Brahmanbaria
Gas supply suspended in B’Baria as pipeline gets damaged
Gas supply across Brahmanbaria district was suspended from Sunday noon after a pipeline was damaged during construction work.
The officials said the pipeline with 60 PSI capacity was damaged and gas started gushing out when an excavator machine hit it during the construction work of Ashuganj-Akhaura four lane highway.
Read: Consumers to experience low pressure in gas supply in Dhaka, Mymensingh
Immediately after the incident gas supply was shut across the district said, a Deputy General Manager of Bakhrabad Gas Distribution Company Limited.
Gas supply to some 24, 000 residential and commercial customers thus remained suspended, he said.
2 dead, 4 injured in Brahmanbaria road crash
Two persons were killed and four others injured when a CNG-run auto-rickshaw veered off the road and plunged into a ditch after a collision with a truck on the Cumilla-Sylhet highway in Brahmanbaria early on Thursday.
The deceased were identified as auto-rickshaw driver Kawsar Alam, 35, a resident of Cumilla, and his passenger Khul Islam, of Kishoreganj. All the victims were occupants of the auto-rickshaw.
Read: 2 killed, 5 injured in Natore road accident
Eye-witnesses said the auto-rickshaw with five passengers plunged into the roadside ditch following a collision with the truck on the high-speed corridor in Kasba upazila, leaving its two occupants dead on the spot and four others injured.
The injured have been admitted to Brahmanbaria Sadar Hospital, police said.
Md Shahjalal Alam, officer-in-charge of the Khantihata Highway Police, said the bodies was sent to the Sadar Hospital morgue for post-mortem.
Section 144 imposed in B’baria
The district administration in Brahmanbaria has imposed Section 144 on Saturday to prevent any untoward incident after BNP and Juba League planned rallies at the same venue. It was announced through a notification signed by Deputy Commissioner Hayat Ud Daula Khan on Friday evening.
Read:Arrest made over B’baria chairman candidate’s killing The restriction will be effective in the Sadar upazila and the area adjacent to and around the Fulbaria Convention Centre and Balurmath in Brahmanbaria from 6am to 11.59pm on Saturday. According to the statement, the BNP has called a rally in Fulbaria on Saturday demanding the release of its chairperson Khaleda Zia and her treatment abroad. Chhatra League also called a rally on the occasion of the founding anniversary at the same venue. Apprehending trouble, the local administration on Friday evening imposed the emergency section, that outlaws assembly.
Independent candidate wins UP chairman election from behind bars in Brahmanbaria
An independent candidate in Brahmanbaria has become the talk of the town by winning the election for a union parishad (UP) chairman from behind bars.
According to the election results, Monirul Islam got 3,961 votes while his nearest rival Abdus Salam bagged 2,472 votes in Talshahor Purbo UP polls.
READ: UP election: Defeated member candidate dies under attack by winners in Gaibandha union
Monirul is an accused in 14 cases linked to March last year's Hefazat-e-Islam violence in Brahmanbaria. He has already secured bail in 13 of these cases.
Md Hossain Mia, who was in-charge of Monirul's election campaign, said that Monirul has been kept in jail on false charges. "In his absence, his relatives and well-wishers have continued the campaign for him," he said.
READ: UP elections Phase IV: AL leader, his daughter held over snatching ballots in Thakurgaon
Brahmanbaria AL leader murder: 13 to die, 8 get life term
A Dhaka court on Sunday sentenced 13 people to death in a case over the murder of a local Awami League leader in 2016.
The court also sentenced eight other accused to life imprisonment.
Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 Judge Abu Jafar Kamruzzaman pronounced the judgment.
Read:9 to die, 22 get life term for killing BCL leader in Rajshahi
The condemned convicts are Basu Miah, Kabir Miah, Mokhles, Sachhu Miah, Jahangir Miah,Shahibur Rahman Shukki, Liakat Ali, Yunus Miah, Rahmat Ullah alias Fariaj Miah, Shithil Ahmed alias Fahim Ahmed, Saiful, Pavel and Ali Miah.
Among them, Fariaj, Shithil, Saiful, Pavel and Ali Miah were tried in absentia.
The lifers are Nurul Islam, Habibur Rahman, Russel, Maju Miah, Golap Miah, Sohel Miah, Shajahan and Borhan alias Ruhan. They were fined Tk 50,000 each, in default, to suffer one year more rigorous imprisonment.
According to the case statement, on Nov 14, 2016, Zohirul Haque , a businessman and Natai Dakkhin Ward-5 Awami League (AL) general secretary, was returning home in Poyag from Paurtala bus stand in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw.
Read:Madrasa teacher gets life term for raping student in Barguna
The convicts including Basu Mia, Habibur Rahman, Shahibur Rahman alias Shukki, Kabir Mia, Sachchu Mia, Mokhlech Mia, Ruhan alias Borhan, Shithil Ahmed alias Fahim Ahmed, Rahmat Ullah Fariyaz attacked Zohirul Haque on the way and stabbed him mercilessly
Locals caught two of them- Shithil and Fariyaz- and handed over to police.
Zahirul Haque died in the evening while undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Kabir Hossain, younger brother of the deceased, filed a murder case at Brahmanbaria Sadar Police Station in this regard.
The investigation officer of the case submitted a chargesheet against 21 accused.
3 die in auto-truck collision in Brahmanbaria
Three persons travelling in an autorickshaw were killed and two others injured in a head-on collision with a truck in Sarail upazila of Brahmanbaria early on Friday morning.
The deceased were identified as Jahangir Mia, 35, Mahfuz Mia, 32, and Amzad, 30, all brick kiln workers and residents of Shahbajpur village. The auto driver was among the injured.
The accident occurred around 6am on the highway near the Boishamura area when four brick kiln workers were on their way to their plant in the auto, said Md Shahjalala Alam, officer-in-charge of Shahbajpur bus stand highway police station.
Also read: 2 killed in Natore road accidents
The impact of the head-on collision between the auto and the truck coming from the opposite direction was such that three of the occupants died on the spot, the OC said.
A probe has been ordered into the accident, he added.
Also read: 8-yr-old girl killed in Dinajpur road accident
Law will move on its own pace, Anisul says on Khaleda's treatment abroad
Law Minister Anisul Huq on Friday said that law will move at its own pace and humanity cannot be earned through movements.
The minister made the remark on BNP's demand to send its chairperson Khaleda Zia abroad for treatment at a charity program held by Akhaura municipality Awami League.
He said, “The prime minister in March last year asked me to look into the matter. Due to her interest Khaleda Zia is now living at her residence after her punishment was suspended.”
Read:Govt looking into legal options to let Khaleda go abroad: Law Minister
He said there is no restriction for her to take treatment in the hospital in Dhaka.
“We are also looking into the demand of BNP to send her abroad”, he said.
But there is no scope to give two different decisions for the appeal, he said.
The minister also recalled Khaleda’s behavior towards the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in different times.
He said, “When Khaleda's son died, the prime minister went to her house to offer condolences but the gate was closed over her face."
Read: Khaleda free, not in govt custody: Law Minister
Meanwhile, in another programme of Upazila Awami League at Kasba , the minister said, “BNP does not have the power to do politics with the people but it has the power to sabotage.”
He told members of AL at Kasba that Awami League should be strong organisationally. “You have to be ready from now on to prevent BNP's sabotage.”
Woman dies, 2 hurt as tree branch falls on them in Brahmanbaria
A 65-year old woman died and two other people suffered injuries as a branch of a roadside tree fell on them in Nabinagar upazila of Brahmanbaria district on Monday.
The deceased was identified as Rahima Begum, a resident of Bholachang village in Nabinagar municipality area.
A branch of a dead tree of Roads and Highways Department fell on the three people around 11 am on Companyganj road, leaving them injured, said witnesses.
Read: 4 Banglalink officials get bail in case filed by James
The critically injured woman was rushed to Nabinagar Sadar Hospital where doctors announced her dead.
Nabinagar municipality mayor Shib Sankar Das said there are many risky dead trees like that beside Companyganj road which were not felled due to negligence of the Roads and Highway Department.
“The accident could have been avoided if steps were taken to fell those trees in time,” he said.
Shib Sankar Das said immediate steps will be taken to remove all the dead trees in the area.
Authorities to red flag houses of 7 South Africa returnees in Brahmanbaria
Amid a global alarm over the new Omicron variant of Covid, authorities in Brahmanbaria have decided to hang red flags outside the houses of seven South Africa returnees.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Corona Prevention Committee on Monday evening, chaired by district commissioner Hayat-Ud-Doula-Khan.
Also read: Omicron: DGHS recommends enforcement of 15 instructions
The committee also issued directions to the Akhaura land port authorities for ensuring strict screening of people entering the country.
The committee also decided to initiate immediate steps to vaccinate the two lakh people waiting for the Covid shots.
Recently, three residents of Kasba upazila, two of Sadar upazila, and one each from Bancharampur and Nabinagar upazilas in Brahmanbaria district returned from South Africa, where the new variant is said to have originated.
Nearly two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, the world raced Friday to contain the new coronavirus variant potentially more dangerous than the one that has fuelled relentless waves of infection on nearly every continent.
Also read: NTAC recommends travel ban to contain new variant Omicron
A World Health Organization panel named the variant 'Omicron' and classified it as a highly transmissible virus of concern, the same category that includes the predominant Delta variant, which is still a scourge driving higher cases of sickness and death in Europe and parts of the US.
Pre-polls violence: 1 hacked to death in Brahmanbaria
A person was hacked to death ahead of the Ratanpur union parishad election in Brahmanbaria’s Nabinagar upazila.
The deceased was identified as Masud Mia, a resident of Khagatua village and a supporter of independent chairman candidate VP Maruf.
It was learned that Masud was hacked by opponents including advocate Rob Mia, Shafiq Mia, Alam Mia, Fazu and Liton Mia on Thursday morning when he stopped at a tea shall with his niece on their way to the hospital.
Sharmin Akhter, the niece of the deceased, said that they were going to see a doctor in Brahmanbaria early in the morning. When they stopped by a tea stall at Khagatua Bazar, some people came with sharp weapons, led by boat symbol supporters Rob Mia, Shafiq Mia, Alam Mia, Fazu and Liton Mia.
Read: 2 hacked dead, 10 hurt in Meherpur pre-polls violence
“My uncle was hacked twice by his opponents, once at the spot and then in a CNG autorickshaw,” she said.
Masud was rushed to Nabinagar Sadar Hospital in critical condition. As his condition deteriorated, he was being taken to Dhaka and died on the way.
Independent chairman candidate VP Maruf claimed that Masud had been brutally killed as part of the planned attack on his supporters.
Meanwhile, boat symbol candidate Syed Zahid Hossain Shakil said the issue must get a fair trial. "None of my activists and supporters were involved in the incident. It occurred due to their previous dispute," he said.
Read: Jashore pre-polls violence: Injured man dies at DMCH
Nabinagar police officer-in-charge Aminur Rashid claimed it to be an isolated incident.
Police have been deployed at the spot. Legal action will be taken on the basis of the complaint, he said
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ekramul Siddique said legal action would be taken on the basis of an investigation.