United News of Bangladesh

Police have arrested the presidents of the banned Chhatra League and Swechchhasebak League units in Naogaon’s Manda upazila over a loudspeaker campaign claiming that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would return to Bangladesh in December. An autorickshaw used in the campaign was also seized, Superintendent of Police Mohammad Tarikul Islam said on Friday. The arrestees are Shahidul Islam Shahid, 43, president of the banned Chhatra League’s Kashopara Union unit, and Abdul Jalil Sarker, 50, president of the Swechchhasebak League’s Manda Sadar Union unit. The SP said a short video showing the announcement was uploaded online by Mohammad Aslam Hossain Tipu and several others in an open field near the Naogaon-Rajshahi district border in Kashopara Union.

Five people, including a mother and her son, were killed and at least seven others injured in two separate road accidents in Faridpur on Friday. In the first incident, a sand-laden truck overturned onto an autorickshaw and a private car in the Tetultala area of Kanaipur on the Dhaka-Khulna highway around 3:30pm, killing Sumi Begum, 32, and her son Shaon, 7. Four passengers of the private car were injured. Senior Station Officer of Faridpur Fire Service Sribas Baroi said the truck reportedly lost control and overturned, causing the accident. The injured were receiving treatment at hospital. In another accident, three people were killed when a Magura-bound ambulance collided head-on with a Dhaka-bound King Fisher bus near Arkandi Bridge in Madhukhali upazila around noon. One of the deceased was identified as Rabbi, 21, while the identities of the other two could not be immediately known. The victims were reportedly students from Magura Sadar who were returning home after attending a Red Crescent blood donation programme in Faridpur. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals, with two later referred to Faridpur Medical College Hospital for better treatment. Officer-in-Charge of Karimpur Highway Police Station, said three people were killed in the bus-ambulance collision. Police were working to identify the deceased and determine the cause of the accident.

The Bhanga-Barishal four-lane road project may receive approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) within the next three months, State Minister for Planning Zonayed Saki has said. The project will bring a revolutionary change to road connectivity in the southern region, including Kuakata, he said, adding that the government also plans to upgrade the Barishal-Kuakata road to four lanes. He made the remarks while exchanging views with journalists after attending a two-day tourism carnival in Kuakata around noon on Friday. The state minister said the current government was undertaking all activities based on master plans to reduce delays in project implementation. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat, MP, Patuakhali-4 lawmaker ABM Mosharraf Hossain and senior officials of the Barishal and Patuakhali district administrations were present at the meeting.

Three members of a juvenile gang were arrested along with local weapons, drugs, and Tk 73,050 in cash during a drive in Manda upazila of Naogaon. The arrestees were identified as Islam Babu, 21, and his brother Shawon Islam, 19, sons of late Ashraful Islam of Chok-Uli village, and Arif Hossain, 23, son of Monjur Ahmed of Shutkibadal village in Manda upazila. Acting on a tip-off, a police team led by Manda Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Afzal Hossain under the direction of Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohammad Tariqul Islam conducted a drive at Chok-Uli village in Kashopara union around 10:30 p.m. Thursday. Police seized two automatic long Burmese knives, a Chinese double head tactical axe hidden inside a hole in a house, 60 Tapentadol tablets, 200 liters of country-made liquor, and Tk 73,050 in cash from their possession. SP Mohammad Tariqul Islam confirmed the matter Friday noon, adding that regular cases under the Arms Act and Narcotics Control Act have been filed against the arrestees.

Three people were killed and four others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and an ambulance in Madhukhali upazila of Faridpur on Friday afternoon. The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately. Shamim Reza, station officer of Madhukhali Fire Service, said the ambulance was heading towards Magura when it collided with a local bus named Kingfisher coming from Magura in the Arkandi area on the Dhaka-Khulna highway around 2:30pm. The accident left three passengers of the ambulance dead on the spot and four others injured, he said. On information, police and fire service personnel rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation.

A local leader of Jubo Mohila League was found slaughtered in her flat in Keraniganj on the outskirts of the capital on Friday morning. The deceased, Dalia Akter Suma, 50, was the president of the Basta union unit of Jubo Mohila League under South Keraniganj Police Station, locals said. She reportedly used to teach at a local primary school on a part-time basis. Police recovered Suma’s blood-stained body from her flat on the 2nd floor of Monwara Plaza in the Rasulpur Bazar area and sent it to Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mitford Hospital for an autopsy. Suma, daughter of Liakat Sikder of the area, had lived in the flat with her two daughters following her divorce from her husband Mohammad Ali. She had been living in the flat alone after the two daughters got married. Inspector (Investigation) of South Keraniganj Police Station Azgar Hossain said they were investigating the incident. A team of the Criminal Investigation Department’s crime scene unit visited the spot and collected evidence, he said.

The indefinite road blockade in Sajek in Rangamati continued for the 2nd day on Friday with joint forces maintaining patrols to keep the law-and-order situation under control. The blockade was enforced jointly by Sajek Ganadhikar Rakkha Committee and the Sajek Karbari Association to press for their three demands, including the immediate removal of armed members of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (Santu group) from the area and ensuring the security of local residents. However, there was no report of any untoward incident unlike Thursday when members of the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) opened fire while the Army and police were evacuating stranded tourists from Sajek Valley in Bagaichari upazila. The protesters said the blockade will continue indefinitely until their key demands are met. Army, police, and other law enforcement agencies have been working jointly to ensure the safety of people staying in Sajek and maintain peace in the area. Rangamati Superintendent of Police Muhd. Abdur Rakib said security measures were strengthened to restore normalcy in Sajek. Joint forces will continue necessary operations against criminals and armed groups to prevent any untoward incidents, he said. Meanwhile, the Chhatra-Janata Sangram Parishad has announced a half-day road and waterway blockade in Rangamati and Khagrachhari districts from 5am to noon on Saturday in support of the ongoing movement in Sajek. In a statement sent to the media on Thursday, its President Ushatan Chakma confirmed the decision, expressing full solidarity with the legitimate demands of Sajek residents. Considering public suffering and humanitarian concerns, the organisers have exempted certain emergency services from the blockade. Ambulances, vehicles carrying patients, fire service vehicles, transport carrying emergency medicine supplies and vehicles used by journalists on reporting assignments will remain outside the purview of the blockade during the half-day blockade, they said. Earlier on Thursday, nearly 3,000 tourists stranded in Sajek Valley were evacuated with the help of the Army and police amid the indefinite road blockade. Armed UPDF members allegedly opened fire on tourists and members of law enforcement agencies during the evacuation.

The two-day “Kuakata Tourism Carnival 2026” began at the Kuakata sea beach, a popular tourist destination in Patuakhali, on Friday morning. ABM Mosharrof Hossain, MP from Patuakhali-4, inaugurated the carnival, which began with a beach football competition, at the zero point of the beach near DC Park at 9:30am. Sultana Jesmen, a reserved-seat MP, and Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation Chairman Md Shamimuzzaman were present as special guests, along with officials from different government departments. A total of eight teams are taking part in four matches of the football competition scheduled to continue until 4pm. A kite festival and an art competition will be held at Lembur Bon in the afternoon, followed by a concert featuring popular artistes at night. Various other programmes are also scheduled throughout Saturday. More than 1 lakh tourists have gathered in Kuakata on the occasion of the carnival. Inspector of Tourist Police Nazmul Hasan said around 700 members of the tourist police, river police, regular police and other law enforcement agencies have been deployed to ensure tourists' security.

A mobile court has sentenced 20 fishermen to different terms of imprisonment for catching hilsa in the Padma-Meghna sanctuary in Chandpur, defying a fishing ban. Of them, 13 fishermen were given 10 days in prison each, while the remaining seven received 15 days' imprisonment each. Each fisherman was also fined Tk 1,000, bringing the total fine to Tk 20,000. The fishermen are residents of different villages in Laxmipur Model union under Chandpur Sadar upazila. Md Mizanur Rahman, assistant fisheries officer of Sadar upazila, told UNB that a district task force, led by Assistant Commissioner and Executive Magistrate Md. Najmul Huda, conducted the drive from 4:00pm to 9:00pm on Thursday. During the drive, the team detained 20 fishermen and seized 30 kg of hilsa, 35,000 metres of illegal monofilament fishing nets (locally known as current nets), and three engine-run fishing boats. The seized hilsa were distributed among an orphanage and needy people on Friday morning, while the boats were handed over to the Bangladesh Coast Guard for safekeeping. The seized fishing nets were burnt in the presence of the executive magistrate. A 22-day fishing ban in a 70-kilometre sanctuary along the Padma-Meghna rivers in Chandpur began on October 8 and will remain in force until midnight on October 29. During the ban, catching, buying, selling, storing and transporting all types of fish, including hilsa, in the designated rivers are prohibited. District administration officials said violators will face imprisonment and fines under the law.

Police have pressed charges against four people, including two teenage boys, in connection with the murder of Ishiat Shahriar Opratim, 13, son of Comilla University teacher Dr Nahida Begum. They submitted a charge sheet to a Cumilla court on October 20, Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration and Finance) Md Lutfar Rahman confirmed on Thursday. Two of the accused are Saiful Islam Tuhin, 19, and Md Siam, 19, while the two other accused are teenagers. According to the charge sheet, Opratim was killed after being hit on the head with a bamboo stick when he resisted an attempt to snatch his mobile phone. Tuhin and the two teenagers were directly involved in the murder, while Siam was involved in the planning, the charge sheet said. According to the police investigation, Tuhin took Opratim to a secluded, hilly forest area in Sananda, near the Lalmai Hills, in the afternoon of September 18. When the accused attempted to snatch his mobile phone, the schoolboy resisted. During the ensuing struggle, Tuhin, followed by the two teenagers, struck him on the head with a bamboo stick, leading to his death, the investigation found. Opratim, the only son of Firoz Shahriar and Nahida Begum, an associate professor of the Department of Bangla at Comilla University, was found dead in a jungle in the Kotbari area of Cumilla Sadar Dakkhin upazila on September 19. He was a Class VII student at Border Guard Public School. Opratim left his home around 3:30pm on September 18 carrying his mother’s iPhone to take photographs with his friends, but did not return.