United News of Bangladesh

A three-member body has been formed to investigate the death of two men in a mob attack over suspicion of their involvement in stealing in Taraganj upazila of Rangpur district on August 9. Superintendent of Police (SP) of Rangpur Abu Saim said the probe panel, led by C-Circle ASP Asifa Afroz Adhri, was formed on Wednesday night with an instruction to submit a report on it within three working days. Officer-in-charge of Taraganj Police Station MA Faruk and another police official will assist ASP Asifa Afroz, said the SP. Earlier, on Wednesday night, eight police personnel, including two sub-inspectors, were suspended for their alleged negligence in performing duty during the lynching of two men. Those suspended are Taraganj Police Station’s sub-inspectors Abu Zobayer and Shafiqul Islam, constables Farikud Akhtar Zaman, Dhiraj Kumar Roy, Hasan Ali, Firoz Kabir, Moktar Hossain and Babul Chandra Roy. They were attached to the district police lines. On the other hand, SI Abu Zobayer, who was the investigating officer (IO) in a case filed over the incident, was also relieved of investigation duties. Inspector (Investigation) Rafiqul Islam was appointed as the new IO for the case. On August 9, Ruplal Das and his son-in-law Pradip Das were beaten to death by a mob who suspected them of theft on the Taraganj-Kazirhat road in Bottola around 9:30pm. 700 sued over lynching of 2 people in Rangpur Locals said Ruplal’s eldest daughter Nupur Das was engaged to one Dipjol Das from Shyampur area in Mithapukur upazila of the district. Pradip Das, Ruplal’s nephew-in-law, was travelling by a rickshaw van from Mithapukur upazila to finalise the marriage date. Confused over the route in Taraganj, Pradip Das contacted Ruplal, who joined him and they continued to move towards Ghanirampur village of Mithapurkur by the rickshaw van. Around 9pm, a group of villagers detained them in Bottola area on suspicion of their involvement in theft. Locals also discovered four plastic bottles from the van, one of which spread an odor that caused two locals, Alamgir Hossain and Mehedi Hasan, to feel unwell. As the situation worsened, the mob then beat the duo to death. Man, son-in-law lynched over theft charges in Rangpur Meanwhile, four people have been arrested as two cases were filed in this connection. Fearing arrests, male members of the neighbouring villages have gone into hiding.

The Bangladesh Army has cautioned the public about the creation of fake social media profiles in the name of Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, according to the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) media release issued on Wednesday. The fake profiles are spreading misleading information. Army officials confirmed that the Army Chief does not have any personal Facebook or other social media accounts, nor does he plan to operate any in the future. The public and media have been urged not to be misled by such accounts. Authorities are working to identify those involved in creating and operating these fake profiles, with necessary legal action underway against individuals engaged in such deceptive activities, according to the ISPR.

Eight police personnel, including two sub-inspectors, were on Wednesday night suspended for their alleged negligence in performing duty during the lynching of two men in Taraganj upazila of Rangpur district on August 9. Rangpur Superintendent of Police Abu Saim informed this at night, citing that the suspended cops were assigned to the mobile team in Taraganj at the time of the incident. Those suspended are Taraganj Police Station’s sub-inspectors Abu Zobayer and Shafiqul Islam, constables Farikud Akhtar Zaman, Dhiraj Kumar Roy, Hasan Ali, Firoz Kabir, Moktar Hossain, and Babul Chandra Roy. SP Saim said that SI Abu Zobayer, who was the investigating officer (IO) in the case, was also relieved of investigation duties. Inspector (Investigation) Rafiqul Islam has been appointed as the new IO for the case. On August 9, father-in-law Ruplal Das and son-in-law Pradip Das were beaten to death by a mob who suspected them of theft on the Taraganj-Kazirhat road in Bottola around 9:30pm. Locals said Ruplal’s eldest daughter Nupur Das was engaged to Dipzol Das from Shyampur, Mithapukur upazila of the district. 700 sued over lynching of 2 people in Rangpur Pradip Das, Ruplal’s nephew-in-law, was traveling by van from Mithapukur to finalize the marriage date. Confused over the route in Taraganj, Pradip Das contacted Ruplal, who joined him, and they continued toward Ghanirampur village by rickshaw van. Around 9pm, in Bottola a group of villagers detained them on suspicion of theft. Locals discovered four small plastic bottles from the van, one of which emitted a strong odor that caused two men, Alamgir Hossain and Mehedi Hasan, to feel unwell. As the situation worsened, the mob beat the duo to death. Two separate cases were filed in this connection and several people have so far been arrested.

Bangladesh Health Reporters Forum on Wednesday declared that no form of opinion from tobacco companies is acceptable in the process of amending the Tobacco Control Act. According to the forum, such a move is a direct violation of Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and poses a severe threat to public health. The organisation has, therefore, demanded that the government immediately withdraw its decision to seek tobacco company opinions under the guise of stakeholder meetings. The demands were raised on Wednesday  at a workshop titled "Public Interest vs. Tobacco Industry Influence: The Role of Journalists in Expediting Tobacco Control Law Amendment", organised by the Bangladesh Health Reporters Forum with the support of the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh. Rashed Rabbi, president of the Bangladesh Health Reporters Forum, delivered the welcome address, while the keynote presentation was made by Prof. Dr. Sohel Reza Choudhury, head of the Department of Epidemiology and Research at the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute. Choudhury said tobacco is one of the leading causes of heart disease, cancer, and various respiratory illnesses. In Bangladesh, more than 161,000 people die each year from tobacco-related diseases, and over 400,000 people become disabled (WHO). Additionally, nearly 38.4 million adults are exposed to secondhand smoke every day in public places and public transport. “To address this alarming situation, it is urgent to amend the existing Tobacco Control Act without delay,” he stated. “Unfortunately, the government has decided to take opinions from tobacco companies in stakeholder meetings, which is a direct violation of WHO FCTC Article 5.3. We demand that the government immediately withdraw this decision and approve the proposed amendment in the advisory council meeting of the Ministry of Health.” He further added that the current interim government came to power with promises of reforms in various sectors. “But in the past year, we have seen no effective steps toward amending the tobacco law. Instead, influenced by the propaganda of tobacco companies, the government has decided to collect their opinions under the name of stakeholder meetings. This is a clear violation of the WHO FCTC. The government must withdraw this decision immediately and approve and implement the amended Tobacco Control Act proposed by the Ministry of Health.” Amend Tobacco Control Act to protect future generations from malign effects Journalists participating in the workshop said that, according to Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC, tobacco companies must not be involved in the formulation or amendment of any policy. However, in the July 13 meeting of the advisory committee, a decision was made to seek tobacco company opinions on the draft amendment of the Tobacco Control Act — a move they described as completely unacceptable. They also noted that the only aim of tobacco companies is profit, not public health. Accepting their opinions means ignoring public interest. They pledged to continue publishing regular reports on the issue to draw the attention of the authorities concerned. The six key amendments proposed by the Ministry of Health to the existing law include: Eliminating Designated Smoking Areas (DSA) to make all public places and public transport completely smoke-free; Banning tobacco product displays at points of sale to prevent attraction among youth and potential users; Completely prohibiting tobacco companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities; Protecting adolescents and young people from e-cigarettes and all emerging tobacco products; Increasing the size of pictorial health warnings on tobacco packets and containers from 50% to 90%; and Prohibiting the sale of single sticks of bidis and cigarettes, as well as unwrapped and unpackaged smokeless tobacco products. The workshop was also attended by Naimul Azam Khan, adviser to the Tobacco Control Project of the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute; Dr. Aruna Sarkar, project coordinator; Senior Communications Officer Abu Jafor; and Mainul Hasan Sohel, general secretary of the Dhaka Reporters Unity, along with representatives from various media outlets.

Former National Board of Revenue (NBR) official Matiur Rahman, who is better known for his son's goat scandal, broke down in a Dhaka court on Tuesday while pleading for bail in a money laundering case. Senior Special Judge Zakir Hossain of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court asked Matiur to remain patient and rejected his bail petition. Matiur’s lawyer Md. Wahiduzzaman concluded the bail hearing seeking permission for his client to speak. Upon the court’s approval, Matiur said, “I sent a letter to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) from prison. I am handing over that letter to you. Please kindly read it and give your order accordingly, I will accept it.” Ex-NBR member Matiur's wife sent to jail “My family has been destroyed. Both my wife and I are in jail. My mother is paralysed and has no one to look after her.” Matiur broke down in tears and urged, “Please grant me bail. If you do, I will submit the documents I have in court to prove my innocence.” The judge said it cannot be said at this point whether he is  guilty or innocent as the case is still under investigation. Matiur went into early retirement last year amid graft allegations that surfaced after his son bought a goat at Tk15 lakh for Eid-ul-Azha festival. On January 14, Matiur Rahman and his wife Laila Kaniz Lucky were arrested by DB police. On January 6, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed three cases against Matiur and his family.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has imposed a ban on rallies, processions, demonstrations and gatherings around Chief Justice’s residence, Judges Complex, the main gate of Bangladesh Supreme court, Mazar Gate, Jam-e-Mosque gate, the main gates of International Crimes Tribunal 1 and 2 and Bangladesh Institute of Judicial Administration (BIJA). The ban effective from Wednesday will remain in place until further notice, according to a public notification issued by DMP Commissioner SM Sazzat Ali. The ban has been enforced under Section 29 of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance (Ordinance No. III/76) to maintain law and order, it said. It also requested all to refrain from blocking roads in the name of protests as such activities cause severe traffic congestion in the capital. Youth shot while clinging to ledge: Arrest warrants issued against Ex-DMP Commissioner, 3 others

A Dhaka court on Monday again allowed more time for investigation and fixed September 14 for submission of the probe report in the murder case of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi. With this, the deadline for submission of the probe report in the case was deferred for the 120th time. Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) was supposed to submit the report today but as it failed to submit it Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Minhazur Rahman fixed the fresh date for the submission. On March 2, 2021, RAB submitted a progress report in the Sagar-Runi murder case in affidavit form to the Attorney General’s Office. According to the report, two unidentified people were involved in the murder. Taskforce gets 6 more months to probe Sagar-Runi murder case On 11 February 2012, Maasranga Television News Editor Sagar Sarowar and his wife ATN Bangla senior reporter Meherun Runi were found dead at their rented apartment in the city’s West Rajabazar area Nousher Ali Roman, brother of Runi, filed a case with Sher-e-Banglanagar Police Station on the following day. Police arrested Tanvir Rahman in connection with the murder case on October 1, 2012. Later, he secured bail in 2014. Law enforcers have so far arrested eight people, including Tanvir, in connection with the murder case. The seven other suspects are Rafiqul Islam, Bakul Mia, Abu Syed, Mintu alias Baggira Mintu alias Masum Mintu, Quamrul Hasan alias Arun, security guard Enam Ahmed alias Humayun Kabir and Palash Rudra Pal.

Testimony recording has begun in three separate corruption cases against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and daughter Saima Wazed Putul, over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots in the capital’s Purbachal New Town Project. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) initiated these cases, and testimony commenced on Monday at Dhaka’s Special Judge's Court-5. Tariqul Islam Tariq, public prosecutor (PP) of Anti-corruption Commission,  said three plaintiffs — ACC Assistant Directors Salauddin, SM Rashedul Hasan, and Afnan Jannat Keya — testified before Judge Abdullah Al Mamun. On July 31, two special judges’ courts in Dhaka formally framed charges in six corruption cases filed by the ACC against Sheikh Hasina and 23 others — including close family members and former government officials — for allegedly abusing their power in the allotment of plots in the capital’s Purbachal area. Of these six cases, Judge Abdullah Al Mamun of Court-5 scheduled three for testimony on August 11, while Judge Md Rabiul Alam of Special Judge’s Court-4 set August 13 for the remaining three. Due to the accused being absent, the courts were unable to read out the charges directly. Notices had earlier been issued in newspapers, summoning the accused to appear in court. In addition to Sheikh Hasina, the accused family members include her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, daughter Saima Wazed Putul, sister Sheikh Rehana, and Rehana’s children — Tulip Siddiq, Azmina Siddiq, and Radwan Mujib Siddiq (Bobby). The remaining 16 accused are former and current public officials, including Sharif Ahmed, then State Minister for Housing and Public Works; Shahid Ullah Khandaker, then Secretary of Public Works; and Anisur Rahman Mia, former RAJUK Chairman, among others. ACC PP Khan Md Mainul Hossain said that RAJUK plot allocation rules only permit individuals without existing land, homes, or vehicles in Dhaka to apply. However, members of Sheikh Hasina’s family allegedly submitted false affidavits claiming they owned no such assets, despite ACC investigations revealing otherwise. According to the prosecution, the accused misused their influence to unlawfully acquire a 60-katha plot in Purbachal, constituting a criminal breach of trust, abuse of power, and fraud — offenses that could carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. ACC Public Prosecutor Mir Ahmed Ali Salam said that public notices were recently published, summoning the accused to appear in court. Following this, the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge’s Court transferred the six cases to two special courts for trial. The ACC launched its investigation on December 26, 2024, and approved the charge sheets on March 10, 2025, after concluding that plots were allocated unlawfully through collusion and administrative malpractice in the RAJUK Purbachal New Town Project.

The High Court on Monday issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the authorities concerned of Delta Medical College and Hospital should not be asked to provide Tk 5 crore as compensation to the family of a 5-day old infant for breaking her hand from elbow. The HC bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Sayed Jahed Mansur issued the rule after hearing a writ petition. The HC also issued another rule asking the government to explain as to why punitive action should not be taken against those involved in the negligence of duty in ensuring treatment. The HC also asked the authorities concerned to form a probe body to look into the allegation brought over breaking down the hand of the infant and submit a report within three months. Barrister Md Shafiqul Islam stood for the petitioner. Two high court judges promoted to the appellate division Md Nurer Safah, father of the infant, filed a writ petition seeking Tk 5 crore as compensation after bringing an allegation that the hand of her child was broken by the authorities concerned of Delta Hospital and Medical College which is a sheer negligence of duty on the part of the authorities. On April 3, Nuer Safah, a resident of Mirpur area admitted her seven-day-old infant to Delta Medical College and Hospital under the supervision of Dr AK Khairul Anam Chowdhury due to sickness. During admission, the hospital authorities allowed the mother of the child to breastfeed 2-3 times a day and collect milk from the baby’s mother for the rest of the time. They also did not allow anyone to the child from 12 am till 7 am. A five-member probe body was formed by the hospital authorities in this regard. On the following day, a duty nurse told the mother that the baby will be released as the bilirubin level of the baby improved. They also asked her to clear the bill for the hospital. When discharging the baby, the hospital authorities warned the parents of the baby to move the right hand of the baby scarcely as the baby experienced pain there due to setting up of canola. During the stay at the hospital, the baby was asleep most of the time and at the discharge time, the baby was sleeping. After taking her home, the parents of the baby noticed that the right hand of the baby was broken from above the elbow. Later, they rushed to the hospital again but they allegedly ignored the matter.

The High Court (HC) has granted bail to actress Shomi Kaiser in a case over attempted murder during the July uprising in Uttara of Dhaka. An HC bench of Justice ASM Abdul Mobin and Justice Md Jabid Hossain passed the order after hearing a petition for bail on Sunday. But the matter of granting bail was disclosed on Monday. According to the case statement, pro-Awami League people opened fire when Tongi Government College student Jubayer Hasan Yusuf and others were staging demonstrations in Azampur area under Uttara Purbo Police Station on August 4, 2024. Jubayer sustained bullet injuries in his neck and was admitted to a hospital. Later on August 22, he filed a case naming 11 people and 150 to 200 unnamed others with the police station concerned.  Shomi Kaiser was an accused in the case. HC grants bail to Shomi Kaiser On November 5 last, the law enforcers detained her from residence in Uttara Sector-4 and next day she was shown arrested in the case. On December 8, the HC granted her bail for three months in another case but on December 12 the Appellate Division stayed the HC order.