United News of Bangladesh

Unidentified criminals opened fire at a group of journalists in Khulna city early Wednesday though no casualties were reported. The incident occurred around 12:30am in front of a tea stall on the western side of the United Nations Shishu Park in the city. According to witnesses, several journalists had gathered at the tea stall after work, as they regularly do, when two young men arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire at them. The bullet missed its intended target and struck the leg of a chair. Fragments from the bullet reportedly grazed the chest of journalist Awal, causing a minor injury. He is now out of danger, fellow journalists said. SA TV correspondent Mati said six journalists were chatting at the spot when the attackers suddenly fired at them before fleeing the scene. Senior Staff Reporter of the Daily Khulanchal, Syed Rana Kabir, said the bullet lodged in a chair after missing the journalists, while a fragment lightly injured Awal. On receiving information, police rushed to the scene and recovered part of a bullet. Officer-in-Charge of Khulna Police Station Md Shafiqul Islam said no casualties were reported. “We recovered part of the bullet from the scene and are investigating the motive behind the shooting,” he said, adding that police are trying to identify those involved.

Large parts of Khulna city remained submerged after 184 millimetres of rainfall over the past 51 hours, causing severe waterlogging and widespread disruption to daily life, while residents questioned the effectiveness of a Tk 823-crore drainage improvement project. According to the Khulna Meteorological Office, the city received 184 millimetres of rainfall over the past 51 hours. The persistent rain inundated roads, lanes and low-lying areas, leaving many areas under knee-deep water and causing widespread suffering for commuters, students, transport workers and residents. The worst-affected areas include Mujgunni, Royal Mor, Tutpara, Jinnah Nagar, Daulatpur, Atra, Giltala, Dilkhola, Banargati and Sheikhpara. Water also entered many homes in these localities. Residents and environmental activists said waterlogging has become a recurring problem during the monsoon due to inadequate drainage planning, despite years of infrastructure development under the city's drainage improvement project. They alleged that although seven canals have been excavated and more than 200 drains constructed or renovated over the past five and a half years, the measures have failed to provide a lasting solution. Mustafa, a businessman in Mujgunni, said even light rainfall leaves the intersection under knee-deep water. "We urge the Khulna City Corporation (KCC) to take effective measures to resolve this problem permanently," he said. Hamim, a resident of Karigorpara in Pabla, said rainwater regularly floods the ground floor of his house because newly constructed roads and drains were raised without ensuring proper connections for water to flow from nearby homes. Anup Kumar, resident of Pabla Sahapara, blamed the crisis on poor urban planning rather than only inadequate drains. He said many natural canals have been narrowed and converted into concrete drains in recent years, reducing their water-carrying capacity and disrupting the city's natural drainage system. "Simply building new drains will not solve the problem unless natural canals are restored, drains are cleaned regularly and proper links with rivers and canals are established," he added. Easy-bike driver Hafiz said he had no choice but to continue working despite flooded roads. "Even after spending hundreds of crores of taka on roads and drains, our suffering has not decreased," he said. According to KCC, the city has around 1,165 kilometres of drainage channels. Under the "Khulna City Waterlogging Mitigation through Drainage System Improvement (Phase-1)" project worth Tk 823 crore, canal excavation, drain construction and other infrastructure works have been carried out over the past several years. Sheikh Mohammad Masud Karim, Project Director and KCC Executive Engineer said 169 covered drains with a combined length of 147 kilometres have been constructed under the project. Md Anisur Rahman, KCC Chief Conservancy Officer said drain-cleaning activities are carried out regularly but have been temporarily suspended due to the ongoing rainfall, as mud removed from drains is being washed back by rainwater. He also noted that the city corporation lacks modern equipment to clean newly built covered drains efficiently, forcing workers to remove heavy concrete slabs manually. Equipment for mechanised drain cleaning has been included in the ongoing project and is expected to improve maintenance once procured. Nazrul Islam Manju, KCC Administrator attributed the persistent waterlogging to multiple factors, including poor drainage planning in previous years, incomplete drainage works, an inoperative pump house on the Rupsha River and dysfunctional sluice gates. He said the city's drainage system has also been affected by raised drain beds, leaving many residential areas at lower elevations than surrounding roads. "We assumed responsibility only three months ago and are working day and night to remove obstacles to water drainage and clean the city's drains," he said. He also urged residents not to dispose of waste into drains, asking them to use designated dustbins to help keep the drainage system functional.  

A bank manager was seriously injured after an armed gang stormed his house in Phultala upazila of Khulna and looted cash, gold ornaments and other valuables worth around Tk 20 lakh early Tuesday. The victim, Sheikh Hajjaj Imtiaz, also known as Farid, is the manager of Madhumati Bank's Khulna branch. According to police and family members, a gang of seven to eight armed robbers entered the two-storey house in Paigram village around 2:15 am by climbing to the roof with a ladder and cutting through the window grille. The robbers held family members hostage at gunpoint, tied them up and attacked Imtiaz with a sharp weapon, leaving him critically injured. The gang ransacked the house and looted Tk 8 lakh in cash and six bhori of gold ornaments worth around Tk 12 lakh from a locker and iron safe before fleeing, taking valuables worth an estimated Tk 20 lakh in total. CCTV footage showed the robbers remained inside the house from 2:25 am until 4:07 am. They were wearing masks and carrying locally made weapons, family members said. Imtiaz was initially admitted to Khulna Medical College Hospital but was later shifted to a private hospital in Dhaka as his condition deteriorated. Officer-in-Charge of Phultala Police Station Md Margub Touhid visited the scene around 5:30 am, while Khulna Superintendent of Police Md Tajul Islam inspected the house later in the morning. The OC said no case had been filed and police had yet to arrest any suspects or recover the looted valuables.

A schoolgirl was shot and injured in an attack by miscreants at Rupsha Beribadh in Khulna city on Friday. The victim was identified as Eti, 17, a class X student of Rupsha Multipurpose High School and daughter of Zulficker Rahman of Rupsha Beribadh area. Abdus Sattar, Sub-inspector of Khulna Police Station, said when Eti was standing in front of her house three miscreants riding on a motorbike appeared there and opened fire on her, leaving the girl injured in the evening. Eti was taken to a local hospital with bullet injuries in her leg. Police are trying to arrest those involved in the attack, said SI Abdus Sattar. Motive behind the attack is yet to be known, police said.

Police have recovered the bodies of three members of a family from a rented house in the Sonadanga area of Khulna city. The deceased were identified as Baby Begum, 55, and her grandsons Mustakim, 4, and Shamim, 13. Officer-in-Charge of Sonadanga Model Police Station Md Rafiqul Islam said they recovered the bodies from the house in the Darus Aman neighborhood on Tamizuddin Road on Saturday evening. According to Fatema Begum Mary, 35, the mother of the two children, her second husband Rafiqul Islam did not treat her children from her previous marriage well. She stated that Rafiqul came to the house on Friday night and stayed there. The following morning, he allegedly locked the house from the outside and left. When Fatema could not find her mother and two children, she searched for them in various places. Later in the afternoon, she noticed a foul odour coming from a nearby room and alerted locals. On information, police recovered the bodies and sent those to Khulna Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. Teams from the Detective Branch (DB) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) also visited the scene and collected evidence. Sources said Fatema divorced her first husband Masum Bepari four years ago. Since then, their two children – Shamim and Mustakim – had been living with their mother. Fatema later married truck driver Rafiqul although she frequently stayed at her mother Baby Begum’s residence. Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) Commissioner Md Zahidul Islam said three bodies were recovered from the rented house in the Darul Aman area under Sonadanga Police Station. He further stated that the children's mother Fatema was taken into police custody for questioning. Based on information she provided, police suspect that her second husband Rafiqul might have been involved in the incident. Police have launched an investigation into the incident and are conducting operations to arrest Rafiqul, son of Alamgir Hossain of the Maheshwarpasha area of the city. Meanwhile, a case was filed over the incident early Sunday. Fatema’s first husband Masum Bepari filed the case against her second husband Rafiqul Islam.

A man was killed and his wife injured  in an attack by burglars who broke into their house by cutting through the mud wall in Madhya Maheshwaripur area of Maheshwaripur union in Koyra upazila of Khulna early Monday. The deceased, Bhabatosh Mridha, was a local businessman. He ran a pharmacy in Gilabari Bazar of the same union. According to local Union Parishad member Mizanur Rahman, a group of miscreants entered the couple’s mud house around 1:30am. When Mridha tried to resist them they attacked him with sharp weapons , leaving him critically injured. His wife was also injured while trying to intervene. Locals rescued the couple in critical condition and took them to Koyra Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared Mridha dead. His wife is undergoing treatment and is said to be out of danger. Md Shah Alam, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Koyra Police Station, said police were sent to the scene immediately. Efforts are underway to identify and arrest those involved. Locals said incidents of theft and break-ins have increased in the area in recent months, with organised gangs targeting homes at night.

Frequent power outages amid a supply shortfall have made daily life increasingly difficult for residents in Khulna as prolonged load-shedding continues in the city and surrounding areas. Amid intense heat, repeated power cuts have left people frustrated, with little relief even during nighttime. Local people electricity outages often begin just as temperatures remain high, depriving them of sleep for hours. Children, the elderly and the sick are facing the worst of the situation, they said. Many residents alleged that sudden, unannounced power cuts are disrupting their daily activities, while also affecting businesses. Quoting the central control room of the West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (WZPDCL), Chief Executive Engineer Rokon Uzzaman said power demand in Khulna stood at 653 megawatts at 10am on April 16, against a supply of 550 megawatts, resulting in a shortfall of 103 megawatts. Earlier, on April 15 at 1pm, demand was 750 megawatts while supply was 572 megawatts, leading to load-shedding of 178 megawatts. The same day at 9pm, demand was recorded at 686 megawatts against a supply of 542 megawatts, causing a deficit of 144 megawatts. Md Solaiman, a resident of Sheikhpara, said, “Load-shedding is continuing round the clock. Electricity goes off every hour. Children are suffering badly in this heat.” Residents urged the authorities to take immediate steps to ensure stable power supply and reduce load-shedding during the intense heat.

A local leader of Jubo Dal was killed in a gun attack by some miscreants at Doulatpur in Khulna city on Monday. The deceased was identified as Rashiqul Anam Rashu, former organising secretary of the Doulatpur thana unit of Jubo Dal and son of Shariful Anam of the Deyana area of the upazila. Md Farhad, sub-inspector of Doulatpur Police Station, said Rashu was involved in the brick business at KDA Kalpataru in the city. On Monday morning, a group of miscreants appeared there and opened fire at Rashu, targeting his head and leaving him injured, said SI Farhad. Later, he was taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. The motive behind the killing could not be known immediately.

A rickshaw puller, who went missing three days ago, was found dead at Jailkhana Kheya Ghat in Sadar upazila of Khulna district early Saturday. The deceased was identified as Hanif Sheikh, son of Aziz Sheikh. Babul Akhter, in-charge of Sadar River Police Station, said Hanif used to take a bath in the Bhairab River every day after driving his rickshaw from evening till morning. Like every day, Hanif went to the ghat area for a bath on Thursday morning and then went missing. Local people spotted the floating body of Hanif at the Kheya Ghat area around 5am on Saturday and informed police, who later recovered the body. The body was sent to the Khulna Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy. No injury marks were found on the body, police said.

Leaders and activists of the Awami League entered the party’s district and metropolitan office in Khulna on Sunday afternoon, placed wreaths on portraits of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Sheikh Hasina, hoisted the national flag and chanted slogans. The office, located in the Shankha Market area of the city, was visited around 4 pm. A video of the visit later circulated on social media. Later that night, the office was set on fire following protests against the Awami League leaders’ activities. Former leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement led the protest. Wooden doors and documents were set ablaze, though the fire eventually extinguished. Members of the Fire Service arrived at the spot afterwards. Several Awami League activists, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the visit was not organised under any formal party directive. They said the office had been locked, which they broke open before hoisting the national flag and placing garlands on the portraits. ICT issues arrest warrants against Hasina, 5 others Eyewitnesses and local residents said 10-15 activists entered the office  by a procession in the afternoon, briefly paid tribute to the portraits and quickly left.   In protest, several students later entered the office and set fire to the portraits. Khulna Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Kabir Hossain said a group of people had opened the Khulna district and metropolitan Awami League office in the afternoon. “After informing about it, we started collecting and reviewing CCTV footage from surrounding establishments to identify those involved,” he said. He added that later in the evening, some agitated students came and set fire to the office, damaging the two displayed portraits.