Mahmudul Alam Babu, chairman Sadhurpara UP in Jamalpur who is a suspect in the murder of Banglanews24.com journalist Golam Rabbani Nadim, was detained from Debiganj upazila of Panchagarh district early Saturday (June 17, 2023). Members of Rapid Action  Battalion (RAB) detained Babu and two others around 5 am in Chilahati union of the upazila, said Jamal Hossain, officer-in-charge of Debiganj Police Station. Also Read: Journalist injured in attack by miscreants in Jamalpur dies  They were trying to flee the country by crossing the border, RAB sources said. RAB will later brief the media on this detention. Golam Rabbani's wife, Monira Begum, alleged that her husband was killed on the orders UP chairman Mahmudul Alam Babu due to his news reporting. Also Read: Take immediate action against journalist Rabbani's killers: Sultana Kamal-led MSF Golam Rabbani was returning home on June 14 when he was attacked by a group of terrorists in Bakshiganj upazila. The assailants physically assaulted him before fleeing the scene, leaving him unconscious. He died at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital the following day. Monira claimed that her husband had been subjected to various forms of harassment before the incident, and it was the chairman's associates who carried out the killing. She demanded exemplary punishment of those involved in the incident. Also Read: TIB condemns killing of journalist Rabbani

A union parishad chairman was gunned down by criminals in Raipura upazila this afternoon. Md Zafar Iqbal Manik, 50, was chairman of the Mirza Char union parishad in the upazila. Unidentified assailants swooped on Manik and opened fire on him around 4pm, while he was going to attend an arbitration meeting, locally known as Salish, leaving him critically injured. The UP chairman was taken to the Narsingdi sadar hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, said Narsingdi civil surgeon Dr. Md Nurul Islam. read more: Drug peddler snatched from police custody in Ctg; woman shot dead The body has been kept at the hospital morgue, he added. On information, a police officer has been sent to the spot, said Azizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Raipura police station. Manik, also the president of the Union Juba League unit, was elected as a rebel candidate of Awami League from Mirza Char Union in the last elections. Manik and his rival Awlad Hussain Farooq had been at loggerheads over political issues for a long time. Read more: JCD leader shot dead in clash with cops over arrest of a BNP leader in Brahmanbaria

A Kushtia court on Thursday sentenced six people including a Union Parishad (UP) chairman and his son to life term imprisonment for killing a man around seven years back. Kusthia Additional District and Sessions Judge-1 Md Tajul Islam also fined the convicts Tk 20,000 each, in default of which they will have to serve one more in jail, said Anup Kumar Nandy, public prosecutor of the court. Besides, the court also acquitted 15 people as the allegations brought against them could not be proved. Read more: 7 get life term for murder in Chattogram The convicts are Sadar upazila’s Alampur UP chairman and former general secretary of the Sadar upazila unit Awami League Akharuzzaman Biswas, 52, his son Mahmudul Hasan, 30, his brothers Habil Uddin Biswas, 49 and Babul Biswas, 46, Rashedul Islam Biddyut, 34 and Masud Gayen, 38. Of them, Rashedul and Masud were tried in absentia. According to the case statement, the convicts stabbed rival group activist Molla Masud Karim to death centering the UP polls in Dahkula village under the Sadar upazila on April 28, 2016. On the following day, victim’s brother Mahbubul Karim Molla filed a murder case. Police pressed chargesheet against the accused on January 4, 2017. Read more: Four get life term in Barishal for killing youth The court handed down the judgment after completing all procedures in the case, the PP added.

A Juba League (JL) member and his associate were arrested with a foreign pistol, six rounds of bullets and a magazine from Sadar upazila Friday night. The arrestees were identified as Shahidul Islam Mojnu, 47, a member of the district JL and also chairman of Ishan Gopalpur union parishad, and his associate Sohail Hossain, 35, a resident of Baitula Aman area of the Sadar upazila. OC Md Rakibul Islam said they conducted a drive in Babuparra area under the Ishan Gopalpur union around 8:30pm on secret information. During the drive, the DB members detained Mojnu and his associate Sohail with the pistol and other ammos. Legal action against them was underway, said Rakibul. Read: UP chairman arrested over clash at AL conference in Rajshahi

A union parishad (UP) chairman has been hacked allegedly by some miscreants over establishing dominance in Dighalia upazila in Khulna, police said on Monday. The injured was identified as Zakir Gazi, chairman of Barakpur Union Parishad of the upazila. Also read:Suspended PBI official sent to jail over Khulna college girl’s rape Some miscreants hacked Zakir Gazi indiscriminately around 9pm on Sunday after stopping his motorbike in front of Royaliyarchar Primary School and fled the scene, leaving him seriously injured, said Md Ahsan Ullah Chowdhury, officer-in-charge (OC) of Dighalia police station. Later, he was rushed to Khulna Medical College and Hospital (KMCH) and then to Khulna City Medical College and Hospital where he is currently undergoing treatment, he added. Also read: Construction worker crushed under falling shaft of crane in Khulna According to locals, there had been an enmity between a local group and UP chairman Zakir Gazi over establishing dominance in the area. The OC said no case has been filed in this regard.

A Pabna court has sent three people to jail in connection with the murder of an independent UP chairman candidate Yasin Alam of Bharara union of the district. The arrested accused are UP chairman of Bharara union Abu Saeed Khan, 52, Nader Biswas, 53, of Bijayrampur village and Samo, 31, of Naldah village. Pabna District and Sessions Judge Asaduzzaman passed the order on Tuesday noon. Also read: UP chairman candidate killed: EC postpones polls in Pabna Bail was rejected for all the three arrested accused and sent to jail. At this time 2 people – Alam, 33, and Shamsul Hossain, 40, were granted bail, said counsel Adv Abdus Samad Khan Ratan.  According to court sources, of the 34 accused, five including the current chairman Abu Saeed, surrendered to the court in the murder case. The rest of the accused in this case are absconding. On December 11, while on election campaign Yasin Alam was injured when followers of Abu Saeed attacked. Yasin died on the way to the hospital. Also read: 3 journos injured while reporting on UP polls in Thakurgaon On the night of December 12, Yasin Alam's father Mozammel Haque filed a murder case against 34 people.

An independent candidate in Brahmanbaria has become the talk of the town by winning the election for a union parishad (UP) chairman from behind bars. According to the election results, Monirul Islam got 3,961 votes while his nearest rival Abdus Salam bagged 2,472 votes in Talshahor Purbo UP polls. READ: UP election: Defeated member candidate dies under attack by winners in Gaibandha union Monirul is an accused in 14 cases linked to March last year's Hefazat-e-Islam violence in Brahmanbaria. He has already secured bail in 13 of these cases. Md Hossain Mia, who was in-charge of Monirul's election campaign, said that Monirul has been kept in jail on false charges. "In his absence, his relatives and well-wishers have continued the campaign for him," he said. READ: UP elections Phase IV: AL leader, his daughter held over snatching ballots in Thakurgaon

A hardware store employee was killed on Thursday night in an attack allegedly led by Mirzanagar union parishad chairman in Feni's Parashuram. The deceased was Identified as Shahin Chowdhury, employee of a hardware store in Parshuram Bazar. He's survived by his wife, two daughters and a son. After the deceased wife lodged a complaint, four people were arrested in connection with the murder. However, UP chairman Nuruzzaman Bhutto is on the run. According to locals, Hashem, an associate of chairman Nuruzzaman, Thursday went to the store and asked for Tk 7 lakh that he had loaned to its owner. READ: Snatching gold bars: 5 Feni DB officials remanded again An argument broke out between Hashem and the victim. Soon, Hashem called the UP chairman and his men. All arrived in no time and badly thrashed Shahin. Locals rescued him and took him to the Upazila Health Complex where the doctor on duty declared him dead. Parashuram police station officer-in-charge Khaled Hossain said that the deceased’s wife filed a complaint on Thursday night. 'Four people have already been arrested in this regard. Efforts are on to arrest the other accused," he said. READ: Six detectives rob bizman of 20 gold bars in Feni, held

Nazrul Islam Ritu, an independent candidate,  was elected as the first transgender Union Parishad chairman at Trilochonpur union of Jhenaidah’s Kaliganj upazila during the 3rd phase UP elections on Sunday. Ritu, 43, was elected as a chairman of the union bagging  9,557 votes with pineapple symbol while Awami League-backed candidate Nazrul Islam Sana, got 4,529 votes, said Md Abdus Salek, district election officer. Read: Aushkandi UP election finally held: AL’s Delwar Hossain elected as chairman Ritu had to leave her village and move to Dhaka’s Demra at the age of five. However, she frequently visits Jhenaidah to stay connected with Trilochanpur people. Locals said Ritu has been providing financial assistance to the helpless people of different villages of Trilochanpur Union for the 15 years and thus she became popular among local people. Talking to UNB, Ritu said, "I have won the election as a transgender person. Now, I want to serve the people of my union for the rest of my life." She said the government has given the right to vote  and various opportunities to the transgender community members. “I have no regret for being a transgender person.” “The AL-backed candidate and his supporters obstructed me in many ways. However, there has been a fair election because of the administration,” she added. Earlier, another transgender, Pinki Khatun, was elected vice chairman of Kotchandpur upazila in Jhenaidah. Read: Shahida Bibi becomes first transgender UP member in Khulna On November 13, Shahida Begum became the first transgender person to get elected as member of Maguraghona Union Parishad-6 in Khulna district. A guideline was approved in 2013 at cabinet committee for granting Hijra or transgenders state recognition. Following that, in January, 2014, government issued a gazette granting state recognition to the transgender community. In 2019, the Election Commission decided to enlist third gender as a gender identity in the voter list along with male and female.

A union parishad chairman in Sirajganj has been suspended  for allegedly taking money from people on the pretext of giving them houses under the Ashrayan project in Tarash upazila. Tarash UNO Mezbaul Karim told UNB on Friday that TM Abdullah Baki, chairman of Saguna UP-3 in Sirajganj, was issued the suspension letter on August 18. Read:Patuakhali child marriage: case filed against UP chairman and five others According to the letter, the action was initiated taken against the UP chairman under Section 34 (4)(b) of the Local Government (Union Parishad) Act, 2009. The letter was signed by the deputy secretary of the UP-1 branch of the local government department, Abu Jafar Ripon. However, when contacted, Abdullah said that he was yet to receive the suspension letter.