Madaripur
Mother arrested over 2 kids burnt to death in Madaripur
The mother of two children, who were burnt to death in a closed house in Sadar upazila of the district on Monday morning, was arrested in this connection from the capital’s Kakrail area on Tuesday.
She was identified as Purnima.
Monwar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said an intelligence team led by Sub Inspector Tanmoy Mondal arrested her from the capital and brought back to the police station.
The children—Mithu and Manob--were burnt to death at the closed house at Jhikarhati village of the upazila. They were aged between one and two.
Read more: Arrest warrants issued against BNP's Rizvi, Ishraque
Mother Purnima and their grandmother went out of the house putting the door of the house under lock and key in the morning.
Someone noticed smoke billowing from the house and when neighbours broke open the door, they found the children’s charred bodies inside.
Though the reason behind the fire could not be known immediately, Purnima and her mother fled the area soon after the incident.
Read more: Jubo Dal president, VP arrested while returning from Rajshahi rally
Later, the victims’ aunt Ratna Rani filed a case in this connection.
Madaripur toddler drowns in pond
A three-year-old drowned after falling into a pond in Madaripur's Kalkini upazila Sunday, police said.
The deceased was identified as Habiba, daughter of expatriate Iqbal Hossain of Purbo Shikarmangal village.
Read: Two children drown in Ctg pond
As the family members were not around, she went near the pond, fell into it, and drowned, Md Shamim Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kalkini Police Station.
"Habiba's family members started looking for her as she was not seen anywhere. At one stage, her body was found floating on the pond near her house," Shamim said.
Gas cylinder blast kills two in Madaripur
Two people including a child have been killed as a gas cylinder used to inflate balloons exploded at Shangkardi village in Rajoir upazila of Madaripur district.
The deceased were Md Affan, 10, son of Dulal Mollah from Shankardi village and Md Jahidul, a balloon vendor.
Officer In-charge (OC) of Rajoir police station Alamgir Hossain said the incident occurred when Jahidul was inflating a balloon using the gas cylinder at Shangkardi Government Primary School during UP election on Wednesday.
Also read: Ukhiya camp gas cylinder blast: 2 Rohingyas die at CMCH
The blast left Jahidul dead on the spot and five others critically injured, Alamgir added.
The injured were taken to Rajoir upazila health complex from where they were shifted to Faridpur Medical College Hospital later.
Doctors at the hospital again sent the five injured to Square Hospital in Dhaka for better treatment where Affan breathed his last Thursday morning, Alamgir added.
Also read: N'ganj gas cylinder blast: Death toll rises to 3
All 64 districts to celebrate Padma Bridge's inauguration
The inauguration of the Padma Bridge will be celebrated in 64 districts of the country simultaneously on June 25.
There will be common programmes, including a laser show in Dhaka's Hatirjheel, all around to mark the memorable occasion.
Special programmes will be arranged in four districts – Munshiganj, Madaripur, Shariatpur, and Dhaka – for five days.
In a video conference Friday, the Cabinet Division asked all the deputy commissioners to make necessary arrangements for the said programmes.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader and Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam were present at the meeting.
Also read: PM: Padma Bridge brightens Bangladesh’s image as a bold nation
Withdraw Kalkini UNO, OC for failure to maintain polls environment: EC
The Election Commission (EC) on Sunday directed the authorities concerned to withdraw Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Officer in-Charge (OC) of Kalkini Upazila in Madaripur for their failure to maintain a proper election atmosphere.
The Commission also asked to fill the posts of two new officers in their places.
The directive came in line with the clause-327 (4) of the Election Officers (Special Provision) Act, 1991 and the section-3 of the Local Government (Union Parishad) Election Rules, 2010, said a EC press release.
The EC earlier postponed the election to Purba Enayetnagar Union Parishad in Kalkini after some miscreants barred a chairman aspirant from submitting the nomination paper and assaulted the election’s returning officer physically on May 17 last.
The EC has given the directives over the withdrawal of the two officers following the reports of the Madaripur deputy commissioner, superintendent of police and the returning officer.
Besides, the commission has decided to ask chairman aspirant Mahbub Alam in Purba Enayetnagar Union election to show cause as to why the legal action would not be taken against him for offenses like obstructing in the submission of nomination paper and creating chaos during the submission of nomination papers.
Now the Commission will arrange the polls in the Union Parishad on June 15 next.
As per the reschedule, the deadline for nomination submission is May 23, while the date for scrutinizing nomination papers is May 24 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is May 29.
Also read: Poll panel still lacks capacity to use EVMs in all 300 seats, says CEC
Rains likely to lash Bangladesh
Brace for some reprieve from the summer heat, as the weather department has predicted showers across Bangladesh in the next 24 hours.
"Rain or thundershowers with intense lightning flashes and temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at many places over Rajshahi, Rangpur, Mymensingh, and Sylhet divisions; at a few places over Dhaka and Chattogram divisions and at one or two places over Khulna and Barishal divisions with moderately heavy to heavy falls at places over the country," the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said Thursday.
A mild heat wave is sweeping over Rajshahi, Madaripur, Chandpur and Bagerhat and it may continue, it added.
The highest temperature Thursday was recorded at 36.8 degrees Celsius in Madaripur, while the minimum temperature was 21 degrees in Sylhet, the BMD said.
Aslo read: Incessant rains in Kurigram force Boro farmers to go for early harvesting
Air quality worst in Gazipur, best in Madaripur: Study
Bangladesh’s most polluted air is in Gazipur, but Madaripur district is blessed with the country’s best air quality, according to a countrywide study.
The study says the air pollutant concentration, PM2.5 (particulate matter 2.5), is 263.51 microgram (which is considered as very unhealthy) in Gazipur, while it is 49.08 (healthy) in Madaripur.
Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS) of Stamford University Bangladesh published the findings of the study titled “Countrywide Air Quality Study in 64 districts,” at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club on Thursday.
Also read: Dhaka’s air still ‘very unhealthy’
Vice-Chancellor of the university Prof Mohammad Ali Naqi presided over the function and CAPS Founder and Chairman Prof Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder presented the findings of the study.
Madaripur road accident kills 5 as buses ram car from behind
At least five people were killed and four injured in Madaripur's Shibchar Saturday night as two buses rammed into the back of a car.
The deceased were identified as Khalil Matubbar, Mostafa Shikdar, Rokeya Begum, Litu and Mofazzel Hossain, Shibchar Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shakhawat Hossain said.
Read: 3 killed in Manikganj road crash
The injured are now undergoing treatment at Faridpur Medical College Hospital, he added.
The accident occurred at 8:30pm on Dhaka-Bhanga highway at Bachamara as a private car was heading towards Faridpur's Bhanga, the OC said. Suddenly a bus running at speed rammed into it from behind. The impact was enough to kill two of the people in the car on the spot.
Later with locals having gathered at the spot to help the victims, another bus came crashing through the crowd. This reckless assault killed three more people.
5 to die for murder in Madaripur
A Madaripur court on Monday sentenced five people to death for killing a woman after abduction in 2002.
Madaripur Additional District and Sessions Judge Lailatul Ferdous handed down the judgment.
The condemned convicts are Ashok Boidya, Tarani Boidya, Gouranga Boidya—sons of Chaitanna Boidya -- Kalu Biswas, son of Podo Biswas, Bijoy Bepari and Naren Boiragi of Rajoir upazila.
Of them, Bijoy tried in absentia while Gouranga died during trial proceedings.
Also read: Noakhali double murder: HC upholds death penalty of 3, acquits 8
The court also fined them Tk 50,000 each.
According to the prosecution, Bishnupodo Boidya, son of Gurupodo and Ashok Boidya, Tarani Boidya, Gouranga Boidya of Ambagan village in the upazila had been at loggerheads over the ownership of a piece of land.
On October 14, 2002, the convicts abducted Radha Rani, wife of Gurupodo on his way back home from a temple.
After 10 days, police recovered the body of Radha Rani from a water-body of the village.
Also read: One gets death penalty, 3 life term for murder in Narail
Later, a case was filed in this connection. Police submitted a chargesheet against six people, including Ashok Boidya, Tarani Boidya, Gouranga Boidya, Kalu Biswas, Bijoy Bepari and Naren Boiragi.
Pre UP-poll clash: 10 including police member hurt in Madaripur
At least 10 people were injured on Sunday including a police personnel during a clash between supporters of two chairman candidates in the upcoming Ghatmajhi Union Parishad election in Madaripur.
The incident occurred around evening when supporters of candidate advocate Babul Akter and Khalil Darji locked in an hour-long clash in dispute over electioneering.
Also read: Clash at BNP rally in Chattogram, stage collapses
The injured were admitted at Madaripur Sadar Hospital, said Kamrul Islam Mia, Officer-in-Charge of Madaripur sadar police station.
A police constable named Avijit was injured as police on information went to take control of the situation, said the OC.
The election in the Ghatmajhi Union parishad is set to be held on January 31.
Also read: Pre-polls violence: 1 killed, 10 injured in Pabna clash