

Students on Tuesday staged demonstration early Tuesday protesting the decision of Jatiya Party that had declared Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah, top two key coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, ‘persona no grata’ in Rangpur. The agitated students brought out a procession from the Medical intersection of the city around 3:30 am and ended at the same point after parading different streets including Shaheed Mukhter Elahi Chattar and Check-post. Wrongdoers must be tried: Sarjis Alam The protesters were also found chanting different slogans. Later, they held a rally where the representatives of the student movement were present. During the rally, the speakers threatened to build resistance against the Jatiya Party if the party did not seek apology immediately. They also said the Jatiya Party has no jurisdiction to declare Sarjis and Hasnat as persona non grata. Earlier, Co-Chairman of Jatiya Party and former mayor of Rangpur City Corporation, Md Mostafizur Rahman Mostafa declared them as ‘persona non grata’ in Rangpur until they withdraw their statement about Jatiya Party.  

Five people including four members of a family were killed in separate road accidents in Mirsarai and Hathazari upazilas of Chattogram on Tuesday, In Mirsarai, a truck crashed into a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in the Khoiyachhora area, leaving all its four passengers, including a child, dead on the spot when they were on their way to attend an event in Sitakunda. The auto-rickshaw got smashed and truck fell into a roadside ditch after the crash, said police and witnesses. 20 dead, 24 injured in Sylhet division road accidents in Sept The deceased were identified as Kajol Rekha, Nurjahan, Shirina, and 7-month-old infant Nihat. Sohel Sarkar, officer-in-charge of Jorarganj Highway Police Station, said they went to spot upon receiving news of the accident and recovered the bodies. In a separate incident in Hathazari upazila, Mohammad Azwad Mahin, a madrasha student, was killed after being hit by a speeding bus on the Chittagong-Khagrachhari road. Following the accident, fellow madrasa students and local residents blocked the road in protest. Police later arrived at the scene and brought the situation under control.

A 45-year-old man of ethnic minority community  was shot dead on Tuesday by unidentified  miscreants in the early hours of Tuesday in Pomangpara area of Dighinala upazila of Khagrachhari. Unidentified people shot Swarna Kumar Tripura, a cook by profession, to death some time at night and the body was found near his home in Boalkhali union, said Officer-In-Charge of Dighinala Police Station Muhammad Zakaria. Two die, three get sick from overdose of alcohol: Police Police recovered the body and sent it to Khagrachhari District Sadar Hospital for an autopsy, the OC added. Police suspect that the murder could be linked to political disputes between regional parties, he also said.

Two people died and three others fell sick after excessive alcohol consumption during post-Durga Puja celebrations in Pabna’s Bhangaura upazila on Monday night. The deceased have been identified as Robin Ghosh,25, son of Ramchandra Ghosh, and Hridoy Choudhury,17, son of Manik Choudhury, both from Char Bhangaura village. Five killed, 20 injured in head-on collision of two buses in Faridpur: Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bhangaura Police Station, Md. Shafiqul Islam, confirmed the deaths. According to locals, five friends from the village's Ghoshpara area consumed excessive alcohol on Monday evening as part of the post-Durga Puja festivities. All of them fell seriously ill. They were initially admitted to Bhangaura Upazila Health Complex. Hridoy died en route to the hospital, while Robin was declared dead after being taken to Pabna General Hospital. 2 college students die after ‘drinking toxic alcohol’ in Faridpur Dr. Uzzal Hossain, the on-duty medical officer at Bhangaura Upazila Health Complex, said that two deaths were confirmed, and three people have been referred to Pabna General Hospital in critical condition.

A head-on collision between two buses left five people dead and at least 20 injured in Mallikpur Sadar Upazila of Faridpur early Tuesday, police said. The crash involved two buses, one belonging to 'Jhinaidah Paribahan' coming from Dhaka to Jhinaidah, and the other from 'Green Express' heading to Dhaka from Jhenaidah. According to highway police, at least 15 of the injured have been admitted to Faridpur Medical College Hospital. However, the identities of the deceased and injured are yet to be confirmed. 2 killed in Bogra road crash while going to attend funeral Highway police and fire service personnel have jointly conducted rescue operations at the scene, said Karimpur Highway Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Salauddin Chowdhury. The buses involved in the accident have been seized and brought to the Karimpur Highway Police Station, he added. 

Amid the skyrocketing prices of daily essentials, including vegetables, in kitchen markets across the country, growers in Manikganj district are worried about counting huge losses due to low production of chili caused by extreme drought. The chilies of Harirampur and Shibalaya upazilas in the district are known for chili production. In previous years, these regions not only met local demand but also exported to other districts and even overseas. But this year, most chili farmers in the district are experiencing poor yields, with plants wilting and leaves curling up. No new flowers or fruits have been seen on the plants, leaving farmers disappointed. According to the local Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), a total of 3,717 hectares of land have been brought under green chili cultivation this season, which is 176 hectares more than the previous year. DAE sources blamed excessive heat and a lack of timely rainfall for the poor yield. Samsuddin, a farmer in Harirampur upazila, said, “I planted chilies on two bighas of land, and initially, the yield was good, but due to oversupply, the price was low, around Tk 40 per kg. However, as the drought appeared and the crop field started to suffer damage, the price surged to Tk 150-160 per kg.” He also said that he managed to sell chilies worth Tk one lakh and made a profit of around Tk 20,000. Sherpur flood causes Tk 600 crore losses in agriculture, fisheries Nur Hossain, a chili grower, said he cultivated green chilies on 4.5 bighas of land after borrowing Tk 30,000. He is now frustrated over the poor yield and the damage to his chili fields due to drought. Like him, many farmers in these areas are also affected and are now worried about how to recoup their losses caused by the damage. Abdur Rahman, another chili farmer from Basta village, said despite several phases of irrigation, the extreme heat continued to damage the crops, and even the surviving plants are not producing chilies. He has yet to harvest even a single maund from his fields. Afsar Uddin, of Borongail village in Shibalaya upazila, said that despite spending Tk 40,000 on seedlings, fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation, he is harvesting less than two kilograms of chilies per day, instead of the expected two maunds. Farmers said the shortage of chilies has driven prices up dramatically. In various wholesale markets, the price of green chilies now ranges from Tk 350 to Tk 380 per kg. Local wholesalers report that the production decline has created a severe supply crunch, with most chilies now being sourced from other districts like Kushtia, Jhenaidah, Meherpur, and Chuadanga. Additionally, imported Indian chilies are being brought in through Letters of Credit (LCs) to meet the demand. Magura residents in distress as prices of daily essentials skyrocket Wholesale traders at the Jagirbandar Dhaleshwari wholesale market said that due to the shortage of the local variety of green chilies, the price of chilies has become dearer. Abdus Sattar, a wholesale trader, said, “Wholesalers from Dhaka and other markets depend on the chilies we supply. If imports from India stop for even a day, prices double. Moreover, half of the imported chilies arrive rotten, which further drives up the price.” Currently, retail prices of green chilies have surged to Tk 500-520 per kg due to the high wholesale costs. Dr. Rabiah Noor Ahmed, deputy director of the local DAE, said, "The continuous heatwave has significantly impacted chili farmers in Manikganj. They failed to get their desired production due to the lack of rain in time. However, the situation could improve if the weather becomes favorable. We've also sought advice from the Spice Research Center in Bogura to address the leaf curl disease."

The forest department has initiated treatment and safety measures for a wild female elephant critically injured after being struck by a train on the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar rail track in Lohagara upazila, Chattogram, last night. This action follows instructions from the environment adviser, as stated in a media release. Additionally, measures have been implemented to prevent crowding at the scene and ensure the elephant's safety. The medical team from Safari Park, led by Professor Dr. Bibek Chandra Sutradhar from Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, is overseeing the treatment. Under his guidance, the Safari Park Veterinary Officer, an assistant, and two mahouts are providing care for the injured elephant. Preparations, including cranes, are in place for transporting the elephant to the safari park. However, the area surrounding the elephant is about 200 meters deep in water, and heavy rains have softened the ground, making it impossible for cranes or vehicles to reach her. Assistance from Bangladesh Railways has been sought, and the railway authorities have assured support by providing a relief train tomorrow morning, read the release.

Two young girls tragically drowned in a canal while picking water lilies in the Koira area of Dighi Union, Manikganj Sadar Upazila, on Monday afternoon. The deceased were identified as Anha, 7, daughter of Babu Kazi from Kajinagar village in Dighi Union, and Sneha, also around 7 years old, daughter of Rafiq Sardar from Kharsatai village, both in the same union. The two were students at the local Koira Madrasatul Ohi Al Islami Madrasa. According to police, the children drowned while picking water lilies in a canal on their way home from Madrasa in the afternoon. Local residents attempted to rescue them and took them to Manikganj Colonel Malek Medical College Hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead. SM Aman Ullah, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Manikganj Sadar Police Station, reported that police were dispatched to the scene after receiving information. However, no formal complaints had been filed by the families of the victims. He added that if any complaints are received, legal action will be taken following an investigation.

A fire at Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) has forced hospital authorities to scramble for alternatives. The fire broke out on Sunday, prompting the transfer of patients from the affected medicine building to the hospital’s older facility. However, the older building, already overwhelmed with a high number of patients and existing resource shortages, has been unable to provide the desired level of care for the displaced patients. Due to the influx of new patients, the hospital administration has been facing severe challenges. Some new patients are being redirected to other government hospitals as space runs out. As of Monday afternoon, a few patients were moved back to the third floor of the fire-damaged medicine building, with plans to accommodate more patients on the fourth floor starting Tuesday, according to hospital authorities. A six-member investigation committee was formed immediately following Sunday’s fire to determine the cause of the incident. One concerned relative of a patient, Abdul Motaleb, described the chaotic situation during the evacuation: "We brought our patient here in panic after the fire. Amid the crowd, we managed to transfer them to the old building, but there was no bed available. The patient has been lying on the floor, which has worsened their condition." Dr. Moniruzzaman, acting director of the hospital, acknowledged the difficulty in managing the situation. "We have managed to place some of the patients in various wards of the old building, though some had to remain on the floor," he said. New patients were sent to general hospitals, he added.

A student of BGC Trust University, Kawsar Mahmud (22) passed away on Sunday night from injuries sustained during an anti-discrimination protest in Chattogram’s New Market area. The protest, on August 3, turned violent when police fired tear gas, and members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) assaulted protesters. Kawsar had been fighting for his life for over two months. He was receiving treatment at Dhaka’s Combined Military Hospital (CMH), where he succumbed to his injuries at around 10:30 pm last night, confirmed his father, Abdul Motaleb. 2 killed in Bogra road crash while going to attend funeral Kawsar’s body was taken to their family home on Commerce College Road in Chattogram. A tear gas shell struck Kawsar during protests on August 3, causing him to collapse. BCL activists beat him afterward, resulting in severe injuries, including critical damage to his kidneys. Tragically, Kawsar had already lost function in one kidney prior to the incident and had been receiving treatment at Islami Bank Hospital in Chattogram before being transferred to CMH for advanced care.