United News of Bangladesh

Hallmark Group Managing Director (MD) Md. Tanvir Mahmud, who had been serving a jail term in connection with the Hallmark loan scam, died while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Saturday night (November 29). He was 55. AIG (Development) of the Prisons Department Md. Jannat-ul Farhad confirmed that Tanvir Mahmud passed away around 10:30 pm. Tanvir had been imprisoned in cases filed with Ramna Police Station and Kafrul Police Station. Read more: HC rejects Hallmark chairperson’s bail plea in graft case Prison authorities said he had been suffering from multiple health complications, including chronic kidney disease (CKD), hypertension, diabetes, benign prostatic enlargement (BEP), bronchial asthma, chronic pancreatitis, vomiting, and urinary retention. As his condition deteriorated, he was taken from Dhaka Central Jail to DMCH at 1:35 pm on Saturday and admitted around 4 pm. He was placed in Bed No. 19 of ward number 602 under medical supervision. His health worsened rapidly after admission, and doctors later declared him dead at around 10:30 pm, the prison official said. Read more: Dhaka court sentences 9 including Hallmark MD Tanvir, wife to life imprisonment

Police have handed over the bodies of 16 victims, who died in the devastating fire at a garment factory and a chemical warehouse in Mirpur’s Rupnagar area to their families five days after the incident. The handover process began around 10:15pm on Sunday and continued until 12:30am, according to police.  The bodies had been kept in the cold storage of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) morgue for DNA testing and identification. Mohammad Mokhlesur Rahman, inspector (investigation) of Rupnagar Police Station, said the forensic unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) provided them with the DNA results for 16 victims. After confirming the matches with their family members, they contacted them and all 16 bodies were handed over at the DMCH morgue, he said. Mirpur factory and chemical warehouse fire: 7-member probe body formed Each bereaved family received Tk 25,000 in burial assistance from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, disbursed through the Dhaka district administration. Tejgaon Development Circle Engineer Md Zakir Hossain handed over the financial assistance. The 16 victims were identified through DNA testing as Mahira Akter, 14, daughter of late Omar Faruk from Bamna upazila in Barguna; Nargis Akter, 18, daughter of Wazi Ullah from Daliganagar in Lalmohan upazila, Bhola; Md Sanowar Hossain, 25, son of Mizanur Rahman from Nalitabari, Sherpur; Nure Alam Sarkar, 23, son of Aminul Islam from Bhabanipur, Gaibandha Sadar; Al Mamun, 38, son of late Mojibur Rahman from Darikata village, Amtali upazila, Barguna; Rabiul Islam Robin, 20, son of Nazu Mia from Tilaknagar, Bancharampur, Brahmanbaria; Farzana Akter, 15, daughter of Ratan Mia from Golla Rajapur, Dharmapasha, Sunamganj; Khalid Hasan Sabbir, 29, son of Monirul Islam from Islambpur, Barguna Sadar; Abdul Alim, 14, son of Nur Islam from Krishnapur, Singra, Natore; Joy Mia, 20, son of Sabuj Mia from Nurulla village, Barhatta, Netrakona; Asma Akter, 13, daughter of Nayan Mia from Southkhali, Mohanganj, Netrakona; Muna Akter Samia, 16, daughter of Sonu Mia from Kadamshree, Madan, Netrakona; Mousumi Khatun, 22, daughter of Abdul Mannan from West Naodabas, Hatibandha, Lalmonirhat; Mukta Begum, 36, daughter of Musha Dewan from Sureshwar, Naria, Shariatpur; Tofayel Ahmed, 18, son of Joj Mia from Joypur, Mohanganj, Netrakona; and Nazmul Islam Riaz, 40, from Panti village, Kumarkhali, Kushtia. Death toll rises to 16 in Mirpur factory and chemical warehouse fire Earlier, forensic experts collected DNA samples from six bodies on October 15 and from ten more on October 16 for identification purposes. On October 14, the fire, which broke out in the Rupnagar industrial area, gutted the multi-storey factory and warehouse building, leaving 16 workers dead and several others injured. On October 16, the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) formed a seven- member panel to investigate the fatal fire incident. Lt. Col Mohamamd Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director of FSCD headquarters, was made the head of the committee.  

Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur was discharged from Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Monday after 18 days of treatment. Rashed Khan, general secretary of the party, said Nur was released around 4:30 pm. Although Nur has been discharged he will not be able to speak to the media and is scheduled to be admitted to another hospital for further treatment, he said. Nur may need 4–6 weeks to recover: DMCH Director Nur was admitted to DMCH on August 29 with multiple injuries  after a clash between activists of his party and Jatiya Party in front of his party office. He was initially treated at the One-Stop Emergency Centre (OSEC) before being transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Once his condition stabilised, he was moved out of the ICU. He was given treatment under a six-member medical board.

A day labourer was killed after being crashed into by a pickup van while crossing a road near Wasa Bhaban in Karwan Bazar area of Dhaka on Monday night. The deceased was identified as Md Moktar Mia, 60, who worked as a day labourer in the Karwan Bazar.   Witnesses said the accident occurred around 9:45pm when the speeding vehicle knocked him down at the time of crossing the road, leaving him critically injured. Unidentified woman killed in road accident in city's Banani Pedestrians took him to the Emergency Department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where physicians declared him dead at 11:50pm, said Md Faruk, in-charge of the hospital police outpost. The body has been kept at the hospital morgue for autopsy, he added.

A 22-year-old youth died after being stabbed by a group of unidentified miscreants in Dhaka’s Tejgaon Industrial area on Monday evening. The deceased, Mohammad Arman, was the son of Md Ekram Hossain and a resident of Middle Begunbari under Tejgaon Industrial Police Station. He worked as a delivery man for Daraz. According to his father, the incident took place around 7:30 pm in front of Tejgaon Polytechnic Institute, near the Bangladesh University of Textiles, while Arman was crossing the road. Private university student stabbed dead on campus in Dhaka A group of three to four attackers, reportedly acting out of prior enmity, assaulted him and stabbed him in the left thigh. Locals immediately rushed him to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where doctors declared him dead around 9:30 pm. Md Faruk, in-charge of the DMCH police outpost, said the body has been kept at the hospital morgue for an autopsy.

Hejaz Bin Alam alias Ezaz, (34) a well-known name in Dhaka's criminal underworld, passed away on Saturday evening while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) under the custody of Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. Ezaz had been undergoing dialysis at DMCH before his death, said DB Sub-inspector Mahfuz. According to the deceased's father Shah Alam, despite being out on bail, DB police took Ezaz away on Friday night (March 14). The following morning, he was admitted to DMCH, where he was placed in Ward 601 on the sixth floor. Bangladesh reaffirms ‘zero tolerance’ stance on terrorism, commits to global security Following Ezaz’s death, his family members forcibly took his body from the hospital but later returned it around two hours later at 9pm.. DB sources said that Ezaz, the second-in-command of “top terror” Sanjidul Islam Iman alias Iman, was arrested by DB’s Wari division on Friday in connection with a case filed at Mohammadpur Police Station.  Later, he fell ill while in custody at the DB headquarters on Mintoo Road and was subsequently admitted to DMCH, where he died while undergoing treatment.

Students have issued an ultimatum for the republication of medical admission test results for the 2024-25 academic year by today, calling for the abolition of all irrational quotas, including the freedom fighter quota. The demand was made during a sit-in and protest rally today held at the Central Shaheed Minar at 11:30 am. Students from Dhaka University also expressed solidarity with the protest. MBBS admission test results published During the event, protesters raised various slogans. “Yesterday, many candidates with 40 or 41 marks gained admission, while others who scored double that could not. Isn’t this discrimination?,” said Kumudini Women's Medical College Psychiatry Prof Dr Major (retd) Abdul Wahab, while expressing solidarity with the students. “Since you have learned to protest, you must continue to fight for your rights on the streets,” he said urging the students. Doha, a student of Dhaka Medical College, said, “After a successful movement demanding the abolition of discrimination, this kind of biased treatment in the medical admission exam should not happen. When the passing mark is 40, how can someone with 37 or 38 marks gain admission? We demand an end to this discrimination today.” MBBS admission test to be held Friday Abir Hossain, a student of Sir Salimullah Medical College, said, “In previous years, students scoring slightly below the cutoff could gain admission through quotas. But this year, candidates with marks 30 to 35 below the cutoff have been admitted through the quota system, which is unacceptable. We demand the abolition of all quotas, including the freedom fighter quota, and the republication of the results today.” Mahin Sarkar, a coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, also expressed solidarity with the medical students, saying, “Even after the movement in Bangladesh, we see irrational quotas being implemented in medical colleges. “Some students scoring 72 marks didn’t gain admission, while others with 40 marks did. We demand the immediate republication of the medical admission results and the abolition of all irrational quotas in all universities and medical admission exams,” he said.

Six bodies of martyrs from the July uprising have been found in the forensic department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The special cell for the July mass uprising at DMCH revealed this during a press conference  on Friday. The identities of the bodies are as follows: an unidentified male (20), an unidentified male (25), an unidentified male (22), an unidentified male (30), an unidentified female (32), and Enamul (25). The forensic team has completed autopsies and collected DNA samples. Reports indicate that five individuals died from injuries, while one succumbed to a fall from a height. July-August Uprising: Final list of martyrs, injured released Cell secretary Hasan Inam said, "While conducting routine work, we discovered that six unidentified bodies of martyrs from the mass uprising were at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. This morning, our team visited Shahbagh Police Station to gather detailed information. Officer-in-charge Khalid Mansur confirmed that six bodies were in the morgue." "The special team inspected the bodies on-site and found that five died from injuries, while one died from a fall. We collected DNA samples and other evidence. Shahbagh Police informed us that these bodies belong to the anti-discrimination student movement, leading us to believe they are martyrs of the July mass uprising. However, the police have not clarified when the bodies were brought here," he added. The special cell urged anyone missing a person of the mentioned ages to contact them at the following mobile number 01621324187.

A university student died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Saturday night, two days after some muggers stabbed him in Narayanganj city. The victim, Md Semanto, 20, succumbed to his injuries around 11pm while he was undergoing treatment, said his father Hazi Alam, a resident of Deobhog Pakka Road area. Late freedom fighter’s body donated to BSMMU for medical research Semanto, a student of a private university in Dhaka, was stabbed by some muggers in Deobhog area of Narayanganj city early Thursday. Haji Alam said that while his son was on his way to university in the morning, the criminals blocked his path in front of Morgan School and tried to grab his bag and mobile phone. When he tried to stop them, they stabbed him in several parts of the body, leaving him seriously injured. Grocer hacked to death in Natore “Locals first admitted my son to Narayanganj General Hospital and later to Dhaka Medical in serious condition,” he added. “Robbery incidents are increasing every day in Narayanganj city and its suburbs,” Alam alleged.

Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) launched a two-day international workshop on Minimal Invasive Spine Surgery (MISS) on Friday. The Neuro Spine Society of Bangladesh, in collaboration with the Anatomy and Forensic Medicine departments of DMCH, organised the workshop at the Anatomy Dissection Hall of the college. Dr. Md. Zahid Raihan, associate professor at DMCH, chaired the event. DMCH Principal Professor Dr Md. Kamrul Alam attended the programme as the chief guest. The inauguration session featured faculty and surgeons from medical colleges and hospitals in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangladesh, who briefed attendees on the benefits and procedures of minimally invasive spine surgery. International surgeons and consultants, including Dr. Thinesh Kumaran, Associate Professor Mark Tan, and Dr. Wayne Yap, attended the opening session. Dengue prevention neglected in underprivileged areas: Speakers Describing the procedure, the doctors said ,this state-of-the-art spine surgery method involves performing surgery through small incisions. Patients experience less pain and can leave the hospital sooner. This technique uses lasers, small cameras, and specialised instruments to address spinal issues.  “Small incisions reduce physical trauma, allowing patients to avoid prolonged bed rest and return to work sooner. This method results in less pain and bleeding compared to traditional approaches, and the risk of infection is significantly lower due to the use of modern instruments, they added. Zahid said this programme aims to give people in the country access to training in MISS. This modern and reliable medical procedure could greatly enhance patients’ quality of life.