Two students of Dhaka University (DU) were injured in an attack by miscreants in the Ramna Kali Mandir area of the city early today (October 22, 2023). The injured Sourav Sarkar, 25, and Sumit, 23, are students of the Craft and Sculpture departments, respectively, of the university and residents of Jagannath Hall. Senior students of the hall said the duo, accompanied by others, went out of the hall to visit Durga Puja mandaps at night. Prof  Maksud Kamal made 29th VC of Dhaka University An altercation occurred between the two and some miscreants near the Ramna Kali Mandir around 2 am. The reason behind the incident could not be known immediately. At one stage, the miscreants beat them up and stabbed Sourav in the stomach with a sharp object, they said. DU introduces 'The Dhaka University Trust Fund’ Returning to the hall, the duo went to their seniors, who first took them to the university’s medical centre. Later, Sourav was moved to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), said the hospital’s police outpost in-charge, Md Bachhu Mia. Dhaka University's IBA wins 'Battle of Minds' competition Quoting physicians, he said that Sourav's condition was critical.

Authorities in Cumilla have placed tighter security measures this year to help celebrate the Durga Puja peacefully, following last year’s violence in the district that spilled over into other regions of the country, officials say. Cumilla Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Kamrul Hasan said that they deployed Ansar members to guard the puja mandaps round the clock while additional members of police, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) have been patrolling the celebration sites. He said they will prevent any attempt to destabilise the communal harmony in the district. Read: Dinajpur murder protest: No justice, No Puja celebration! He also said that this year, organisers set up a mandap in the Nanua Dighir Par area where violence broke out in October 2021 after a copy of the holy Quran was found there. On October 13 last year, a Muslim man reportedly placed a copy of the Quran on the lap of an idol at the mandap in Cumilla while another suspect, also a Muslim man, called 999 helpline reporting the "desecration of the holy book", according to police statement.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami and his spouse Sangeeta Doraiswami joined the Media Para Sarbojonin Durgotshob celebrations in the city Saturday on the occasion of Shuvo Maha Ashtami.