United News of Bangladesh

Police arrested two people in connection with an alleged attack on the vehicle carrying the chief organiser (south) of NCP, Hasnat Abdullah, that occurred in Gazipur on Sunday night. "We already managed to arrest two people in connection with the incident and are collecting information to apprehend the rest of the culprits who were involved with this attack," Md. Rabiul Islam, additional deputy police commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police, told reporters on Sunday night. However, he did not reveal the identities of the arrestees. NCP leader Hasnat comes under attack in Gazipur The police officer also said that everyone is working together to find the attackers as ordered by the GMP Commissioner. "Whoever the perpetrators are, we will find them and bring them to book," he said. He added that senior police officers visited the scene after receiving information to speak with Hasnat Abdullah, one of the central coordinators of the movement that toppled the Awami League government last August 5. They also enquired about his health. Rabiul mentioned that the NCP leader is now physically well. Torch procession held in Gazipur to protest attack on Hasnat Abdullah "Once we receive the complaint from a plaintiff, we will file the case," he added. Earlier, the vehicle Hasnat was travelling in came under attack in the Chandana area of Gazipur on Sunday evening. Some 10-12 people are said to have emerged on the road as the microbus approached, and proceeded to smash the glass window inches from where the NCP leader sat. Hasnat had some minor cuts from the broken glass. Otherwise, he was fine. Following the attack, leaders and activists of  National Citizens' Party (NCP) held a torchlight procession in Gazipur to protest the attack. During the procession, they chanted various slogans against the Awami League.

Applications for the Dual Citizenship Certificate will be accepted and processed entirely online from May 16. The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification on Sunday in this regard. The ministry stated that from May 15 this year neither Bangladesh missions abroad nor the home ministry will accept any hardcopy (offline) applications for dual citizenship. Writ petition seeks review of recommendations by women affairs reform commission “To ensure transparency, accountability, and prompt service delivery, all applications for dual citizenship certificates must be submitted and processed online from May 16,” said the notification. Applicants can log in at [scs.ssd.gov.bd] using their personal Gmail ID to fill out the online form, upload required documents, and pay the government fee via e-payment. Upon approval, applicants will receive the digital certificate via email. They will also be able to download the certificate—embedded with a QR code—using their Gmail ID, the ministry added.

A writ petition was filed with the High Court on Sunday seeking the formation of an expert committee to review recommendations made by Reform Commission on Women Affairs. Petitioner Advocate Rowshan Ali confirmed the matter on Sunday. The petition sought a directive to form a committee of experts to examine what it terms the ‘controversial and conflicting’ aspects of the commission’s report. The petition made Women and Children Affairs Ministry, Law and Religious Affairs ministries along with chairperson of the Reform Commission on Women Affairs respondents in the petition. According to the writ, several recommendations in the report contradict the provisions of Islamic Sharia, go against the religious sentiments of people, and conflicting with the Constitution of Bangladesh. Govt working to prevent price hike of sacrificial animals due to extortion: Adviser It also sought issuance of a rule asking why the recommendations made in chapters 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, and 12 of the report should not be declared illegal and beyond legal authority. Advocate Rowshan Ali said, “The reform commission’s report spans 318 pages and has recently gained widespread attention through various platforms. Some of its recommendations are in direct conflict with Islamic Sharia, the Constitution, and the moral values of the country’s religious people.”

The High Court on Sunday stayed the effectiveness of the lease notice for setting up of cattle market at Aftabnagar in the capital ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. The HC bench of Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque and Justice Aynun Nahar Siddiqua passed the order after hearing a writ petition. It also issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the lease notice issued allowing the cattle markets in Blocks E, F. G. H section of Aftabnagar area should not be declared illegal and unlawful. 4 more witnesses testify in Magura girl rape-murder case Secretary of the LGRD Ministry, Administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation(DSCC), Chief Property officer, Chairman of Eastern Housing Ltd and its Managing Director and deputy managing director have been made respondents to the rule. Advocate Md Eunus Ali Akond stood for the petitioner. On April 21, DSCC issued a lease notice allowing a cattle market in Aftabnagar area on April 21. Later, Advocate Md Eunus Ali Akond filed a writ petition challenging the lease notice.

Four more witnesses testified on Sunday before a Magura court in the sensational rape and murder case of eight-year-old Asiya. With this, a total of 23 witnesses have so far testified in the case. Judge Md Zahid Hasan of the Magura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal recorded the testimonies. The witnesses are physicians Saharia Sultana and Jahura Khatun; and nurses Joly Parvin and Bornali Parvin. Earlier, on April 23, the same court framed charges against four accused in the case. Prime accused Hitu Sheikh has been charged with rape and murder. The court also fixed April 27 for recording witness testimonies. 4 accused indicted in Magura girl rape, murder case On April 13, sub-inspector Md Alauddin of Magura Sadar Police Station, the investigation officer in the case, submitted the charge-sheet to the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, naming four people as accused. Asiya died at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) on March 13, a week after she was raped, sparking widespread protests across the country. University students, including those from Dhaka University, took to the streets demanding capital punishment for the accused. Magura rape: Locals demand women madrasha at accused's home The prime accused in the case gave a confessional statement before the court. Police arrested victim’s brother-in-law Sajib Sheikh, 20, his brother Ratul Sheikh, 25, and her sister’s parents-in-law Hitu Sheikh, 50, and Jabeda Begum,  40, – in connection with the incident.

Police detained five supporters of the Jubo League and banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) for allegedly setting fire to the house of artist Manabendra Ghosh in Manikganj, raising the total number of arrestees in the case to 13. They were detained on Saturday night from the Gulshan residence of former Health Minister Zahid Maleque in Dhaka, Manikganj police said. The detainees are Md Uzzal Hossain, 35, former joint convener of Jubo League and ex-vice president of Sadar upazila unit of banned Chhara League; Masud Rana, 35, former religious affairs secretary of the district BCL; Mir Saifullah Shafi, 38, Jubo League activist; banned Chhatra League activists Abid Hasan, 24, and Md Hridoy Hossain, 24, all hailing from Garpara union under Sadar upazila. 6 AL, BCL leaders detained over arson attack on Manabendra’s home Officer-in-charge of Sadar police station SM Amanullah said they held the accused in connection with the arson attack on artist Manabendra’s residence in Chandar village of Garpara on the night of April 15. He said the suspects would be produced before court on Sunday seeking a seven-day remand for them.

Detectives in separate drives arrested five people including Md Nurul Haque, general secretary of Dohar upazila unit of Awami League from different parts of Dhaka on Saturday and Sunday. The others arrestees were Ripon, 41, ringleader of a notorious robber gang in Gazaria upaizla of Munshiganj district, Tawsif Reza, senior joint general secretary of Mohammadpur thana unit Matshyajibi League, Zubayer Ashraf, 37, and Jewel Sarkar, 36, former vice-president of Dhaka North unit BCL. Md Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media and public relations) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), said detectives arrested Nurul Haque from Segunbagicha area of the capital around 9:30 pm. Nurul has been accused in several cases filed with Khulgaon police stations in Dhaka and Dohar Police Station, he added. Meanwhile, the DB police conducted a drive in Motijheel area around 2:30 am and arrested Ripon. He was wanted in 23 cases filed with different police stations in Munshiganj and Chandpur districts. Besides, a team of Tejgaon DB police conducted a drive in Tejgaon are and arrested Tawsif around 9 pm on Saturday. Detectives from Wari division, in a drive, arrested Zubayer from Bongshal area of the capital around 5 pm while another branch of DB from Mirpur division arrested Jewel from Mirpur area around 11:25 pm.      

Valuables and cash worth nearly Tk 6 lakh were stolen from a house in the Dakshinkhan area of Dhaka in broad daylight on Saturday. According to the victim, Mohammad Ali Gazi, the thieves entered the house between 7am and 8am and stole the money and other valuables. 3 members of a gang of motorcycle thieves arrested; stolen bikes recovered Later, Mohammad Ali filed a general diary (GD) at the Dakshinkhan police station on Saturday night. In the GD, Mohammad Ali mentioned that he left home for work at around 6:30 am, followed shortly by his wife, who went to visit her sister. Later, Mohammad Ali's father-in-law, who had returned home from his eldest daughter's house, discovered that the main door was broken and informed him by phone. Six jailed for illegal soil extraction from govt land in Feni Upon receiving the call, Mohammad Ali quickly returned home and found the inside of the house in disarray, with belongings scattered everywhere. The stolen items included 7,500 Saudi Riyals, Tk 1,50,000, and other valuables.  

Police arrested three members of a gang of thieves and recovered five stolen motorcycles from different places of the country from May 1 to May 3. The arrestees are Saikat Hossain, 20,  Md. Humayun, 29 and Md. Anwar Hossain alias Babu, 26. DC media of DMP Talebur Rahman said the thieves were arrested from Cumilla's Laksam and Noakhali's Sonaimuri and Begumganj police stations. According to Dhanmondi Model Police Station sources, on May 1 at approximately 8pm, a person named Ifaz Ahmed left his Suzuki Gixxer-150 cc (red-black color, Dhaka Metro-Law 33-1069) motorcycle in the parking lot of 7/A Road adjacent to Dhanmondi Lake and went to a nearby tea shop. When he returned around 8:30 pm, he found that his motorcycle was not in its usuala0 place. He immediately informed the matter to Dhanmondi Police Station. Later, a team from Dhanmondi Police carried out a series of drives in Cumilla's Sadar Dakshin and Laksam upazilas and Sonaimuri and Begumganj areas of Noakhali district from May 1 to May 3. Three members of the gang of thieves were arrested in the drive and four more stolen motorcycles, including the stolen motorcycle of Ifaz Ahmed, were recovered. Police sources also said that this gang had been stealing motorcycles from different areas of Dhaka city for a long time and selling them through their associates in different areas including Cumilla, Noakhali and Chatkhil. Later, cases were filed against the arrested persons at Dhanmondi Model Police Station.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained 35 Rohingyas, including 19 women and children, from the Khajurtola embankment area near Patenga beach in Chattogram on Saturday. According to RAB Senior Assistant Director ARM Muzaffar Hossain, the detainees fled from the Bhasan Char Rohingya camp in Noakhali on Friday night, with the help of brokers. After entering Chattogram city, they took shelter near Patenga beach. RAB conducted a drive in the area around noon on Saturday, detained them and later handed them over to Patenga Police Station, he said. DMP files 2,819 cases for traffic rules violation in 3 days The official added that all of the detainees are residents of the Bhasan Char Rohingya camp and had left illegally. One of the detained Rohingya men said two local brokers from Bhasan Char took Tk 2,000 from each individual to facilitate their escape from the camp. Around 1 am, they boarded a boat headed for Chattogram. Subrata Bain’s associate held over Jubo Dal activist murder After reaching Patenga in the early morning, the brokers fled, leaving the group behind. The Rohingyas reportedly planned to reach Ukhiya in Cox’s Bazar by road but were detained before they could proceed.