Noakhali
Noakhali child murder: 4 accused remanded
A Noakhali court on Thursday placed four people in 5-day police remand each in a case filed over shooting a 4-year old dead while she was on her father’s lap in Begumganj upazila.
Senior Judicial Magistrate of Chief Judicial Magistrate court Towhidul Islam passed the order after investigation officer in the case appealed for 7-day in remand for each five accused.
The remanded accused are- Sujon, Sohel Uddin, Naimul Islam and Akbar Hossain.
On Tuesday the case filed over killing Tasfia Aktar Jannat was handed over to Detective Branch (DB) of police for further investigation.
Also read: Man shot dead in Munshiganj clash
Saiful Islam, officer-in-charge of DB said, “The recording of confessional statement given by prime accused MD Rimon under section 164 of penal code is under process.
On Tuesday night, a team of Rab Battalion 11 arrested the five accused during a drive at Char Clark union in Subarnachar upazila.
On April 13, Mowlana Abu Jaher and his daughter suffered bullet wounds fired by a group of 20 people allegedly led by Rimon, Mohin , Naim , Akbar at a shop near his house at Hajipur union in the upazila.
The group attacked the shop owner Abdullah Al over a feud regarding soil excavation but Jaher and Tasfia had no involvement in it.
Also read: Khulna: 10 suspected militants remanded in police custody for 5 days
Next day, Tasfia’s uncle Humayun Kabir filed a case against 17 people including Rimon and Badshah along with some 11 more anonymous people.
So far, law enforcers managed to arrest nine of the accused in this case.
5-yr-old girl killed after ‘rape’ in Noakhali: Cousin held
The body of a five-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped and killed by her cousin 10 days ago, was recovered from a septic tank at Megha village in Chatkhil upazila of Noakhali district on Saturday.
Police arrested Shahadat Hossain, 22, son of Babul for his alleged involvement in the crime, said police on Sunday.
Read: 3 held over gang rape of woman after abduction in Cox’s Bazar
Asma Akter, daughter of Shahjahan, went missing on March 24 while playing outside her house.
Shahjahan lodged a general diary with Chatkhil police station the following day.
Police on Friday arrested Shahadat and following his confessional statement, police recovered the body of Asma, wrapped in a polythene, from the septic tank on Saturday night, said Gias Uddin, officer-in-charge of Chatkhil Police Station.
The body was taken to 250-bed Noakhali General Hospital on Sunday.
During interrogation, Shahadat confessed that he raped the child several times before strangulating her to death. Later he dumped the body in the septic tank.
Bangladesh's rape epidemic
There has been no let up in the number of sexual crimes against women despite the introduction of stricter laws in Bangladesh in November 2020.
Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) data shows that 1,018 children were raped in 2020 alone, but only 683 police cases had been filed. Also, 116 survivors were six years old or below.
Overall, 1,627 rape cases were reported in 2020 and 53 of the women were killed by the perpetrators while 14 took their own lives, as per the data.
However, ASK's data is just the tip of the iceberg, according to aid agencies, who report that most women are too afraid to report rape.
Read: Khulna gang rape: 2 more accused held
In October 2020, the country was rocked by protests after a woman was allegedly attacked and raped in Noakhali.
In November, 2020, Bangladesh introduced capital punishment for rape, following days of protests against sexual violence against women in several cities across the country.
But human rights organisations say the move will not solve the country's rape crisis, as the survivors of the heinous crime are often stigmatised in the society.
Noakhali housewife molestation: 13 get 10 years jail
A Noakhali court on Tuesday sentenced 13 people to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment in a case over torturing a housewife after undressing her at Joykrishnapur village in Begumganj upazila of Noakhali district in September last year.
Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 Judge Jainal Abedin handed down the verdict.
Read: Noakhali housewife molestation: 2 get life term
The convicts were fined Tk 50,000 each, in default, to suffer three months more imprisonment.
The convicts are Delwar Hossain Dulu, Noor Hossain Badal, Abdur Rahim, Mohammad Ali alias Abul Kalam, Israfil Hossain Miah, Moyeen Uddin Sazu, Shamsuddin Sumon, Abdur Rob Chowdhury, Mostafizur Rahman, Jamal Uddin, Noor Hossain Russel, Mizanur Rahman Tareq and Anwar Hossain Sohag.
Among them, Abdur Rob, Mostafizur Rahman, Jamal Uddin and Mizanur Rahman were tried in absentia.
Earlier on October 4 in 2020, the victim filed the case against nine people of ‘Delwar Bahini’ at Begumganj Model Police Station.
The case was later handed over to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI). The PBI farmed charges against 13 persons in the case.
The victim was molested by some local miscreants of ‘Delwar Bahini’ at Ward No. 9 of Eklashpur Union on September 2 in 2020.
The incident came to light after a video of the barbaric incident went viral on the internet.
Read:Noakhali Housewife Molestation: Probe finds involvement of victim’s husband
The miscreants tortured the housewife after undressing her and captured it on phone. The video sent a shock wave throughout the country, triggering protests everywhere.
The victim filed two cases accusing nine people 33 days after the incident.
One of the cases was filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and another under the Pornography Control Act.
Earlier on October 4, the court sentenced Delwar an Abul Kalam to life imprisonment in a case filed over raping the woman.
University student killed in Noakhali road crash
A university student was killed when a truck hit a CNG-run auto-rickshaw carrying him at Sonapur zero point in Noakhali Sadar upazila Tuesday noon.
The deceased was identified as Ajay Majumder, a third-year student of Department of Information Sciences and Library Management of Noakhali Science and Technology University (NSTU).
Read: College student dies in Panchagarh road accident
University Proctor Professor Newaz Mohammed Bahadur said the accident occurred when Ajay was going towards Maijdee in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw around 1pm.
Sultan Ahsan, in-charge of Sonapur police outpost, said they are trying to arrest the killer truck driver.
Meanwhile, NSTU students blocked a road at Maijdee protesting the accident around 4:30pm. Upon assurance from the law enforcers, the agitating students withdrew their blockade around 6pm.
2 of a family die in Noakhali road crash
Two people from the same family died on Saturday in a motorcycle accident at Subarnachar upazila in Noakhali district.
The deceased were identified as Radoan Hosen alias Mishu Tarafdar, 20, a member of Bangladesh Armed Forces (BAF) and his brother-in-law Md Sharif Hossain, 28.
Read: Pathao rider killed in city road crash
The accident occurred on Saturday at 10am when Redwan was going to visit the BAF camp at Jobayer Bazar area with Sharif in a motorcycle.
Their motorcycle hit the rear side of a van carrying an electric pole near Abdullah Miar Hat area , said Salah Uddin, Sub-Inspector of Char Jabbar police station.
Read: Two Class X students die in Chandpur road crash
Locals rescued them with severe injuries and rushed them to Noakhali General Hospital where the duty doctors announced Redwan dead, said Syed Mohiuddin Abdul Azim, resident Medical officer of the hospital.
Meanwhile Sharif succumbed to his injuries on the way to a Dhaka hospital, where he was referred for better treatment, said Dr Azim.
AL leader stabbed dead in Noakhali
A local leader of Awami League leader was stabbed to death in Begumganj upazila in Noakhali district in the early hours of Thursday.
The deceased was identified as Abu Sayed Bhuiyan Ripon, 48, joint general secretary of Mir Warishpur union in the upazila and a resident of Talua Chandpur village.
Imran Hossain, son of the deceased, said Ripon used to work as Begumganj intersection counter manager of Lal Shobuj Paribahan bus service on Noakhali-Dhaka route.
Also read: Unidentified youth stabbed dead in the city
On Thursday, some miscreants attacked Ripon when he was returning from the counter like every day on his motorbike with Tk 2.5 lakh around 3 am .
They snatched the money and cut his veins with sharp weapons before leaving the place, he said.
Officer-in-Charge of Begumganj Model police station Mir Zahedul Haque Rony said the body was recovered and sent to a hospital for an autopsy.
Also read: Student stabbed dead on college campus in Sylhet
Police are working to identify the miscreants, he said.
Noakhali housewife molestation: 2 get life term
A tribunal in Noakhali on Monday sentenced two people to life imprisonment in a case over the rape of a housewife at Joykrishnapur village in Begumganj upazila of Noakhali district in September last year.
The horrific incident of sexual violence after around 10 days of another rape incident at Sylhet’s MC College sparked huge outcry across the country.
The lifers are Delwar Hossain alias Delu, leader of ‘Delwar Bahini’ and his associate Mohammad Ali alias Abul Kalam, residents of Eklashpur union of the upazila.
Read: Noakhali Housewife Molestation: Probe finds involvement of victim’s husband
Noakhali Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 Judge Joynal Abedin handed down the verdict in the presence of the convicts at 11am.
The convicts were fined Tk 50,000 each, in default, to suffer three months more rigorous imprisonment.
Advocate Mamunur Rashid Lablu stood for the state while advocate Mollah Habibur Rasul Mamun represented the plaintiff and advocate Jasim Uddin Badal for the accused.
According to court sources, the court had earlier framed charges against the accused on February 17. Later on August 18, the testimony of the plaintiff was recorded in the presence of the accused.
Read: Noakhali housewife molestation: Rape case filed against Delwar
On October 6 in 2020, the victim filed the case against Delwar and Kalam at Begumganj Model Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.
The case was later handed over to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI). The PBI submitted a chargesheet to the court on December 15, 2020.
Police said Delwar violated the victim several times at gun point one year ago.
According to the case statement, the victim was molested by some local miscreants of ‘Delwar Bahini’ at Ward No. 9 of Eklashpur Union on September 2 in 2020.
The incident came to light after a video of the barbaric incident went viral on the internet.
Read: Noakhali housewife molestation: Two more accused held
The miscreants tortured the housewife after undressing her and captured it on phone. The video sent a shock wave throughout the country, triggering protests everywhere.
The victim filed two cases accusing nine people 33 days after the incident.
One of the cases was filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and another under the Pornography Control Act.
Journo Muzakkir Murder: HC grants 3-month bail to 3 accused
The High Court on Sunday granted three-month bail to three men arrested in a case filed over the murder of journalist Borhan Uddin Muzakkir amid political infighting in Noakhali's Companiganj.
A bench of Justice Farid Ahmed and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim passed the order after hearing separate bail pleas of the defendants.
The three accused - Yousuf Nabi alias Bahadur, Abdul Amin and Azizul Haque Manik – have been in jail since March 11.
Barrister Ruhul Kuddus Kajal presented the defendants’ side at the court and Deputy Attorney General Dr Md Bashir Ullah stood for the state.
Also read: Journalist Muzakkir murder: 2 accused denied bail
Dr Md Bashir Ullah said they will appeal against the HC order at the Appellate Division.
On February 19, clashes and gunfight took place between the supporters of Basurhat Municipality Mayor Abdul Quader Mirza and former Companiganj upazila chairman Mizanur Rahman Badal over establishing supremacy.
Both groups used firearms in the clash and the law enforcers fired several rounds of tear gas and shotguns to control the situation.
Muzakkir, a Noakhali district correspondent of online news portal Barta Bazar and also Companiganj correspondent for The Daily Bangladesh Samachar, suffered bullet wounds and fell on the ground when he was taking pictures and filming the intra-party clash.
Also read: AL factional clash in Companiganj again , 6 shot
The critically injured journalist was rushed to Noakhali General Hospital and later shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to injuries on February 20.
On February 23, Muzakkir's father Nurul Huda Master filed a case with Companyganj Police Station accusing unnamed people. Later the case was transferred to the Police Bureau of Investigation.
Assassination of UP candidate: Election candidates, local leaders in list of accused
A case was filed Friday against 64 people in the murder case of the ex-UP member Rabindra Chandra Das of Hatia Upazila. Police have arrested two people in this incident.
The deceased's son Bitel Das filed a case naming 44 individuals, including Ashraful Haque, an independent chairman candidate in the upcoming Char Ishwar Union election, Abul Halim Azad, chairman of the last Char Ishwar UP before it was dissolved to make way for the election; yet another chairman candidate, scores of others who are named, and 15/20 others unnamed.
Two accused in the case, Sumon Chandra Das, 40, of Char Ishwar Union's #6 ward, and Amjad, 34, son of Anajal Haque of Gamcha Khali village in the same ward, were arrested on Thursday night.
Also read: 5 sentenced to death for killing Manikganj UP member
Abul Khayer, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Hatia Police Station, said operations to nab others accused continues.
Earlier, Rabindra Chandra Das was brutally murdered by a group that apprehended him on Nanda Road in the union The attackers intercepted him while he was on his way home by motorbike from Ochkhali in Hatia Upazila, which is where he runs his business at the local Bangla Bazar, late on Wednesday night - in fact, in the early hours of Thursday.
According to the statement of the solitary witness, Hatia upazila unit Sramik League president Al Amin, he and Rabindra Chandra Das were going to Ochhkhali in the upazila sadar Banglabazar by motorcycle around 2am on Thursday, after wrapping up the previous day's business. There were four more people riding with them, a bit further behind on two motorcycles.
Also read: UP member killed: 3 held in Patuakhali
It was as they reached near the old house of Char Ishwar union’s chairman Abdul Halim Azad, that their motorcycle came under fire. This fact has been played up further by Al Amin claiming to have seen Azad's son, and some local goons used by politicians as 'muscle-power', although he has not been very clear as to what their role might have been.
Azad himself claims to have been in the capital for this entire period, but his more compelling question seems to be why he would like to get rid of a young, up-and-coming AL politician, who no doubt could be an asset for him in the running of the UP, if they both were to win their respective elections. Das was not challenging him either: Azad is running for chairman, Das was on the ticket for councillor.
Journalist Muzakkir murder: 2 accused denied bail
The High Court on Monday denied bail to Awami League leaders Iqbal Bahar and Sirajul Haque (alias Abul Kashem) in a case filed over the murder of journalist Borhan Uddin Muzakkir amid political infighting in Noakhali's Companiganj.
The bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim passed the order, considering that the petition was not submitted properly before it.
Deputy Attorney General Dr Md Bashir Ullah represented the state while Advocate Shahinur Begum stood for the accused.
Also read:AL factional clash in Companiganj again , 6 shot
On February 19, clashes and gunfight took place between the supporters of Basurhat Municipality Mayor Abdul Quader Mirza and former Companiganj upazila chairman Mizanur Rahman Badal over establishing supremacy.
Both groups used firearms in the clash and the law enforcers fired several rounds of tear gas and shotguns to control the situation.
Muzakkir, a Noakhali district correspondent of online news portal Barta Bazar and also Companiganj correspondent for The Daily Bangladesh Samachar, suffered bullet wounds and fell on the ground when he was taking pictures and filming the intra-party clash.
Also read: Noakhali clash: Quader Mirza's rival AL leader Mizanur arrested
The critically injured journalist was rushed to Noakhali General Hospital and later shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to injuries on February 20.
On February 23, Muzakkir's father Nurul Huda Master filed a case with Companyganj Police Station accusing unnamed people. Later the case was transferred to the Police Bureau of Investigation.
Musapur Union Swechchhasebak League President Iqbal Bahar and local Awami League activist Sirajul Haque were shown arrested in the case.