United News of Bangladesh

Police arrested a man allegedly with a one-shooter gun during a special drive in Matlab Uttar upazila of Chandpur on Wednesday. The arrestee was identified as Farhad Hossain, 38, son of late Abdul Kuddus Chhoyal of Char Wester area under Mohanpur union of the upazila. According to the Office of the Chandpur Superintendent of Police, an operational team of Matlab Uttar Police Station conducted the drive in the Char Wester area around noon, acting on a tip-off. The team arrested Farhad and seized a one-shooter gun from his possession. Officer-in-Charge of Matlab Uttar Police Station Manas Barua said legal proceedings against the arrestee were underway.

Inflation has placed a heavy burden on low- and middle-income people in Bangladesh, with an estimated 8 million to 10 million people falling below the poverty line, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance and Planning Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir has said. Citing a World Bank report, Titumir said the introduction of family cards and farmer cards had been recognised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank as a groundbreaking initiative expected to help reduce poverty and ease people’s hardship. He made the remarks while speaking to journalists at the Rajbari Municipality auditorium on Wednesday afternoon at a meeting organised by the Rajbari District Administration. Rajbari District Council Administrator Abdus Salam Mia was present at the meeting. Titumir said the country was going through a critical transition, with the current administration inheriting a fragile economy marked by high inflation, rising unemployment and weak private-sector investment. He said many people had been forced to use up their savings or take on debt to cope with rising prices, while unemployment among young and educated citizens had also become a major concern. The Middle East crisis had further increased fuel prices, adding pressure on the economy, he said, adding that misleading information and distorted data on gross domestic product (GDP) were also circulating on social media. Titumir said the previous government had failed to take necessary steps to expand solar energy, explore domestic gas resources and ensure sustainable energy security. He alleged that cronyism and patronage had weakened the economic system and that around US$40 billion would now be needed to repair the banking sector. Sustainable energy security is essential to attract investment and create jobs, he said. The adviser added that Bangladesh needed to develop renewable energy and reduce its dependence on imported fuel. He also stressed the need to reform the education system and develop a skilled workforce to address unemployment, particularly among young and educated people. He said the government planned to allocate 2 per cent of GDP to education for the first time in Bangladesh’s history, with a commitment to gradually raise the allocation to 5 per cent by 2030. Titumir also emphasised the need to build a healthy population alongside a skilled workforce. Referring to the development of healthcare infrastructure, he said 20-bed upazila health complexes were established during the tenure of late president Ziaur Rahman and later expanded to 50-bed facilities under former prime minister Khaleda Zia. The government is now upgrading upazila-level hospitals to 151-bed facilities, he added.

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman on Wednesday said political leaders must first ensure their own integrity and remain free from corruption to effectively combat graft in the country. “The first condition for eliminating corruption is that political leaders who speak publicly about ending corruption must first make themselves free from it. Any anti-corruption initiative will fail if corruption among politicians and individual leaders cannot be eliminated,” he said. The minister made the remarks as the chief guest at an exchange meeting with local teachers and professional journalists at the Shailkupa Upazila BNP office in Jhenaidah. Warning against irregularities in recruitment at educational institutions, Asaduzzaman said no one involved in financial transactions or bribery in the appointment of teachers and employees would be spared. He also warned against abuse of power or misconduct by school managing committee presidents towards headteachers. At the same time, he said headteachers involved in irregularities and embezzlement at the expense of educational standards and a healthy learning environment would not be tolerated. Speaking about protecting young people from drugs and modernising the education system, the minister said managing the current generation had become an increasingly difficult challenge for teachers. He expressed concern that a significant number of young people were becoming involved in drug abuse, stressing that bringing them back to the right path and protecting them from addiction was a key responsibility. He called on teachers to rethink their approach to the younger generation and take timely, well-planned and appropriate decisions to address their needs. Heads and assistant teachers from various private schools, colleges and madrasas in Shailkupa upazila attended the meeting, along with journalists from print and electronic media and local social and political leaders.

Police have arrested a madrasah teacher in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia for allegedly attempting to rape a third-grade female student. The arrestee is Sayeed Hossain Nannu, a teacher of Darul Abbar Madrasah at Pakuria village under Pragpur union. The arrest was made on Tuesday night following a complaint lodged by the girl’s mother with Daulatpur Police Station earlier in the day, police said. According to the complaint, the girl went to the madrasah on October 14 to attend classes as usual. The teacher allegedly took her to an office room alone and attempted to rape her. The accused fled the scene when locals rushed in after hearing the girl's screams. Officer-in-Charge of Daulatpur Police Station Khaledur Rahman said they arrested the accused madrasah teacher following the complaint. A court on Wednesday sent him to jail, he said.

Another shipment of highly radioactive uranium fuel has reached the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Pabna amid tight security supervision by the Bangladesh Army. The convoy carrying the uranium entered the plant premises shortly after 10am on Wednesday, said Asaduzzaman Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Ishwardi Police Station. The convoy carrying the nuclear fuel departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 5am under the supervision of the Bangladesh Army. Members of the police, SRB and intelligence agencies were also deployed to ensure security during the transportation.

Local rights groups have announced an indefinite road blockade on the Sajek tourist road in Baghaichari upazila of Rangamati from Thursday (October 22) over unfulfilled three-point demands, organizers said Wednesday. In a joint statement, Sajek Karbari Association President Notun Joy Chakma and Sajek Gono Odhikar Rokkha Committee Convener Babudhon Chakma requested tourists currently staying in Sajek to leave by Wednesday for their safety. The blockade, initially launched on October 11 over three demands, was suspended following assurances from the local administration. One of the key demands was the removal of armed members of the JSS (Santu) group within 48 hours. After the administration failed to act, the blockade briefly resumed on October 15 before being suspended again from October 16 to 21 out of respect for Durga Puja. Organizers alleged that armed JSS members continue open intimidation in Machalong, Thalkumbho, Chillyatuli Kutir, Noapara, Lambabak, and Bhuoyachari, displacing over a hundred villagers and preventing Jum farmers from working. Sajek Gono Odhikar Rokkha Committee Member Secretary Bijoy Kanti Chakma said ambulances, fire services, hearse vans, emergency medicine and newspaper transports, and journalists' vehicles will remain exempt from the blockade.

An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Jalalabad Police Station under Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP) has been withdrawn for singing a song at a cultural event at a Durga Puja mandap in the city while on duty. ASI Udayan Faruk was attached to the Sylhet Police Lines after a video of him singing in uniform at the event went viral on social media, according to an office order issued by SMP Commissioner Sarwar Murshed Shamim on Tuesday. Police said Faruk was assigned to security duty at the Brahman-Shashan Sarbajanin Puja Mandap in the Akhalia Natun Bazar area on the night of October 19. During his duty, he took part in a cultural programme organised by the Puja Udjapan Committee and sang the song “Ore Ore Hawa” while wearing his uniform. A video of the performance later circulated on Facebook and came to the attention of senior police officials. Mohammad Saiful Islam, SMP deputy commissioner (North), on Wednesday said Faruk was assigned to provide security at the mandap. “Engaging in other activities while on official duty constitutes a dereliction of duty,” he said. The assistant commissioner of Jalalabad Police Station has been asked to investigate the incident and submit a report, he said, adding that appropriate action will be taken against the officer after the report is received.

Two two-year-old twin siblings drowned in a pond in Merkut Uttarpara village in Nabinagar upazila of Brahmanbaria district on Wednesday. The deceased were identified as Md Huzaifa and Md Akram--- sons of Mohammad Akkas Mia, a Bangladeshi expatriate in Saudi Arabia. Locals said the siblings were playing with a ball near a pond adjacent to their house in the morning. At one stage, the ball fell into the pond. One of the boys went into the pond to retrieve it but drowned. The other boy also drowned while trying to save his brother. Locals later pulled them out of the pond in an unconscious state and took them to a local hospital, where doctors declared them dead. Morshedul Alam, officer-in-charge of Nabinagar Police Station, said police visited the spot after receiving information. A pall of gloom descended on the area following the deaths of the two siblings.

A 20-year-old woman died under mysterious circumstances in Nalitabari upazila of Sherpur early Wednesday, just six days after her marriage, with police detaining her husband and mother-in-law for questioning. Police recovered the body of Lima Akter, daughter of Saidul Islam of Majhiyail village under Dhara union in Haluaghat upazila of Mymensingh, from her in-laws’ house in Gopalpur village under Rupnarayankura union. They also detained Lima’s husband Ekramul Haque, 22, and mother-in-law Farida Begum, 50. Lima’s relatives alleged that she was tortured and killed as the in-laws did not like the items sent from her father’s home at marriage. Her husband, however, claimed that she committed suicide by hanging herself. Lima married Ekramul on October 15 in a family-arranged marriage with a dower of Tk 170,000. On Sunday, Lima visited her parental home with her husband and returned to her in-laws’ house on Tuesday afternoon. Family members said a dispute arose over the items sent from her parents’ home after her return. Sub-Inspector Abdul Hannan of Nalitabari Police Station said an investigation was underway to determine the actual cause of death. “The cause of death will be known after the autopsy report,” he said.

A suspected smuggler was held with 18 gold bars weighing 2.90 kg on the Nabharan-Satkhira highway in Sarsha upazila of Jashore district on Wednesday morning. The arrestee was identified as Alauddin, 52, son of late Golam Rasul of Harikhali village in the upazila. Tipped off that a large consignment of gold would be taken towards the border for smuggling into India, a team of police took position in front of Prime Bricks in the Khajura area on the highway around 10:30am, said Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (Nabharan Circle) Md Arif Hossen. Police intercepted Alauddin when he arrived in the area on a motorbike and recovered 18 gold bars after searching his body, the police officer said. The seized gold weighs 2.90 kg and has an estimated market value of Tk 4.10 crore, police said. Police also seized the motorbike.