Kushtia
Pre-election clash leaves 6 injured in Kushtia
Supporters of two rival UP election candidates clashed in Kushtia’s Bhagjot Bazar of Ramkrishnapur union, leaving at least six people injured, witnesses said on Wednesday.
Clashes broke out between Awami League and JSD workers over hanging posters of behalf of their rival candidates in Daulatpur union parishad elections on Tuesday night.
READ: Court sends Kushtia municipality's executive engineer to jail in money laundering case
One of the injured was admitted in hospital with bullet wounds, according to the witnesses.
Though both the parties claimed that they had lodged separate complaints with the police, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Daulatpur police station Nasir Uddin said he was not aware about the incident and no one filed any complaint.
READ: College teacher on poll duty dies in Kushtia
Witnesses said tensions grew between supporters of Awami League’s boat symbol candidate Siraj Mandal and the supporters of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal’s (JSD) torch symbol candidate Abdul Aziz over the election poster.
Both blamed each other for the violence.
College teacher on poll duty dies in Kushtia
A college teacher roped in as a presiding officer for the union parishad (UP) election, died at a polling station in Kushtia on Wednesday night.
The deceased was identified as Joynal Abedin, a teacher of Nimtala College of Mirpur upazila. He was assigned to the Ramnagar Titula polling station in Mirpur.
Read: Lone digital X-Ray machine out of service for 17 months at Kushtia Hospital
Joynal complained of breathing difficulty around 11pm and died within minutes, said returning officer of Kursha union Nurul Islam. "We suspect he died of cardiac arrest."
Voting in 11 union parishads in Mirpur upazila and six in Bheramara upazila is currently underway as the second phase of polls kicked off in Bangladesh on Thursday.
Read: One dead in Narsingdi as UP polls kick off
Youth dies from electrocution in Kushtia
A young man died from electrocution in Kumarkhali upazila of Kushtia district on Saturday.
The deceased was identified as Md Sobuj, 30, son of Jalal Uddin Molla, a resident of West Lahini Para of Chapra Union in the upazila. He worked in a WiFi connection company.
According to locals, Sobuj came in contact with a live electric wire while repairing the WiFi connection of an organization on an electric pole in Alauddinnagar area around 11:30 am.
Read: 2 of a family among 3 die from electrocution in Bogura
On information, two firefighting units rushed to the spot and recovered the body hanging from the electric poll.
Officer-in-charge of Kumarkhali Police Station Kamruzzaman Talukdar said after completing legal procedure the body will be handed over to his family.
IU resumes in-person classes
The authorities of Islamic University in Kushtia resumed in-person classes on Monday after about 18 months of closure due to Covid-19 outbreak.
The decision of resuming physical classes was taken at the university’s 263rd syndicate meeting held on the campus in October 4.
Read:IU student arrested for spreading rumor on social media
The classes are being held maintaining health guidelines.
The university reopened all the halls for its residential students on October 9.
The university authorities allowed only those students, who had received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, to enter the halls.
Kushtia journo held under DSA for defamatory post against PM
A journalist was arrested in Kushtia on Tuesday under the stringent Digital Security Act (DSA) for allegedly sharing a "defamatory" social media post against the Prime Minister.
Farhad Asif Tipu, 50, son of late Amir Uddin of Batikamara village of Kumarkhali upazila, is the Kushtia correspondent for Daily Jay Jay Din.
Read:Rangpur: 1 arrested in Joypurhat under DSA, 42 for arson
Police said Farhad shared on Facebook a defamatory post with a distorted image of the Prime Minister from his own page on the social media platform. It was originally posted on Facebook by someone else.
The arrest comes on a complaint from Kumarkhali Upazila Juba League organising secretary Farhad Imran. Based on the complaint, an FIR was filed against Farhad under the Digital Security Act at the Kumarkhali police station.
Read: DSA: Order on Jhumon Das’s bail plea Thursday
Kamruzzaman Talukder, officer-in-charge of the Kumarkhali police station, said they had arrested the journo based on the complaint.
IU to reopen residential halls on Oct 9
After a gap of nearly 18 months, Islamic University (IU) in Kushtia is all set to reopen its residential halls to students on October 9.
Regular classes of all departments, however, will resume from October 20, IU information publication and public relations office director Ataul Hoque said.
Read:Islamic University waives transport, hall fees from period of Covid-19 closure
The decision to reopen the residential halls was taken at IU's 263rd syndicate meeting held at vice chancellor Professor Shaikh Abdus Salam's official residence Monday. The meeting was chaired by the VC.
Students will have to produce proof of at least one dose of a Covid vaccine to access the residential facilities and attend the classes, Ataul said.
The central library of the university, however, reopened on Tuesday.
Read: Islamic University to start final exams from Sept 12
"All arrangements have been made to reopen the residential halls. But no student will be allowed to stay at the ‘gana room’ as it could cause a surge in Covid infections, the vice-chancellor said.
Among others, IU pro-VC Professor M Mahbubur Rahman, treasurer Professor M Alamgir Hossain Bhuiya and acting registrar M Ataur Rahman were present at the meeting.
Last month, a group of students staged a protest on the campus, demanding the university reopen the residential halls to the students on September 30.
Kushtia: Two girl students contract Covid
Two girl students -- both cousins -- of a government school in Kushtia have tested positive for Covid.
The IX and X graders of Khoksa Janipur Pilot Girls' School in Kushtia Sadar underwent Covid-19 tests on Saturday after they showed symptoms of the virus -- fever and sore throat. The results came a day later.
Read: Five girl students contract Covid in Thakurgaon school
Headmistress Salma Khatun said that the two girl students -- both cousins -- probably contracted coronavirus at home as some of their family members "are down with Covid".
"All students of our school may have to undergo tests for Covid," she told UNB.
Akmal Hossain, the guardian of the ninth grader, also admitted that six members of their family are Covid-positive.
Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Kamruzzaman said that they can arrange Covid tests for free if the school authorities want the same for their students.
Read: Schoolgirl dies with Covid symtomps in Manikganj
Upazila Secondary Education Officer Nazmul Haque said that the information has been conveyed to the Health Ministry in Dhaka.
On September 22, within two weeks of the reopening of schools in the country, a primary school in Gopalganj’s Kathalipara upazila closed its doors for class three students after one of their classmates tested positive for Covid-19.
A day later in Manikganj, an eighth-grader, who had been suffering from suspected Covid symptoms of fever, sore throat and shortness of breath, died.
Read: Class postponed as student gets Covid in Gopalganj
On September 24, it was reported that five students of classes IV and V at a primary school in Thakurgaon sadar upazila tested positive for Covid.
On September 12, after nearly 18 months, primary, secondary, and higher secondary schools in Bangladesh reopened with some Covid-safety protocols in place.
IU ‘D’ unit intake test on Nov 2
The 'D' unit intake test for the first year honours’ courses under 2020-21 academic session of Theology and Islamic Studies faculty of Islamic University will be held on the campus in Kushtia on November 2.
The admission tests of the university’s other faculties, will be held under unified entry test system.
Read: Islamic University waives transport, hall fees from period of Covid-19 closure
The decision was made at an emergency meeting of IU central admission test committee with its vice-chancellor Professor Shaikh Abdus Salam in the chair.
A press release, signed by IU acting registrar M Ataur Rahman, was issued in this regard Sunday noon.
The admission test will be held separately as there is no such subjects in other public universities, IU acting registrar said.
The regular classes and examinations of all departments will remain closed during the admission test, he added.
The uniform admission tests of 20 public universities will be held from October 17 to 24 across the country.
Read: Islamic University to start final exams from Sept 12
On January 23, 2020, the University Grants Commission decided to introduce a uniform entry test for all public universities across the country from the academic year 2020-21, aiming at reducing the sufferings of the admission-seekers and their guardians.
The universities that are taking centralised admission tests are Islamic University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Khulna University, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Jagannath University, Comilla University, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, Jessore University of Science and Technology, Begum Rokeya University Rangpur, Pabna University of Science and Technology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University, Barisal University and Patuakhali Science and Technology University.
Mother-son duo found dead in Kushtia
A mother-son duo was found dead in her parents' house in the Thanapara Bandh area of Kushtia town early on Wednesday.
The deceased were identified as Aklima Khatun, wife of auto driver Ratan, and their nine-month-old son Jim.
Locals said that Aklima went to her father's house, adjacent to her husband's home, on Tuesday night as repair work was underway at the family home.
On Wednesday morning, locals found Aklima's body hanging from the ceiling in her parents' house and her child lying dead on a bed in the same room.
Family members of the deceased said that Aklima was suffering from mental depression and had been undergoing treatment for a long time.
Police said the bodies were sent to Kushtia General Hospital's morgue for post-mortem.
Also read: Mother ‘murders’ 9-month-old son in Khulna
Sabbirul Alam, officer-in-charge of Kushtia Model police station, said, "Prima facie, it seems that Aklima committed suicide after suffocating her child to death."
Also read: Mother 'commits suicide' after killing son in Bogura
"However, we are waiting for the post-mortem report," he added.
Idols of Hindu deities damaged in Kushtia
Tension prevailed in Kushtia district town on Wednesday after miscreants allegedly damaged a number of idols of Hindu deities ahead of Durga Puja.
Sabbirul Alam, officer-in-charge of Kushtia Model police station, said that the incident took place at a temple in Hemchandra Lane in Aruapara, where the making of the idols for Durga Puja was underway.
"On Wednesday morning, when members of the temple committee entered the temple premises, they were shocked to see the damaged idols," he said.
Read: Miscreants torch idol at Hindu temple in Thakurgaon
On information, police along with the leader of the District Puja Udjapon Parishad visited the temple.
Advocate Anup Kumar Nandi, president of the District Puja Udjapon Parishad, demanded immediate arrests of those involved in damaging the idols.
"Efforts are on to identify and nab the culprits," said the OC.