Defending champions Bashundhara Kings continued their unbeaten run in the eleven-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football Saturday after beating Sheikh Russell Krira Chakra 3-1 at the Bashundhara Sports Complex. Star-studded Kings topped the league table with 21 points from seven straight matches; second-placed Dhaka Abahani earned 15 points from as many encounters. Sheikh Russell remained in the fifth spot with 12 points from six matches. After a goalless first half, Brazilian forward Robson Robinho put the Kings ahead in the 65th minute from a penalty (1-0); Uzbek midfielder Asror Gafurov doubled the lead in the 73rd minute (2-0). Also Read: BPL Football: Sheikh Jamal DC beat Russell KC 3-2 Nigerian striker Sunday Udoy pulled one back for Sheikh Russell in the 82nd minute (2-1). Robinho sealed the fate of the match by scoring his second goal for the Kings in the fifth minute of the stoppage time (3-1). The day's other match between Bangladesh Police FC and Fortis Football Club ended in a 1-1 draw at the Muktijoddha Smriti Stadium in Rajshahi. Sakhawat Hossain found the back of the net for Fortis in the 37th minute. Edward equalised for Police FC just three minutes later. After the day's match, Police SC remained in the fourth spot on the table with nine points from seven matches. Fortis stayed in sixth place with seven points from six encounters.      

Star-studded Bashundhara Kings and Sheikh Russell Krira Chakra won their respective matches in the eleven-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football at two separate venues across the country on Friday. Coming from behind, league champions Bashundhara Kings maintained their winning run in the league beating Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra by 3-1 goals at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj Friday afternoon. Burundi defender Selemani put the freedom fighters team Muktijoddha ahead in the 10th minute (1-0). Read: Bangladesh Championship League: BFF Elite Academy beat Wari Club 2-1 Brazilian striker Dorielton Gomes struck twice in the 36th and 45+1 minutes (2-1) while medio Matin Miah netted the other goal for the Kings in the 88th minute (3-1). In the day's other match, Independence Cup runners-up Sheikh Russell KC beat traditional Dhaka Mohammedan SC by 2-0 goals at their home ground --Bashundhara Sports Complex in Dhaka Friday afternoon. Nigerian forward Sunday Udoh scored both the goals for Sheikh Russel KC in the 30th and 90+1 minutes. Earlier, Sheikh Russell KC made a frustrating start after conceding 1-2 goals defeat against  Bangladesh Police FC while Mohammedan SC made a good start  in the league beating Muktijoddha Sangsad KC by 2-0 goals.

Bashundhara Kings and Sheikh Russell reached the semifinals of the new season's curtain raiser football tournament, the Bashundhara Group Independence Cup 2022, beating opponents in the quarterfinals Friday. In the semifinals Wednesday, Sheikh Russell will play the winners of the Dhaka Abahani and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi match. Dhaka Abahani and Sheikh Jamal will lock horns in the quarterfinal Sunday. In the other semifinal Thursday, Bashundhara King will play the winners of the Muktijoddha Sangsad and Bangladesh Police match. Muktijoddha and Police will face each other in another quarterfinal Sunday. READ: Ind Cup Football: Bashundhara Kings emerge group champions with all win record The final match will be held on Monday at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla. In the day's first quarterfinal, Sheikh Russell beat Chittagong Abahani 1-0 at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj. After a barren first half, Nigerian player Sunday Udoh scored the match-winning goal for Sheikh Russel in the 85th minute (1-0). In the day's other quarterfinal, Bashundhara Kings defeated Dhaka Mohammedan 2-0 at the Birshreshtha Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj. Local forward Rakib Hossain and Kings' Brazilian striker and captain Robson Robinho scored for the winners, one in each half.  

Adarsha Biddya Niketan of Manikdi clinched the Sheikh Russell Smriti Inter-School Football Tournament beating Bangladesh International School & College at Mohakhali held at the Adamjee Cantonment School & College here on Monday.  Quarter Master General of Bangladesh Army Lt Gen M Saiful Alam was the chief guest at the day’s closing function and later distributed the prizes. READ: Sk Russel Football: Wari Club to play Hatirjheel Club in final on Friday Ten schools from the Dhaka region, managed by Bangladesh Army, took part in the competition, organised by the 46th Independent Infantry Brigade on the occasion of the Sheikh Russell Day. READ: 10-man Bangladesh exit SAFF Championship with 1-1 draw against Nepal

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday asked all to refrain from doing religious excesses as the government wants to ensure peaceful coexistence of people from all religions. “Bangladesh is a country of secular spirit; the people of all religions will perform their religious rituals freely as our Constitution has given that directive,” she said. Sheikh Hasina said this while addressing a discussion on the birth anniversary of Sheikh Russell, the youngest son of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, marking Sheikh Russell Day 2021. Awami League organised the programme at its Bangabandhu Avenue central office. The Prime Minister joined it from her official residence Ganobhaban. The Prime Minister, who chaired the programme, said Islam also advises peaceful performing of the religious rituals of all religions. “Our Prophet (PBUH) advised not to do excesses with religion. We want no one to do excesses with religion,” she said. Also read: PM orders stern action against those involved in communal attacks Hasina said the aim of the government is to ensure the coexistence of people from all religions in a peaceful environment.   Hasina said Bangladesh is a small country in terms of its geographical size, but it is a big one if the size of its population is considered. “I want all to have a prosperous and beautiful life and enjoy their basic rights.”    Talking about the ill fate of Sheikh Russell who was assassinated with other family members of the Father of the Nation on August 15, 1975, she said no other child of the country should embrace that fate anymore. “Unfortunately, we’re seeing that cruelty till today,” she said. She mentioned the arson terrorism of BNP under the leadership of then opposition leader Khaleda Zia. “We saw people getting killed in arson attacks, and children burnt alive.” Also read: Rangpur: 1 arrested in Joypurhat under DSA, 42 for arson When Khaleda Zia was the opposition leader, running buses were set afire when a father saw his son was burning alive. “That time of cruel incident happened in the country ….that was the most unfortunate for Bangladesh,” she said.   Hasina vowed to ensure a better life for all children of the country. “Not a single child will roam in the street, everyone will get shelter, every child will have the opportunity to flourish his or her talent, knowledge and creativity so that the children can take Bangladesh forward,” she said. Recalling the bloodshed of the past, she said not these types of bloodshed will ever happen in the country.   “Russell is no more, but thousands of children of the country are there, we want to ensure a better life for them so that they could grow as the worthy citizens of the country imbued with patriotism. We want to do that,” she said in her emotion-choked voice.   AL general secretary and highways and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, AL presidium members Matia Chowdhury, Dr Abdur Razzaque, Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman; AL joint secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, AL central working committee member Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, AL relief secretary Sujit Roy Nandi, AL office secretary barrister Biplob Barua, AL women affairs secretary Meher Afroz Chumki, Dhaka South AL president Abu Ahmed Mannafi and Dhaka North AL general secretary SA Mannan Kochi also spoke at the programme.   Also read: Prime suspect of Cumilla incident identified: Home Minister Earlier, the Prime Minister unveiled the cover of a book titled “Education Philosophy of Bangabandhu” published by the AL Education Sub-committee. Hasina came down heavily on the critics talking about human rights and said, they do not utter any word about the August 15 killing and the killing of children and women in BNP’s arson terrorism. The Prime Minister said Ziaur Rahman along with Khandoker Mushtaq was involved in the August-15 killing and that is why the Khaleda Government rewarded the killers of Bangabandhu by giving them government jobs and promotions. Pointing out some verses from a poem of Poet Sukanta, the Prime Minister vowed to develop Bangladesh as a beautiful and livable country for the next generation.  

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family were assassinated on 15 August 1975, four years after the independence of Bangladesh. 10 years old Sheikh Russel, the youngest son of Bangabandhu, was amongst the victims who died in that terrible attack.  58 years ago, on this day (October 18, 1964), Russel was born. Even on the eve of the 50th anniversary of independence, the death of Russel reminds the nation to strengthen the determination of protecting the country’s sovereignty ever after. Today's remembrance feature is aimed at Sheikh Russel. Childhood days of Sheikh Russel  When Bangamata Fazilatunnesa gave birth to her youngest child Sheikh Russel, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib was in Chittagong on a mission to protest against the dictator Ayub Khan. Russel was born at House No. 677, Road No. 32, Dhanmondi in Dhaka. Read Bangladesh’s first floating Mosque and the story of an Imam of Satkhira When Bangabandhu was arrested on May 8, 1966, Russel was barely one and a half years old. With his mother, the baby Russel used to visit Bangabandhu at the central prison and cried for bringing his father along with him. At one point he was told that that prison was his father's house. After a year, Russel began to call his mother "Father" and did not cry anymore for his father when he returned from prison. This is what Bangabandhu wrote about his youngest son Russel in his prison diary. When Sheikh Mujibur Rahman received the title of Bangabandhu on 23 February 1969 at Sohrawardy Udyan, Russel was four and a half years old. Russel began his captive life with his mother and two older sisters at a house on Road No. 16 in Dhanmondi on the eve of Bangabandhu's arrest and imprisonment in West Pakistan in 1971. He was released from captivity on December 17, 1971. Read Messages of Durga Puja Festival: What can we learn from Goddess Durga?

Saif Powertec Limited on Sunday handed over 100 laptops and Tk1.80 crore for 1000 students as scholarship to Sheikh Russel National Shishu-Kishore Parishad marking the 57th birthday of Sheikh Russell, the youngest son of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.