Kushtia
2 killed in Kushtia road accidents
Two people were killed in separate road accidents in Kushtia, police said.
One of the deceased was identified as Mohsin Hossain, 35, a cigarette factory worker and son of late Khatibur Rahman of Satbaria area in Bheramara upazila. The other deceased was Siam, 18, son of Daud of Chok Dhuboik village of the same area.
Read: 3 of family die in Dhaka road crash
On Friday morning, Siam was seriously injured after his motorcycle was hit by a truck in Hawakhali field area of Dhubail union in Mirpur upazila.
According to locals, he died on the way to Kushtia Sadar Hospital.
Officer-in-charge of Mirpur Police Station Golam Mostafa confirmed the death.
Read: B’baria road crash leaves three youths dead
Meanwhile, on Thursday night another accident occurred at Allahdarga on Daulatpur-Bheramara road as a motorcycle was hit by a truck. The injured motorcyclist died on the way to Daulatpur Upazila Health Complex.
Officer-in-charge (OC) SM Jabid Hasan of Daulatpur Police said the body was recovered and sent to Kushtia General Hospital morgue for autopsy.
18-yr-old burnt alive by husband in Kushtia
An 18-year-old woman died after being allegedly set on fire by her husband over dowry in Mirpur upazila of Kushtia district on Tuesday.
The deceased was identified as Sumaiya Khatun, wife of Sadiqul Islam of the upazila.
Assistant sub-inspector Quamruzzaman of the Amla Police camp, said that the duo got married on December 16 last year and they had frequent fights, particularly over dowry.
Read: Teen wearing headphones killed by speeding train in Kurigram
“On Tuesday morning, Sumaiya was rushed to Kushtia General Hospital by neighbours who heard my screams. She succumbed to her injuries at night," said the officer.
Sumaiya’s father alleged that Sadiqul had demanded Tk 1 lakh for business purposes from him barely three days after their marriage.
"As I had failed to give him the money, he used to torture my daughter. A few days ago, Sadiqul sent Sumaiya to my house for money. I gave her some money but could not manage to arrange the entire dowry money. So, they killed my daughter," he said.
Golam Mostafa, officer-in-charge of Mirpur Police Station, said, “We have visited the spot and are now waiting for the woman's autopsy report before making any arrest."
5 endangered jungle cat cubs rescued in Kushtia
Five endangered jungle cat cubs have been rescued from the Shalghar Modhua area of Kumarkhali upazila in Kushtia.
Three local youths -- Tonmoy, Tanvir and Anas, all brothers -- spotted the cubs in Shalghar Modhua village on Saturday and contacted the forest department.
Read:Another nilgai rescued in Thakurgaon
The cubs were handed over to a team of the forest department and Bangladesh Biodiversity Conservation Federation (BBCF) on Monday night.
Two of the rescued cubs have been released in the forest, while three sick ones are undergoing treatment under the supervision of the forest department, said Md Abdul Hamid, in-charge of the Kushtia forest department.
Read: Crocodile captured by fisherman rescued in Bagerhat
The jungle cat, also known as reed cat or swamp cat, is native to the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and southern China. Its scientific name is Felis Chaus.
This medium-sized cat usually inhabits wetlands like swamps, and littoral and riparian areas with dense vegetation. However, they have become endangered in Bangladesh due to the reckless destruction of their habitat.
8 IU students selected for PM Gold Medal
A total of eight students of different faculties of Islamic University in Kushtia have been selected for Prime Minister Gold Medal for their outstanding academic results in honours examination.
The University Grants Commission has selected the students, IU acting registrar M Atarur Rahman said on Monday.
Read: IUTA exec council polls on Sunday
The students who were selected for the medal are— Imtiaz Uddin of Al-Quran and Islamic Studies department under Theology and Islamic Studies faculty, Raihan Ali of Arabic Language and Literature department under Arts’ faculty, Mizanur Rahman of Economics department under Social Sciences faculty, Rubaiya Yasmin of Law department and Firoz Khan of Finance and Banking department under Business Administration faculty of the university.
Supti Chakraborty of Statistics department under Science faculty, Selim Reza of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department and Muntaha Binte Mukhles of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering department under Biology faculty.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina will hand over the medals to the students at her office in a prize giving ceremony soon, the registrar added.
Read: IUTA election to be held on Dec 12
University Grants Commission has been awarding the Prime Ministers Gold Medal to the public universities' meritorious students since 2005.
UGC recently published the names of students from different universities of the country selected for the medal on its own website.
Kushtia bidi workers, tobacco growers urge to reduce tax on bidi
Bidi workers and tobacco farmers of Kushtia have urged the government to reduce taxes on bidi and fix fair prices.Bidi workers and tobacco farmers of Kushtia held a human chain in front of the deputy commissioner's office in Kushtia on Wednesday to press home a 5-point charter of demands.Tobacco is used in the bidi industry but due to conspiracies hatched by foreign multinational tobacco companies the government has imposed high taxes on bidi, forcing the factories to close down, workers said, adding because bidi factories are closing down, tobacco farmers are not being able to sell their produce.
READ: Drowning in debt, govt school principal ends life in Kushtia
Due to the increase in tariffs on bidis, unscrupulous traders are marketing bidis with fake band-rolls to evade tax. As a result, the government is being deprived of a huge amount of revenue.The five demands are: bidi workers should have to work for six days a week, tax levied on bidi should be reduced, the 10 percent advance income tax imposed on the bidi industry should be withdrawn, fair price should be fixed for tobacco, and factories of counterfeit bidi should be busted.The speakers further said that tobacco farmers are becoming helpless due to the aggression of foreign multinational companies. Held hostage by the foreign companies, farmers are being deprived of a fair price for tobacco. As a result, thousands of tobacco farmers and traders are suffering financially and they are in dire straits with their families.The speakers called upon the government to address the problems of tobacco growers and bidi workers.
READ: Missing youth found dead in Kushtia
Golam Mostafa, labour affairs secretary of the Kushtia district of the Awami League, was the chief guest at the protest programme, chaired by Md Nazim Uddin, general secretary of Kushtia Zilla Bidi Sangram Parishad and vice-president of Bangladesh Bidi Workers Federation. Workers' leader Tarun Sheikh moderated the event.
Drowning in debt, govt school principal ends life in Kushtia
Drowning in debt, a 56-year-old government school principal allegedly end his life in his parents-in-law's house in Kumarkhali upazila of Kushtia on Tuesday morning.
Police suspect that Rezaul Islam, the principal of Keshabpur Government Primary School in Joduboyra union, took the extreme step as he was unable to repay a loan of Tk 20 lakh that he took recently to build a house of their own.
Read: Teenage student allegedly commits suicide in Kaptai
His wife, Shefali Aktar, the principal of Char Agrakunda Government Primary School, spotted the body hanging from an iron grille of their house and alerted their family members and police.
Kamruzzaman Talukdar, officer-in-charge of Kumarkhali police station, said that no autopsy was conducted as the family members did not lodge any complaint. "It seems he was unable to repay the huge loan," he said.
On Monday afternoon, his brothers lent Rezaul nearly TK 1.7 lakh. “He went to sleep at night like regular days, but early this morning, I saw his body hanging from the grille," said his wife.
Read: Couple ‘commits suicide’ in Bagerhat
Meanwhile, Monsur Ali, an assistant teacher of Keshabpur Government Primary School, said, “During a chat with other teachers last Thursday, Rezaul Bhai cracked jokes about leaving us for forever.”
Missing youth found dead in Kushtia
Barely six hours after he went missing, a 22-year-old youth was found dead on the banks of the Gorai River in Kushtia Sadar upazila Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Sabuj Mondol, son of Haider Ali, a resident of the East Millpara area. He worked at a local factory.
Police recovered his body from an under-construction eco-park on the banks of the Gorai river in the Millpara area this morning.
His father said that Sabuj went to work on Tuesday morning as usual. "But he didn't return home at night," he said.
Read: Local UP chairman candidate, close aid shot dead in B'baria
Locals spotted his body on Wednesday morning and informed police.
"We have brecovered the body and sent it to Kushtia General Hospital for an autopsy,' said Sabbirul Alam, officer-in-charge of Kushtia Model Police Station.
There were several injury marks on his body, the OC added.
Miscreants assault 7 IU students in Kushtia
At least seven students of Islamic University (IU) in Kushtia were injured in an attack carried out by a group of miscreants, allegedly at the behest of a varsity official, in Anandonagar adjacent to the campus on Tuesday night.
The injured students of different departments have been identified as Kamal Uddin, Sultan Mahmud, Jewel Rana, Majharul Islam Nayeem, Abdur Rahman, Abdur Razzaque Rakib and Sumon Reja.
Eye-witnesses said that Al-Quran and Islamic Studies department's assistant registrar Jahidul Islam had a verbal altercation with the seven students over playing of loud music in their mess in the area around 9pm.
Though the students forced Jahidul to leave the mess premises then, he soon returned to take revenge -- this time with 10 to 15 men. The miscreants attacked the students with sticks and bricks, leaving them injured on the spot. Later, the injured received first aid at IU central clinic.
Read: Journo among 20 hurt as BNP men, police clash in Natore
As the news of the attack spread, several students of the university brought out a protest rally in the small hours of Wednesday, demanding that the perpetrators be brought to justice.
The protesters dispersed only after IU's former pro-vice-chancellor Professor M Kamal Uddin and assistant proctor Shofiqul Islam assured them of action in the matter.
Al-Quran and Islamic Studies department assistant registrar Jahidul Islam, however, refuted the allegations levelled against him.
Proctor Jahangir Hossain said, "I have directed Assistant Proctor Shofiqul to visit the spot and lodge a police complaint."
IU celebrates University Day
Islamic University (IU) in Kushtia celebrated its 43rd University Day on the campus on Monday, marking its 42th founding anniversary.
The day-long celebration began with the unfurling of the national and university flags by IU vice-chancellor Shaikh Abdus Salam and pro vice-chancellor Prof M Mahbubur Rahman, respectively.
READ: Ageing bailey bridges turn death traps in hilly Khagrachari roads
Teachers, students, officers and employees later brought out a colourful procession led by the VC on the campus. The procession ended in front of Bangla Moncha adjacent to the university’s arts building.
Subsequently, a discussion and a cultural programme was held on the campus. Among others, IU treasurer Prof M Alamgir Hossain Bhuiya, acting registrar Ataur Rahman, transport administrator Prof M Anowar Hossain, proctor Prof M Jahangir Hossain, and deans and chairpersons of different faculties were present on the occasion.
READ: Foundation stones of two halls laid at Islamic University
The university began its journey on November 22 in 1979 in Gazipur on a campus currently used by National University.
IU Day to be celebrated Monday
Islamic University in Kushtia will celebrate its 43rd University Day on the campus on Monday, marking its 42th founding anniversary.
The day-long celebration includes hoisting of the national and university flags, a colourful procession, a discussion programme and a cultural event, officials said on Saturday.
Marking the day, IU vice-chancellor Prof Shaikh Abdus Salam will hoist the national flag while its pro-VC Prof M Mahbubur Rahman will hoist the university flag in front of the administrative building around 10am.
Also read: IU's viva voce to begin Nov 28
The vice-chancellor will inaugurate the programmes releasing pigeons at 10.30am.
Later, the teachers, officials and students of the university will bring out a colorful procession led by the vice-chancellor on the campus.
The procession will end in front of Bangla Moncha adjacent to the university’s arts building.
Also read: IU Shapla Forum election Saturday
After that, a discussion and a cultural programme will be held there. The university started its journey on November 22 in 1979 in Gazipur on a campus presently used by National University.