Miscreants set four vehicles on fire in different parts of Dhaka city and Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj today (November 02, 2023), on the last day of the three-day blockade enforced by BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and their allies. Witnesses said, miscreants set a bus of ‘Poristhan Paribahan’ on fire in Uttara’s Azampur area in Dhaka at 7:04 am. Meanwhile, a group of miscreants set a private car on fire in Dhaka Education Board area at 4:45 am. Minibus carrying guests to wedding ceremony set on fire in Ctg A bus of ‘Moumita Paribahan’ was set on fire at 4:41 am in front of Mohammadpur Beribadh Dhaka Uddyan Housing Project. Miscreants also set a cotton-carrying truck on fire at 6:40 am at Kanchan Road in Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj district. The second day of the three-day blockade was marked by clashes, vandalism and torching of vehicles in Dhaka and elsewhere on Wednesday. 7 incidents of arson occur Tuesday: Fire Service Law enforcers detained more than 100 leaders and activists of BNP and other opposition parties across the country on the second day of the road, rail and waterways blockade. 3-day blockade: 16 arson attacks till this morning, says Fire Service

Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan is set to play for the Legends of Rupganj  in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League’s Super League phase. The allrounder was initially roped in by the Mohammedan Sporting Club who failed to qualify for this stage of the event. Also read: Masrahfe praises Shakib for his sacrifice Mohammedan sources confirmed that they have issued a no-objection certificate to Shakib so that he can play Dhaka league for another club. However, Mohammedan will be eligible to retain Shakib in the next season of the lageu, says AGM Sabbir, a director of Mohammedan. Shakib did not feature for Mohammedan in any match. According to the laws of the league, if a player does not feature in the league for his team and if the team fails to qualify for a phase, the player can play for any team he wants. The allrounder last played in the ODI series against South Africa. He had to return home ahead of the Test series due to a family emergency. He did not participate in the Test series. Also read: Shakib Al Hasan’s approaching milestone ahead of SA vs BAN series 2022 Before Shakib, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz decided to play the Super League for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club. Both Mushfiqur and Mehidy were also part of the Mohammedand and they were also unable to feature for Mohammedan for their participation in the South Africa series. A total of six clubs— Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, Legends of Rupganj, Abahani Limited, Prime Bank Cricket Club, Rupganj Tigers Cricket Club and Gazi Group Cricketers— will participate in this phase of the Dhaka league.

Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful hit a List Acareer-best 141 not out in the ongoing Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League on Tuesday. Riding on his brilliance, Brothers Union beat Rupganj Tigers Cricket Club by 36 runs at BKSP.  List A cricket is the domestic level of one-day cricket, below One Day Internationals (ODIs). Brothers batted first and lost the opener, Imtiaz Hossain, for a duck. But in the second wicket stand, Ashraful and Myshukur Rahman added 150 runs.  Myshukur fell for 68 while Ashraful was firm at the other end of the wicket. He posted 141 off 139 balls with 16 fours and one six. Chathuranga De Silva of Sri Lanka was the third-highest run scorer for Brothers with 51.  Brothers posted 309 for four wickets in 50 overs.  For Rupganj Tigers, Farhad Reza, Nasum Ahmed, Fazle Mahmud and Ariful Haque bagged one wicket each. READ: Mominul complains of ‘abuse’ by South African players In reply, Rupganj Tigers tumbled for 273 for all wickets in 47.4 overs despite a hundred by Fazle Mahmud. Captain Marshall Ayub scored 58 off 54 balls.  For Brothers, Abu Haider Rony and Chathuranga De Silva scalped two wickets each.  On the same day, Abahani Limited took on Mohammedan Sporting Club in Mirpur, and Abahani beat their archrival by six wickets.  Mohammedan batted first and posted 255 for all wickets riding on the 70 by Mohammad Hafeez and 51 by Rubel Mia. Tanzim Hasan Sakib bagged three wickets for Abahani while Afif Hossain scalped two wickets.  In reply, Abahani chased down the target in 46.2 overs with Jaker Ali Anik hitting the highest of 60 runs, and Hanuma Vihari scoring 59. Captain Mosaddek Hossain and Afif also scored 52 and 38 balls and 48 off 38 balls to seal the match for Abahani.  In the other match of the day, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club beat Prime Bank Cricket Club by one wicket. Parvez Rasool of Sheikh Jamal won the player of the match award for his fifty and a four-wicket haul. 

Two workers have succumbed to burn injuries they suffered from a fire at City Auto Rice and Dal Mill in Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj on Saturday.  The deceased were identified as Hazrat Ali, 25, and Belayet Hossain,59. They were being treated at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, said SM Ayub Hossain, resident surgeon of the hospital.  Hazrat Ali with 99 per cent body burn injuries breathed his last at 9:30 pm on Saturday while Belayet Hossain with 95 per cent burns died around 9 am on Sunday, he said. READ: Fire at Gulshan high-rise brought under control Meanwhile, Md Sirajul Islam, 60, another worker with 65 per cent body burn is undergoing treatment at the hospital in a critical condition, said the resident surgeon.  Four workers suffered burn injuries in a fire that broke out at City Auto Rice & Dal Mill at Rupshi area of Rupganj upazila in Narayanganj on Saturday around 2:30 pm. Five units of firefighters managed to bring it under control around 5:30 pm, said Tanharul Islam, deputy director of Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defence. Three of the workers with severe burns were sent to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital while Rana, 30, was admitted to a local hospital, he said. READ: 4 workers burnt in Rupganj rice mill fire  The flames broke out from wheat sacks kept beside the boiler of the mill, said the Fire Service official.

The bodies of the Shezan juice factory fire victims would be handed over to their families from Wednesday.   The identities of 45 workers killed in the factory fire have been confirmed through DNA tests, officials said Tuesday. These bodies were recovered in an unrecognisably charred state.  Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Claimants found for 40 bodies out of 48, after 56 families submit DNA samples Narayanganj Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mostain Billah said some of the bodies were kept in Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) morgue. It was learned that 24 bodies kept at Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue will be handed to families at noon Wednesday. The rest were kept at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital morgue to be handed over in the next two days. Also read: PM monitoring developments after factory fire in Rupganj: Quader However, identities of three of the 48 bodies recovered in the same state from the same floor could not be ascertained from DNA matches. Deputy Commissioner Mostain Billah further said that the families of the listed 45 deceased will be given Tk 50,000 for the burial and funeral.

A Narayanganj court  on Wednesday sent to jail six accused, including Abul Hashem, owner of Hashem Foods Ltd., on completion of a four-day remand in a case over last week’s devastating factory fire in Rupganj. Hashem two sons accused in the case - Hashem Bin Hashem and Tareq Ibrahim -were among those sent to jail. Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Claimants found for 40 bodies out of 48, after 56 families submit DNA samples However, the court granted bail to Hashem’s two other sons Tawsif Ibrahim and Tanjib Ibrahim, on grounds that they study abroad and don't have any ownership of the company.

Unicef has mourned the children who were killed in a recent factory fire in Narayanganj's Rupganj. "We offer our deepest sympathies to the families of those who died, were injured, or remain unaccounted for," said Unicef Representative in Bangladesh Tomoo Hozumi Sunday. With over 50 casualties reported, as many as 16 or more of these may be children, Unicef said. Also read: Narayanganj fire: ITUC deeply concerned over 52 workers' death "As families continue to search for their missing children, Unicef is working with the government to dispatch social workers to support children and families in Rupganj," said Hozumi. "This tragic incident brings to light yet again that despite laws that should protect them, many children in Bangladesh are not only working, but they are working in hazardous conditions, he added. According to the Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019, over 4 million children are working, and more than 3 million of these children are trapped in the worst forms of child labour that involve hazardous working conditions. Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Claimants found for 40 bodies out of 48, after 56 families submit DNA samples "The horrific deaths and suffering, which could have been avoided, are a stark reminder that all stakeholders must act now to protect children and must enforce compliance with the Children Act 2013, as well as child labour and occupational safety laws," Hozumi said. At least 52 people died in a fire Thursday at a factory in Narayanganj's Rupganj, the latest industrial disaster in the country. The International Trade Union Confederation Bangladesh Council Saturday called for making the results of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments' work on anomalies of the factory – especially the recruitment of child workers – public.

The High Court said on Sunday it will wait until identification of the bodies recovered from the burnt factory in Rupganj before giving its ruling on compensation to the families of the victims. The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim described Thursday’s massive fire at Hashem Foods factory a as terrible in responding to a writ petition seeking compensation for proper treatment of the injured and to families of the deceased. At least 52 people died and many were injured in the fire, one of the country’s worst factory fire. The writ petition was filed on behalf of Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), Bangladesh Legal and Services Trust, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association (BELA) and Safety and Rights Society. Lawyers ZI Khan Panna, Sara Hossain, SM Rezaul Karim, Anik R Haque and Shahinuzzaman stood for the petition. Deputy Attorney General Samarendra Nath Biswas represented the state. Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Claimants found for 40 bodies out of 48, after 56 families submit DNA samples After the lawyer Sara Hossain presented the writ, the court said that the concern was legitimate, but the issues needed to be given a reasonable time for the remedy. The judge said of the 52 bodies found, only one was handed over to family as it has been identified. The process would take at least 21 days and the compensation amount could be determined once the bodies were identified. About the transparency of the investigation Justice Enayetur said that the court was observing how it goes. During this time, the HC also asked the Attorney General to contact the Health Secretary and the Labour Secretary to look into the treatment of the injured. The petition sought directions to pay Tk 1 crore to the families of each worker killed in the fire and Tk 35 lakh to each injured. However, Tk 10 lakh for the deceased and Tk 5 lakh for the injured have been sought as interim compensation. Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Tk 50,00 medical assistance provided to injured The fire broke out at the factory located in Karnagop area of Rupganj upazila on July 8 at 6 pm. Eighteen units of fire service including Demra and Kanchan brought the terrible fire under control after a 29-hour effort. However, 52 lives were lost during this period. Many workers were injured. A case has been registered under sections 302, 326, 325, 323, 324 and 307 for murder and murder accusation. Eight people, including Sajeeb Group Chairman, Abul Hashem were arrested in the case. On July 10, a Narayanganj court remanded the eight people for four days.

Family members on Saturday claimed 40 out of the 48 unidentified bodies burnt to the bone at the Rupganj factory fire, said CID DNA Assistant Analyst Nusrat Yasmin. DNA samples were collected from 56 people on behalf of the claimants' families, she added. “We have already taken samples from 48 unidentified bodies at the DMCH morgue. Forty of those bodies were claimed by family members today.” “We have collected 56 samples from the claimants, we will deliver the bodies to the family as soon as we get a match,” she added. DNA collected from the burnt bodies is being matched with DNA collected from articles of clothing or other items submitted by claimant families. Locked inside a facility with no fire exit, 52 lives were burnt to ashes caused by the Rupganj factory fire in Narayanganj. It took around 27 hours for 18 firefighting units to douse the fire completely as at some floors had huge inflammable substances stockpiled. Also read: Locked inside a factory without fire exit, 52 lives go up in flames Firefighters recovered 49 bodies from the 4th floor of the building and sent those to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital’s morgue, taking the death toll to 52 from the tragic incident. Only one of the 49 bodies could be identified, as the rest were completely burnt. Earlier, three deaths from the accident were confirmed by the authorities of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital and US Bangla Medical College and Hospital, Rupganj on Thursday. As more details emerged of the catastrophe, it became clear that the workers were left with no chance in the face of the raging inferno, that has been further fuelled by combustible items such as ghee, butter, oil and polybags stored on each floor.   Even so, the workers may have had a chance at escape, if only the building code had been maintained to provide an emergency exit, or the management had not implemented the medieval practice of locking the gates of the factory floors, that carried undertones of the horrific Tazreen Garments fire in 2012 that killed at least 112. Deputy Director of the Fire Service Debashish Bardhan confirmed to UNB that rescue workers had to literally break down the locked collapsible gate on the building's 4th floor to go in and recover the bodies. That is where they found 49 of the bodies, burnt to a pulp overnight on the factory floor.   Most of the bodies were in a recognisable state. Narayanganj Additional Deputy Commissioner (Overall) Shamim Bepari said they would be handed over to their relatives after DNA testing to identify them. They have already been sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for autopsy and DNA test. Also read: Rupganj fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, sons among 8 put on remand A Narayanganj court on Saturday placed the eight people, including the chairman of Sajeeb Group, his four sons and the group CEO, on a four-day remand each following their arrest in connection with the Rupganj factory fire case. Narayanganj Senior Judicial Magistrate Fahmida Khanam passed the order in the afternoon after a hearing as police produced the arrestees before the court seeking a 10-day remand for them, inspector Asaduzzaman told the UNB correspondent from the court. Earlier in the day, Narayanganj police arrested Md Abul Hashem, chairman of the group, his four sons -- Hashem Bin Hashem, Tareq Ibrahim, Tawsib Ibrahim and Tanjim Ibrahim-- and its CEO Shahan Sha Azad, DGM Mamunur Rashid and head of admin Salauddin in the connection with the tragic fire in the factory owned by the group that claimed the lives of 52 people so far. Earlier, police filed a case with Rupganj police station against the eight people and many unknown others following the massive fire in the factory, said Superintendent of Police in the district Md Zaidul Alam. Group CEO Shahan Sha Azad was arrested from the company’s head office in the capital’s Farmgate area, while Chairman Hashem from his Gulshan residence, SP Alam said.

The International Trade Union Confederation Bangladesh Council (ITUC-BC) Saturday expressed deep concern over the death of 52 workers and injury of more than 30 in a fire at Hashem Food and Beverage factory in Narayanganj's Rupganj. ITUC-BC Chairman Anwar Hossain and Secretary General Md Mojibur Rahman Bhuiyan demanded legal action against "the culprits as it appears that the authorities killed the workers in a planned way by blocking the exit of the factory and preventing rescuers from entering the building during the fire." Also read: Locked inside a factory without fire exit, 52 lives go up in flames The global trade union federation demanded compensation for deceased workers' families, according to international standards; rehabilitation and compensation for the injured. ITUC-BC said factory fires are recurring due to inefficiency, negligence and indifference of the concerned authorities. It urged the government to form a judicial inquiry committee against all those, directly and indirectly, responsible for the incident. Also read: Rupganj factory fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, 4 sons, CEO among 8 arrested Also, the global trade union federation called for making the results of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments' work on anomalies of the factory – especially the recruitment of child workers – public.