Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) suspended a police constable for allegedly beating up a street child for stealing a gas lighter on Sunday (June 11, 2023). The suspended police was identified as Md Shawkat, a constable of CMP traffic division. The incident took place around 11 am on Sunday (June 11) at a shop near the police box in Tiger Pass area under Kotwali police station of the city. Read: 89 sued over police-Jubo Dal activists clash in Cumilla Chattogram Metropolitan Police Commissioner Krishna Pada Roy came to know about the incident after a 30-second video footage of the incident went viral on social media. Later, the CMP commissioner ordered the suspension of the policeman. Earlier, in the video that went viral on social media, that constable Shawkat was seen entering the shop and slapping the child randomly. At that time, he had a cigarette in his mouth. Read: 10 held over police-Jubo Dal activists clash in Cumilla Journalist Abu Sayed Mohammad Tamanna told UNB, "I saw a teenager being beaten up by a policeman for stealing a gas light. If I hadn't protested, he would have killed the boy. The police should be humane.”

A 55-year-old man died under a train while crossing the rail tracks at Chalimpur union’s Faujdarhat area in Sitakunda upazila of Chattogram district on Saturday. The deceased, Salauddin, was the son of late Ledur of the area. Locals said the man, a night guard of Seema Steel Factory, was on his way home after his shift ended in the morning. He fell while crossing the tracks and was crushed under a train. Also Read: Deaf toddler crushed under train in Faridpur Hasan Ali, ASI of GRP Police Phari confirmed the incident.  

A freedom fighter was tied to a tree and tortured allegedly by his neighbors over a land dispute in Hathazari upazila of Chattogram. The attackers ransacked freedom fighter Ahmed Hossain’s house and later built a boundary wall on his land. Police have arrested Ahmed’s neighour Nahida Sultana in this connection. Her husband Lokman, and other main accused went into hiding. After a video on his torture caused a stir in social media, police and the UNO of Hathazari upazila went to the victim’s house. Also read: Son masterminded freedom fighter's killing in N'ganj for money: PBI Shahidul Islam, the UNO of Hathajari upazila, said, “Upon receiving information, I, along with police officers and other freedom fighters, went to the spot. The boundary wall was demolished at my command.” Also Read: Freedom fighter in Lalmonirhat murdered Ruhul Amin Sabuj, officer-in-charge of Hathajari Model police station, said a case was filed. “We detained the main accused’s wife. Steps are being taken to detain Lokman and his cohorts,” he said.    

Three workers sustained burn injuries as a gas cylinder exploded in a restaurant at Khulshi in Chattogram city on Monday morning. The injured were identifies as Md Kashem, 17, Nur Hossain, 20, and Mubinul Haque, 22. All are worker of Fusion Café located near Khulshi Holy Crescent Hospital. Read more: Death toll from Gulshan fire rises to two Santosh Kumar Chakma, Offcier-in-Charge of Khulshi Police Station, said the injured were taken to Chittagong  Medical College Hosptial. A fire service team reached the spot to investigate the cause of explosion, he added. However, Fusion Cafe manager Md. Gulzar did not respond to phone calls despite several attempts.

A youth was killed in a collision between a CNG-run autorickshaw  and a truck in Rangunia area of Chattogram-Kaptai road on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Junaed Rifat Hossain, 25, son of Md. Putul of Lalnagar union of Rangunia. He was an officer of One Bank’s Chandraghona branch. According to the family of the deceased, when Rifat and some of his friends were going to Kaptai on the autoricksaw a speedy truck hit it at Chandraghona eco park area, leaving Rifar seriously injured. Severely injured was taken to the city’s Park View Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Mahbub Milki, officer-in-charge of the Rangunia police station, said the truck driver fled the scene of the accident, and they are trying to identify the truck.    

A fire broke out at a vegetable market in Pahartoli area of Chattogram on Saturday night. The blaze erupted in the market around 12:15 am. Read more: Chile wildfires spread amid heat wave as death toll rises Abdul Hamid, Chattogram Divisional Deputy Assistant Director of Fire Service, said five units of the fire department rushed there after the fire broke out and doused the fire at around 1:45 am.Primary cause of the fire has not been identified yet, the official added.  

Police arrested a man on Sunday night for the abduction and rape of a minor girl at Lohagara upazila in Chattogram. The arrestee was identified as Jobair, 26, son of Kaykobad Chowdhury from Adhunagar Chowdhury Para area in the upazila. Police arrested Jobair from Khan Hat railway station after the rape survivor’s family filed a case with police, Md Atiqur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Lohagara police station. Read more: Man detained in horrific rape-and-burn case of mute woman According to the case complaint, accused Jobair used to tease the girl often on her way to the madrasah and on November 29, he and his two or three associates abducted her. Jobair allegedly raped the girl several times in a cottage and left the girl at Adhunagar bus stand area on December 2. The arrestee has been produced before court today and the girl is being given treatment at one stop emergency service center at Chattogram Medical College and Hospital.

Lighter vessel workers in Chattogram launched an indefinite strike from 6 am Friday refraining from transferring goods from moored ships to press home their five-point demands. Transportation of goods from Chittagong port to other parts of the country remained suspended too due to the strike. On Thursday the lighter vessel workers announced the work stoppage during a rally under the banner of ‘vessel workers of all levels,’ at the city's Banglabazar area. Removal of Chattogram Port chairman, removal of Officer-in-Charge of Patenga police station, cancelling lease of Charpara terminal used for movement of lighter vessel workers, creating a safe harbour for lighter vessels by excavating the Sangu River estuary, are among their five-point demands. Read more: With transport strike in mind, BNP activists reach Faridpur days before rally On November 3, men of some leaseholders of Charpara terminal had beaten up some nine workers and the police didn’t take any action against it, said Jashim Uddin, acting general secretary of Lighter Vessel Workers Union. Protesting the incident, workers moved all the lighter vessels to Parkir Char and started using the Chinese Ghat to get on and off the vessels but the authorities evicted that terminal too, he said. Until the demands are fulfilled freight operation from Chattogram through rivers will remain suspended, he said. Read more: Goods transport owners-workers go on 48-hour strike in Sylhet

A fire broke out on the premises of the Eastern Refinery at Patenga in Chattogram on Saturday, but the main refinery was not impacted, officials said. Abdul Hamid, deputy assistant director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence in Chattogram, told UNB that no major damage was reported, and the fire came under control before it could spread at the country’s lone state-owned refinery. He said several units of the fire department responded quickly after the fire broke out near the metering area of the refinery around 10:30 am. Read Fire breaks out at Old Dhaka plastic factory He said several units of the fire department responded quickly after the fire broke out near the metering area of the refinery around 10:30 am. He said the blaze came under control. The cause of the fire could not be determined immediately, he said. In Dhaka, an official at the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) told UNB that the main refinery was safe from the fire, and personnel from the Bangladesh Navy and the Air Force joined the firefighters to douse the fire. The refinery is a subsidiary of the BPC.   “The drainage system has been impacted, not the main refinery,” the BPC official said on condition of anonymity. Read Depot Fire: UN for joint efforts in addressing “safety deficits” in safety deficits in workplaces

Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) has withdrawn three police constables in Lalkhan Bazar area of ​​Chattogram city, after a video of two children being abused by the cops went viral on social media. The withdrawn police constables are Md Mehedi, Md Mazhar, and Md Ahsan. They were attached to CMP's Mansurabad Police Lines, said Md Shahadat Hussain, additional deputy commissioner (Media) of CMP. "A probe committee was formed and action will be taken after investigation," the police official added. The incident took place on Friday noon and the video went viral on Sunday. Read: Death in custody: Family fail to receive Sumon’s body as police attach condition In the video, it was seen that two 13-year- old boys were tied to a pole and physically abused and at one point one of the boys had his head shaved by the policemen. The victims use to live with their parents in Motijharna area of Lalkhan Bazar. Among them, one is a student of class seven. Locals said, thefts occur occasionally in Lalkhan Bazar Magistrate Colony, Motijharna and its surrounding areas. On Friday, police were patrolling the area and they came to know that three children including the two victims were chitchatting near Lalkhan Bazar Government Primary School. Later, the three constables chased the children and detained two of them and took them nearby Jilapi Pahar. They were tied to an iron pole and one's head was shaved off. When contacted, Santosh Kumar Chakma, officer-in-charge (OC) of Khulshi Police Station said he was on vacation that day so he is not aware of the incident.