At least 20 people of the ruling Awami League (AL) were injured in a clash between two groups of ruling Awami League during celebration of the 103rd birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and National Children’s Day here on Friday. The injured were admitted to local hospitals. But their identities could not be known immediately. Of them, Bauphal upazila unit AL General Secretary and Upazila Parishad Chairman Abdul Motaleb Hawlader was hospitalised at Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital with serious injury, hospital doctors said. On the occasion of the Bangabandhu’s birthday, local,AL lawmaker ASM Feroz, Motaleb and district unit AL Joint General Secretary and Bauphal municipal Mayor Ziaul Hoque Jewel announced separate programmes.  Also Read: Bangladesh remembers Bangabandhu on his 103rd birth anniversary Of them, Feroz and Motaleb called the programme at the same place and time. A tense situation had been prevailing in the area over the matter for the last few days.   Auribindu, an upazila unit Juba League leader, told UNB that Motaleb and his followers brought out a celebratory procession around 11:00am. Police obstructed the procession in front of upazila parishad gate when it was marching towards the party office, he said. Also Read: AL destroys electoral system by “so-called” SCBA polls, says BNP demanding fresh vote Suddenly, several hundred supporters of Faisal Ahmed Monir, nephew of the lawmaker and upazila unit AL President Feroz, attacked Motaleb and his men with sharp weapons when an altercation broke out between police and him, Auribindu said. Law enforcers fired at least 7-8 rounds of rubber bullets to bring the situation under control, causing a panic among locals. As of filing this report around 3:00pm, a tense situation has been prevailing in the area. Al Mamun, officer-in-charge of Bauphal police station, said an additional number of police personnel have been deployed to ward off any unexpected incident further. He said they were forced to fire the rubber bullets to disperse the infighting groups. Md Al Amin, Bauphal upazila nirbahi officer, said both groups promised to hold their events in a peaceful manner but no one kept their words despite his request.      

A construction worker was electrocuted to death and four others suffered injuries at Patuakhali Science and Technology University on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Shafikur Rahman, 38. The incident occurred around 10 pm when they went to the rooftop of the Climate Smart Agriculture building of the university. Also Read: Lineman electrocuted as power turned on ahead of schedule Locals said the metal rods they were moving accidentally touched the main electric line. Shafikur died after being taken to the hospital; four other workers were transferred to the burn unit of Sher-e Bangla Medical College and Hospital.    

A man has been arrested over attempted rape of a 10-year-old in Patuakhali. The accused, Md. Delowar Talukdar, 55, is the ward member and organizing secretary of Awami League’s local unit of Ward 8 under Dabluganj union in Kalapara upazila. The mother of the child filed a case against the accused at Mohipur police station. According to police and the child’s family, Delowar, along with 10-15 people, went to Barkutia village on Saturday for Union Parishad election campaign. The child’s mother was working in a nearby field when the incident occurred. Also Read: Wife slaughtered by husband in Joypurhat “He came to our home and, upon realizing my child was alone, molested her,” said the mother. Abul Khair, officer-in-charge of Mohipur police station, said police arrested the accused and sent him to Kolagara court.  

The death toll from the massive explosion that ripped through a 5-storey building in Gulistan's Siddique Bazar area has risen to 23, with one more victim succumbing to his injuries today. The deceased was identified as Mirza Azam, 36, son of Shahjahan Mirza from Baufal upazila of Patuakhali district. Azam had been undergoing treatment at the ICU of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. Azam breathed his last at around 9:30 am today (March 11, 2023), said SM Ayub Hossain, resident surgeon of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. Read more: Gulistan blast: Death toll rises to 22 He was admitted to the hospital with 80% burn injuries. Azam worked at a sanitary shop in the five-storey building where the deadly blast occurred. On March 7, at least 17 people were killed and over 100 were injured in a massive explosion in the 5-storey building near a BRTC bus counter in the capital’s Gulistan area. A sanitary materials shop on the ground floor of the building, BRAC Bank office on one of the floors and an adjacent 7-storey building were damaged but no buildings collapsed. Read More: Cousins who went out for tea in Gulistan’s Siddique Bazar never returned Three people, including the owner of the building at Siddique Bazar, were shown arrested in a case over the blast on Thursday. A Dhaka court on Thursday put the three arrested people on a three-day remand.

A 42-year-old man was beaten to death on “theft suspicion” by a mob at Panpotti, under Galachipa upazila of Patuakhali district on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Liton Khandaker, son of Rafique Khandaker of Dularhat upazila of the district. Shonit Kumar Gayen, officer-in-charge of Galachipa Police Station, said Liton along with his associates broke into the house of one Nazrul Gazi around 1:30 am on Tuesday. Quoting the family whose house was broken into, the OC said that Yusuf, Nazrul’s son, saw the “thieves” and tried to resist them. Also read: Lalmonirhat lynching: 38 surrender, sent to judicial custody Being resisted, Liton stabbed Yusuf with a sharp weapon, the police official said. Hearing cries for help, neighbours rushed in and managed to catch Liton while his associates fled the scene. The mob beat up Liton, leaving him critically injured. On information, police rescued Liton and took him to Galachipa Upazila Health Complex where he succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday afternoon. Liton was an accused in several cases over theft, said OC.

Two minor girls drowned in a pond in Galachipa upazila of the district on Thursday. The deceased were Maryam, 7, daughter of Nizam Mridha, and Rafia, 4, daughter of Masud Mridha of Sutabaria village under Chiknikandi union of the upazila. Locals said the children came out of their homes to play around 11am and were not found after some time. Later, the bodies floating in the pond were recovered around 3pm and rushed to the upazila health complex where doctors declared them dead. Read more: Two children drown in Ctg pond Shonit Kumar Gayen, officer-in-charge of Galachipa police station, said that on information a team was sent to the spot while the bodies were handed over to their families later. He suspected that the children fell into the pond while playing on the bank of it. 

Power supply in Patuakhali district has been snapped since this noon as many electric poles were uprooted during a storm due to the impact of cyclonic storm Sitrang. Mohammad Mainuddin Razzaque, executive engineer of West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited, said a bout of moderate to heavy rains lashed the district in the morning, uprooting many electric poles. Besides, electric wires in several areas have been snapped, disrupting power supply. According to the local weather observatory centre, the Met Office has recorded 89.5 mm of rainfall in 24 hours, till 9 am today. Also read: Cyclone Sitrang: Loading, unloading suspended at Chittagong Port; Alert-3 issued Payra port has been asked to hoist local cautionary signal no 7. The local administration has taken all preparations to tackle the storm and 703 cyclone centers were opened. All educational institutions and high rise buildings have been kept ready to shelter people. The local administration has allocated 300 metric tons of rice and Tk 2.27 lakh cash. Local health department has formed 72 medical teams to provide medical services to the people. The movement of all kinds of water vessels during Cyclone Sitrang remain suspended in the district.  

Over 250  fishermen of Patuakhali remained missing as 16 fishing trawlers capsized in the Bay of Bengal amid inclement weather on Friday, said Naval police on Sunday. About 150 fishermen of 18 trawlers that sank in the Bay near Kuakata in Patuakhali have been rescued so far, said Akhtar Morshed, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kuakata Naval police outpost. Locals along with a rescue trawler of fish wholesalers’ association reached the fish landing center with the rescued fishermen from Saturday evening to 11 pm on Sunday, the OC added. Kuakata-Alipur Fish Depot Owners Association President Ansar Uddin Mollah said 13 fishermen were rescued from the Bay while 11 fishermen were rescued by the fishermen of Rayadighi of India. They are currently in the South Sundarban Fishermen and Fish Workers Union of India’s custody. Read:34 fishermen go missing as 11 trawlers sink in Bay And the remaining fishermen were rescued by the trawlers of the owner's association and local fishermen. However, at least 126 fishermen of seven trawlers of Alipur are still missing, he added. Raju Ahmed Raja, general secretary of Mohipur Fish Depot Owners Association, said least 130 fishermen of nine trawlers of Mohipur are still missing. Besides, a fisherman Rafiq, 32, fell into the sea from a trawler on the way back to the shore from the deep sea and went missing. The owners of the capsized and missing trawlers are from Charfashion, Mahipur, Kalapara and Rangabali upazilas of Bhola, he added. “Operation is on to rescue the missing fishermen and trawlers,” said the OC.

Galachipa upazila administration in a drive demolished 20 illegal establishments, including a house of ex-Awami League MP Golam Maula Rony, from khas land at Ulaniya bazar in the upazila Tuesday. The drive led by Abdul Kaium, senior assistant secretary and executive magistrate of the district administration, was carried out to eradicate the infrastructures developed illegally on khas land. No individual or private entity enjoys property rights on khas land. Magistrate Abdul Kaium said that they removed some 20 establishments built illegally on the khas land. Read: Patuakhali man held for placing Quran inside temple The eviction drive will continue until all the illegal establishments are removed from there, he added.        Ashis Kumar, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Golachipa, and Shawkat Anwar, officer-in-charge of Golachipa police station, were present during the drive.

Authorities have imposed prohibitory orders in Patuakhali’s Baufal upazila in the wake of the two rival factions of the ruling Awami League's (AL) local unit calling press conferences in the party office at the same time on Friday. The order under Section 144 of CrPC, which prohibits the gathering of four or more people, will be in effect from 8am to 10pm on Friday as per the instructions of upazila nirbahi officer and executive magistrate Md Al Amin, police said. Also read: One killed, 10 injured in Faridpur clash The press conferences were called by the chairman and general secretary of the upazila AL, Abdul Motaleb Hawlader, and his rival in the party, Patuakhali-2 Baufal MP ASM Feroze, respectively. Due to the long-standing rivalry between the two AL factions, the upazila has witnessed several violent incidents over the years. Extra police personnel have been deployed near the upazila Janata Bhaban party office and other areas of the upazila to avoid any untoward situation, police said. Also read: About 100 people booked over death of 4 in Kushtia clash Party sources told UNB that the two AL leaders may meet the press at different venues due to the imposition of Section 144 of CrPC.