United News of Bangladesh

At least 12 people including three children were killed and five others injured as a train crashed into a bus on Padua Bazar level crossing in Cumilla early Sunday. The deceased were identified as—Laiju Akter, 26, Khadiza, 6, Mariam, 3, Tajul islam, 67, Juhad Biswas, 24, Sirajul Islam, 70, Kohinur Begum, 55, Babul Chowdhury, 55, Fachier Rahman, 26, Sohel Rana, 25, Nazrul Islam Raihan, 45, Saida, 9. All of them hailed from different parts of the country ,said Assistant Director of Cumilla Fire Service Mohammad Idris. On information, members of the army, police, fire service and Red Crescent rushed to the spot and carried out rescue operations. Witnesses and fire service officials said when Chattogram-bound bus, named Mamun Special, was crossing the level crossing at Padua Bazar around 2:45 am a Dhaka-bound train from Chattogram hit the vehicle. The bus became stuck with the engine of the train and was dragged for around one kilometre before the train came to a halt, leaving the vehicle mangled. Locals and rescuers rushed to the scene following screams of passengers and recovered the injured, who were taken to Cumilla Medical College Hospital. Fire Service officials said three bodies were recovered from the spot while nine others died at Cumilla Medical College Hospital. Train movement on Dhaka–Chattogram route remained suspended for three hours following the accident. Deputy Commissioner Reza Hasan and highway police officials visited the scene. Meanwhile, multiple probe committees have been formed to investigate the accident. The railway authorities formed two separate investigation bodies—a divisional committee and a zonal committee—comprising senior officials from transport, engineering, mechanical, signal and medical departments to determine the cause of the accident, said Mostafizur Rahman Bhuiya, Divisional Manager of Chattogram Railway zone. The committees have been asked to submit its report within three working days. The Cumilla district administration formed a five-member probe committee led by Additional District Magistrate to conduct an independent inquiry, said a media release of Railway Ministry. Officials said the committees will examine possible negligence of duty and safety lapses at the level crossing. Two gatemen have already been suspended over allegations of negligence. Local administration provided financial assistance to the family members of the deceased. Food and Agriculture Minister Mohammad Aminur Rashid and State Minister for Road Transport and Bridges Ministry Habibur Rashid visited the spot on Sunday. The government also announced to provide Tk one lakh each to the family members of the deceased.  

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has formed a three-member investigation committee to probe the clash between police and students of Prime Asia University that took place in front of Gate No. 1 of the Bangladesh Secretariat, official sources said. They said the incident, which saw students and police engaging in a chase and counter-chase, is under investigation. The committee is tasked with determining the causes of the confrontation and will submit its report upon completion of the probe. Read: Clashes erupt between police and students at secretariat gate Students of Prime Asia University gathered at the road nearby the Jatiya Press Club on Tuesday (Jan7) to press for their nine-point demand, which included the establishment of a permanent campus and the resignation of the chairman of its trustee board. Earlier, the DMP assured that there will be a thorough investigation and urged all parties involved to cooperate with the probe.

The four-member committee, formed to investigate the road accident that left 19 dead and 20 others injured in Madaripur’s Shibchar upazila on March 19, mainly blamed the reckless driving and an unfit vehicle for the accident. The committee, led by Additional District Magistrate Pallab Kumar Hazra, submitted its report with a 14-point recommendation to Deputy Commissioner Kamal Uddin Biswas on Wednesday noon. The report also said that though the driver had a licence of running a medium-scale vehicle, he was running a heavy vehicle amid rain. Read more: Bus falls into ditch in Madaripur: Death toll now 19 Pallab Kumar said Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRAT), Gopalganj deferred registration of the Emad Paribahan’s bus due to desperate driving on November 17 past year and the vehicle’s lifetime expired on January 18 this year but it had been running on the roads violating rules.        He said they submitted the probe report with the 14-point recommendation to ward off any unexpected accident further. The recommendations included ensuring licences of drivers and valid documents of all vehicles before operating the vehicles on the highways, using seatbelts by drivers and passengers when the vehicles move on the highways, building the vehicles’ interior with soft objects, constructing guard rail on the both sides of expressways and keeping updated database of all vehicles running on the highways.  Another member of the probe committee, Moniruzzaman, an additional superintendent of the district police, said the number of sophisticated equipment of patrolling vehicles and manpower of the law enforcing agencies will have to be increased to keep vigilance on the vehicles on the expressways. He also suggested installing CCTV cameras, trackers and online monitoring systems to lessen the road mishaps. Moreover, the speed of vehicles will have to be kept under control at night, dawn and during adverse weather, he said. Earlier on March 19, at least 19 people were killed and 20 others were injured as a Dhaka-bound bus of Emad Paribahan from Khulna fell into a roadside ditch in Madaripur’s Shibchar upazila.  Later, the district administration formed a four-member committee to investigate the incident.  

Bangladesh Police has formed a five-member probe body in connection with the escaping of two death row convicts and members of banned militant group Ansar al-Islam from the premises of Dhaka court on Sunday. The committee, headed by Additional Police Commissioner (crime and operation) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), has been asked to submit its report within three working days, said a DMP press release. Earlier in the day, they were sentenced to death in Jagriti Publications publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan murder case. Also read: Militants flee Dhaka Court: Red Alert issued, says Home Minister They are Md Abu Siddique Sohel alias Sakib alias Sajid alias Shahab and Moinul Hasan Shamim alias Samir alias Sifat alias Imran, said Harun or-Rashid, Chief of Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). “The convicts sprayed something in the eyes of two policemen and escaped while they were being taken to the court. We’re searching for them in nearby areas. This is the first time something like this has happened in the country,” said Harun. Publisher Dipan, son of Prof Abul Kashem Fazlul Huq of Dhaka University, was hacked to death in his office on the second floor of Aziz Supermarket at Shahbagh in Dhaka on October 31, 2015. Meanwhile, Bangladesh police announced Tk 10 lakh for information for each. The government has issued red alert at all the entry and exit points of the country to arrest them, said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan.  

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming has assured that there will be no objection to taking punitive action as recommended by the probe committee against those responsible for the Uttara Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project's fatal girder accident. The ambassador made the remark during a courtesy meeting with Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri at the Secretariat on Thursday morning. Li Jiming expressed deep grief over the loss of lives in the Dhaka BRT project girder accident in Uttara on Monday and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured, as per a press release from the division. He also said a high-level delegation of the Chinese contractor of the Roads and Highways Department's Dhaka BRT project had arrived in Bangladesh from China to investigate on behalf of the company. The delegation is ready to provide necessary assistance to the probe committee formed by the Road Transport and Highways Division, he added. The committee has been asked to submit its final report within the next seven days, said the secretary. Read:Uttara girder crash tragedy: Helper operating crane instead of operator Al Amin Strict action will be taken as per the recommendations of the report, he added. On Monday, a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) project girder came crashing down on the car near Uttara's Jasimuddin road when it was being moved onto a trailer, suggesting the use of cranes of insufficient strength in the project. Rubel, 50, Fahima, 40, her sister Jhorna, 28, and Jhorna's two children Jannat, 6, and Jakaria, 2, got crushed inside the mangled car. Fortunately, a newlywed couple – Rubel's son Hridoy, 26, and his wife Ria Moni, 21, – also travelling with them escaped death. On the same day, the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges formed a six-member probe committee to investigate the tragedy. Nilima Akhter, additional secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division,  is heading the committee. The panel has been asked to submit a full report within the next two days. The probe body found that contractor firm China Gezhouba Group Company Limited is responsible for the Uttara tragedy, the Road Transport and Highways Division secretary said on Tuesday.

A three-member committee has been formed to probe into the incident of setting 12 buses on fire in Goalchamte of Faridpur. The committee has been asked to submit the report within five working days, said Faridpur Deputy Commissioner Atul Sarkar on Sunday. Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Investigation) Md Imdad Hossain has been made the head of the committee. The other two members of the committee are Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Sumon Ranjan Sarkar and Additional Superintendent of Police (DSB) Helaluddin. A case was also filed in this regard. Read: 12 buses set on fire in Faridpur ASP Sumon Ranjan Sarkar said a security guard looking after of the seized buses, was being questioned. Steps are on to arrest the culprits after identifying them, he added. Earlier on Saturday, at least 12 buses of ‘South Line’ Paribahan were set on fire by unidentified miscreants at the terminal in Goalchamte of Faridpur district town around 1.30am. Some 22 buses were parked at the terminal. All the buses -- owned by former Awami League leader Sajjad Hossain Barkat and his brother Imtiaz Hossain Rubel, had been kept at the terminal since their seizure by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in June 2020. On information, fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was eventually extinguished. Suraiya Parveen, wife of Barkat, said that a local court on February 25, 2020, ordered the seizure of 55 vehicles, owned by Barkat-Rubel. Read: 5 alleged passport brokers arrested in Faridpur On March 3 last year, the CID filed a charge sheet against 10 people, including Barkat and Rubel, in a Tk 2,000-crore money laundering case. CID's assistant superintendent Uttam Kumar Biswas submitted the charge sheet in the Dhaka metropolitan magistrate's court.

Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (Kuet) authorities on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to 44 students over the unnatural death of its teacher Md. Selim Hossain. The students were asked to respond to the notice by January 3. Read: Prof Selim’s death: Closure of KUET extended again until Jan 6 Earlier on December 3, the university was declared closed till December 13 as tension gripped the campus over his death allegedly due to mental torture and harassment by some Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists. Then the closure was extended till December 23. On December 23, the Kuet authorities decided that the dormitories will reopen on January 8 and classes resume on January 9. Besides, a five-member probe committee was formed to investigate the death. Prof Selim, 38, a teacher of the Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) department at the university, was also the provost of Lalan Shah Hall. Read: Kuet Prof. Selim’s body exhumed for autopsy According to faculty members of the university, Prof Selim died hours after some Chhatra League activists led by Sadman Nahyan Sejan, general secretary of Kuet Chhatra League, allegedly confined the teacher to his office and mentally tortured him to accept their choice as dining manager of Lalan Shah Hall for December. During this confinement the teacher was allegedly subjected to abuses, humiliation and threat, his colleagues said.

The probe committee formed by the Shipping Ministry has been granted three more working days from Wednesday to finish its investigation into the unprecedented disaster witnessed in Jhalokathi last Friday morning, of a passenger launch filled to the brim going up in flames on a riverway. On December 24, the Shipping Ministry formed the seven-member probe committee, asking it to submit its report within three working days. But the deadline was missed. As per the appeal of the committee, three more working days have been granted, according to a notification issued by the ministry. READ: HC seeks probe report on launch fire within 30 days Joint secretary of the shipping ministry Tofayel Ahmed is the convener, while deputy secretary Aminur Rahman will act as its member secretary. The confirmed death toll from Friday's deadly fire on the MV Abhijan-10 off the coast of Jhalakathi rose to 47 on Wednesday, with the recovery of two more bodies from the Sugandha River as Coast Guard members and firefighters continued searching the river for a sixth day in a row. According to a list of the missing compiled by the Jhalakathi office of the Red Crescent Society, at least 58 people are still missing. Meanwhile, an FIR was lodged at Jhalakathi police station on Monday night, following a complaint from the victims' side, accusing eight people, including launch co-owner Hamjalal Sheikh, for the tragedy. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Hamjalal in connection with the deadly fire on board the MV Avijan-10. His arrest followed the Dhaka Marine Court’s warrants for the arrest of four owners and four staffers of the launch in a case filed by the department of shipping. READ: Launch fire tragedy: 47 confirmed dead now, at least 58 still missing The blaze broke out around 3am on Friday on the Barguna-bound launch carrying some 800 passengers from Dhaka and it engulfed the entire vessel within 10 minutes.

A four-member probe committee has been formed Sunday over the large fire in Chairman Bari yesterday that took 10 hours to put out. DAD of Fire Service and Civil Defence Shahjahan Sikder at the headquarters said that the committee has been directed to submit the investigation report within seven working days. Read:Banani warehouse fire doused after 10 hrs Deputy Director (Development) Noor Hasan Ahmed was made president and Deputy Assistant Director Niaz Ahmed as secretary of the committee. Two other members of the committee include senior station officer of Tejgaon Fire Station and warehouse inspector of the concerned area. On Saturday morning a massive fire broke out at a six-storey building in Banai’s Chairman Bari area. Eleven units of fire service, later three units from the Bangladesh Army and the Navy joined together and managed to put out the fire after 10 hours of effort. Read: Fire breaks out at a bakery in city’s Nawabpur Fortunately, no casualties were reported.

The district administration formed a five-member probe committee Friday after the sudden fire at the Northern Electricity Supply Company Limited (NESCO) 33/11 thousand kV sub-station in Naogaon. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mohammad Harun ur Rashid formed the committee on Friday noon after inspecting the damaged 33/11 thousand kV sub-station. Additional District Magistrate Razia Sultana was made convener of the probe committee which has been asked to submit an investigation report within the next three working days. Read: Fire in power substation triggers outage in Naogaon On Friday 7:30 am, seven breakers in the power control room caught fire with a sudden load noise resulting power supply cut off in Naogaon, Sadar upazila, Raninagar, some parts of Atrai upazila as well as Shantahar and Adamdighi areas of Bogura district. On information, four units of Naogaon Fire Service brought the fire under control after trying for about an hour. However, no casualties were reported.