With demolishing the district town’s last movie theater, Feni now has no cinema hall left. Dulal Cinema Hall, Feni town’s last remaining movie theater, was demolished last Wednesday (February 15, 2023) due to a steep decline in the number of audiences. A multi-storey shopping mall will be built on the site where the cinema hall stood. Safiuddin Belal, owner of Dulal Cinema Hall said, “We had to seek assistance from law enforcement to tackle the crowd during screening of blockbusters such as ‘Beder Meye Josna’ and 'Rupban'." "However, the number of audiences started declining after 2015," Belal told UNB. Read more: Sammilito Chalacchitro Parishad agrees to import Indian films on conditions: Hasan The cinema hall had eight "VIP" seats (tickets for each cost Tk 100). It also had 80 "first-class" seats (Tk 60 each). Belal said that "second" and "third-class" seats had been discontinued for the past three years. There were six cinema halls in the town and the adjacent Dagonbhuiya upazila. One after another, curtains fell on Feni district’s silver screens as the owners were left with no choice but to demolish them. The lack of quality films, coupled with the steep decline in audience, killed the town’s cinema hall business. Read more: Cinema hall refinance scheme deadline extended to December The four cinema halls in Feni town were Dulal Cinema Hall, Surat Mahal, Bilashi Cinema Hall, and Kanan Cinema Hall. There were two other cinema halls — Beauty Cinema Hall in Fulghazi upazila and Jharna Cinema Hall in Dagonbhuiyan. Thousands of movie lovers from the district’s remote areas used to flock to these halls to see films with their families and friends. In 1952, sports organizer Khairul Eshak opened Dulal Cinema Hall on Feni town’s Railway Station Road. Years later, Afzalur Rahman opened the Surat cinema hall in the city’s Zero Point area. However, the hall was demolished and later replaced by Feni Super Market after Afzalur Rahman’s son Bacchu Mia took over the ownership after his father’s death in 2003. Feni's Kanan cinema hall opened in Masterpara Mor around 1978, under the ownership of Azad Peyara and Momtazul Huq Bhuiyan. The hall was in operation until the owners went out of business during the Covid-19 pandemic. Read More: How Covid-19 brought the curtain down on Kushtia's cinema halls Bilashi, one of the four cinema halls in Feni city, was built around 1980 by Nur Mia. The hall was later rented out to the city’s local commissioner, Omar Faruk, after the death of Nur Mia. Faruk left the business due to losses in 2002, and since then, the hall has been closed. Surat and Dulal cinema halls were the top choices of the audience due to their safer and cleaner environment. According to reports, at least 700–800 tickets were sold per show. The other cinema halls used to attract 400–600 viewers per show. At least 10,000-12,000 viewers used to watch films at the four cinema halls in Feni every day on average. Read More: Cinema hall owners to get Tk 1,000 cr low-interest loans

Police arrested 12 activists and leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami charging them with hatching a subversive plan from their office in Feni town on Saturday. The arrestees--Mohammad Shafiullah, Mostafa Azim, Mohammad Shah Alam, Abu Taher, Abdul Matin, Md Salahuddin, Alamgir, Jakir Hossain, Abdul Motaleb, Monir Hossain, Md Mohiuddin and Md Israphil, are residents of several upazilas of the district. Nizam Uddin, officer-in-charge of Feni Model Police Station, said they conducted a drive at the office of the Jamaat on Shanti Company Road on getting tipped-off. Also Read: 31 Jamaat-Shibir men arrested over ‘sabotage attempt’ in Dinajpur The 12 Jamaat-men were held with five cocktails and Jihadhi books from the office while they were holding a clandestine meeting to carry out subversive activities, he said. They were handed over to the court after filing a case upon interrogation, the OC said. Also read: Jamaat leader, activist arrested in Savar Turning down the claim by the police, district Jamaat Ameer Master Shamsuddin said their party-men were holding a meeting on the labour welfare foundation. The allegation of subversive planning is ridiculous, he said, adding that he demanded immediate release of the arrested activists and leaders.     

Two people were killed and six others were critically injured as their microbus crashed into a roadside tree after losing control on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway in Feni Sadar upazila on Saturday morning. The deceased---Jannatul Ferdous, 36, wife of Kuwait expatriate Belal Hossain of Gobindarapur village under Daganbhuiyan upazila of Feni and the microbus driver Imam Hossain Ripon, 23, son of Abdul Matin Babul Miah of Dakkhin Mohammadpur village under Senbagh upazila of Noakhali.   Belal, 45,  is among the injured. Five others have been identified as injured and receiving treatment at Feni Sadar Hospital: Saber Hossain, 14, Sabbir Hossain, 10, Fahmida Aktar, 22, Sharif Uddin, 30, Limon Hossain, 8.  Read more: oliceman killed in Naogaon road accident; wife injured Highway police and fire service department said the group was returning home to their village in Gobindarapur after receiving Belal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The accident occurred Saturday morning when the speeding microbus hit the roadside tree, presumably after losing control on the highway. The driver died on the spot. Although seven others were rushed to the hospital, Jannatul's injuries did prove fatal by the time they arrived.   Mostafa Kamal, officer-in-charge of Feni Highway police station, confirmed the tragedy saying that the bodies of Jannatul and Ripon were sent to the morgue for autopsies.   Read more: Train crash leaves wife dead, husband injured in Natore The bodies will be handed over to their respective families upon completion of legal formalities, the OC added.

The body of a Bangladeshi farmer, who was shot and tortured to death allegedly by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) along the Feni border on November 13, was handed over to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Tuesday. The body was handed over through Bilonia Land port in Feni. Md Saiful Islam, officer-in-charge of Parshuram police station, said it was sent to Fenir Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy. Read more: BSF hands over body of Bangladeshi cattle trader The deceased was Meshbar, 47, son of Mafizur Rahman of Uttar Guthuma village under the Parshuram upazila. Victim’s wife Morium and locals said the BSF picked him up from his cropland while he was harvesting paddy on November 13 afternoon. Morium alleged that the BSF members punched, kicked and beat him when he tried to resist them. At one stage, sound of firing was heard there. Later, the members of BGB and BSF held meetings for three times over the matter, but the BSF denied the allegation of picking him up. Read more: BSF hands over body of Bangladeshi teenager after 5 days The body of the farmer was found lying on the ‘Zero Line’ between the countries on November 16.

The body of a farmer was recovered on Wednesday three days after members of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) had picked him up from his cropland along the border at Parshuram upazila of the district. The deceased was identified as Meshba Uddin, son of Mafizur Rahman of Uttar Guthuma village under the upazila. The victim’s wife Morium, locals and police said the BSF picked him up from his cropland, saying that  he was a member of a smuggling group while he was collecting paddy on Sunday afternoon. Morium alleged that the BSF members punched, kicked and beat him while he tried to resist them. At one stage sounds of three rounds of bullet were heard there. Local government representative  Nizam Uddin said members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the BSF held meetings for three times on Monday over the matter, but the BSF from their side denied the allegation of picking him up. Read more: BSF kills Bangladeshi cattle trader in Chuadanga, says BGB Arifur Rahman, commandant of the BGB-4 battalion, said they came to know through locals that the BSF left the body of the farmer in Indian territory, which is around 100 yards away from the border fence. “We came to know that the BSF took away him from his cropland when he was working there on Sunday afternoon,” he said. Syeda Shamsad Begum, upazila nirbahi officer, said the BGB and police were jointly working to

Four people were killed and 15 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a covered van on Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Sadar upazila of Feni district on Wednesday. Three of the deceased were identified as Nazmul, 35 of Cumilla district, Riazuddin of Laxmipur district and Forkan, 50 of Pirojpur district while the identity of another one could not be known immediately. Mostafa Kamal, officer-in-charge of Mahipal Highway Police camp, said the accident occurred around 11 am when the Dhaka-bound ‘Unique Paribahan’ bus collided with the covered van coming from the opposite direction, leaving 19 people injured. Also read: Father-son duo killed in Kushtia hit-and-run accident Later, the injured people were taken to Feni General Hospital where doctors declared four of them dead. Of the injured, four were taken to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital for better treatment.    

A 45-year-old absconding death row convict in a case filed over raping a teenager in front of her mother was arrested Sunday in Feni, 19-years after the incident. The convict is Jahangir Alam, son of Abul Kalam from Nawabpur union in Sonagazi upazila, said Md Khaled Hossain, Officer-in-Charge of Sonagazi model police station. Jahangir Alam was sent to jail after being produced before a court on Monday, said the OC. On information, police arrested Jahangir from Mizan Road area of Feni sadar around 8:30 pm on Sunday as he was returning from his legal counsel’s chamber.  On May 13, 2003, Jahangir and his gang abducted the victim and her mother, who were Hindus, from Sultanpur village in Nawabpur union. They gang raped the girl in front of the local health complex center. Read: Writ petition filed seeking Tk 10 crore as compensation for Joj Mia Next day, a case was filed against four people at Sonagazi police station following a complaint received from the victim's mother. On July14 this year, Feni Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal pronounced death sentences for three of the accused in their absence and acquitted another from charges. Along with that each of the convicts were fined Tk 2 lakh. The death row convicts are Abul Kashem, Md Latu and Jahangir Alam, all residents of Nawabpur union who remained absconding since the incident.

Some 15 leaders and activists of BNP were injured in sporadic attacks by the ruling Awami League (AL) activists on its scheduled programme in Dagonbhuiyan upazila of the district on Tuesday. Besides, motorcade of the BNP central executive committee Vice Chairman Abdul Awal Mintoo came under attack on his way to attend the programme venue. Sources said the upazila unit BNP organized a rally as part of the central programme in protest against the price hike of essential commodities and other issues at the upazila town on Tuesday. Read: BNP vice-chairman Mintoo among 354 sued in Feni Akbar Hossain, president of the unit BNP, alleged that at least five supporters were injured in the attack carried out by Chhatra League and Juba League men when the motorcade led by central leader Awal Mintoo was heading towards the programme venue in Government Iqbal Memorial College area around 4.30pm. Moreover, some 10 more BNP men sustained injuries in the attacks by the AL men across the upazila since the morning, he claimed. “AL-men took position in different points of the upazila town and barred our leaders and activists from attending the programme,” he said, adding that establishments belonging to their supporters also came under attack more than once in the last two days.  He condemned the attacks and demanded the perpetrators be brought to justice.

Two cases have been filed against 354 people, including BNP Vice-Chairman Abdul Awal Mintoo, in connection with Monday's clash between BNP activists and police in Sonagazi upazila of Feni..   Sourajit Barua and Main Uddin, two sub-inspectors of Sonagazi Model Police Station filed the cases against 94 identified BNP leaders and its activists on Tuesday.   Ripon, 28, an activist of BNP detained earlier, was shown arrested in the two cases.   Read: Fakhrul breaks down witnessing the cries of missing BNP leaders' children   On Monday, at least ten people were injured in a clash between police and BNP activists when they were holding a rally at Sonagazi zero point in the upazila, as part of their central programme protesting the price hike of daily commodities including oil, gas, and fertilizers, as well as the murders of Swechchasebak Dal leader Abdur Rahim and unit Chhatra Dal president Noor-e Alam in Bhola.   Police fired 60 rounds of bullets during Monday's violent clash.   A chase and counter chase took place during the melee.   Khaled Hossain, officer-in-charge of Sonagazi Model Police Station, said police arrested an activist of Jubo Dal.  

Prohibitory orders were imposed in Parshuram upazila of Feni on Tuesday in view of the Awami League's and opposition BNP's political programmes at the same place. Parshuram Upazila Nirbahi Officer Syeda Shamsad Begum issued a notice in this regard on Monday night. The prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC will remain in force from Tuesday 8am to 5pm. As part of its central committee’s campaign, the Parshuram unit of BNP announced a protest rally against the recent hike in prices of essentials at Parshuram Bazar and its adjoining areas from 9am on Tuesday, said Abdul Halim Manik, convener of upazila unit. Read: AL-BNP clash leaves 20 injured in Feni Meanwhile, the upazila unit of the Awami League and its student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League also announced a protest rally against the anarchy of BNP and Jamaat, said M Shafiqul Hossain Mahim joint general secretary of upazila's AL unit. According to locals, from Monday evening, the two political parties had showdowns in the Parshuram Bazar area. Saiful Islam, officer-in-charge of Parshuram police station, said that patrolling has been increased in the area after imposition of Section 144 of CrPC.