United News of Bangladesh

Hilsa, the pride of Bangladesh’s rivers and the heart of its culinary culture, has once again slipped beyond the reach of ordinary consumers as prices surged dramatically at the century-old Mir Kadim wholesale fish market in Munshiganj. Within just 48 hours, hilsa prices have jumped by up to Tk 700 per kilogram, leaving both buyers and traders frustrated — each side pointing fingers over the sudden spike. During a visit to the bustling Mir Kadim market on Friday, the scene was as lively as ever. Buyers and sellers packed into narrow lanes, where freshly caught silver hilsa shimmered under bright lights. Yet, for many who travelled long distances hoping to savour the seasonal delicacy, the excitement quickly turned to disappointment. A one-kilogram hilsa is now priced at Tk 2,600–2,700, while the larger 1.5-kg fish are selling for Tk 3,200 per kg — a price bracket that has become a luxury for most households. Even the smallest hilsa, weighing just 150–200 grams, now cost Tk 650–700 per kg. Hilsa returns to Khulna markets after 22-day ban Consumers allege that syndicates are manipulating prices, while traders argue that the root of the crisis runs deeper. Sand Extraction and Illegal Nets Blamed Al Helal Royel, president of the Mir Kadim Fish Traders’ Association, said rampant and unplanned sand extraction is destroying natural breeding grounds, while the widespread use of illegal current nets is depleting fish stocks at an alarming rate. “Fish stocks have fallen. Demand is high but supply is low — that’s why prices are increasing,” he explained. According to the district fisheries office, Munshiganj produced 31,348 metric tonnes of fish in the past year. However, fish availability typically dips during winter, amplifying the strain on supply and pushing prices upward. Delicious hilsa slips from table to luxury list Other Fish Prices Also on the Rise It isn’t just hilsa causing concern. Almost all fish varieties at Mir Kadim have seen significant price hikes. A survey of the market revealed the following rates: ·         River Pangas: Tk 800–1,000 per kg ·         Farmed Pangas: Tk 150–200 ·         Rui: Tk 350–450 ·         Katla (farmed): Tk 400–500 ·         Katla (river): Tk 600–700 ·         Local boal: Tk 800–1,000 ·         Farmed boal: Tk 500–550 ·         Golda shrimp: Tk 700–1,000 ·         Bagda shrimp: Tk 600–700 ·         Aiyr: Tk 1,000–1,200 ·         Farmed koi: Tk 200–220 ·         Local koi: Tk 800–1,000 ·         Local sing: Tk 800–1,000 ·         Farmed sing: Tk 300–400 ·         Chitol: Tk 500–600 ·         Koral: Tk 600–700 Read more: Hilsa floods Chandpur markets, prices drop Traders say the overall supply of both river and farmed fish is far from stable, contributing to the sharp rise in prices. A Market with a Century of Legacy Mir Kadim, one of the country’s oldest and busiest fish markets, operates through 43 wholesale sheds. Each morning, within just two to three hours, the market handles fish sales worth around Tk 1 crore. On weekends and holidays, the volume multiplies several times as buyers flock in from neighbouring districts. But for now, the soaring prices, particularly of hilsa, have dampened spirits. What was once a common delight is increasingly becoming an occasional indulgence for many Bangladeshi families. Read more: Hilsa Ilisha: The National Fish and Silver Pride of Bangladesh

A man was shot dead and two others, including one with bullets, were injured in a clash between two rival factions of local BNP in Mollakandi union of Munshiganj Sadar upazila early Monday (10th November 2025). The incident took place just eight days after another BNP activist was shot dead in a clash between the same groups in the area on November 2. The deceased was identified as Arif Mir, 35, a resident of Chardumuria village under Mollakandi union and a BNP activist. One of the injured, Imran, Arif’s paternal cousin, sustained bullet wounds and was shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital after receiving first aid at Munshiganj General Hospital. Read more: Five BNP men wounded in Raozan gun attack Locals said the clash erupted from a longstanding dispute between Arif, an associate of former union BNP vice-president Awlad Hossain, and Shah Kamal, a follower of district BNP convening committee member Atik Mallik and current union BNP president Ohid Mollah. On November 2, supporters of the Awlad group allegedly fired on members of the Kamal group, killing one of their activists, Tuhin. Following the killing, members of the Kamal group had fled the area but tried to return on Monday morning, triggering the latest clash around 6am. Hearing gunfire and screams, locals rushed to the spot, rescued the injured, and took them to Munshiganj General Hospital, where doctors declared Arif dead upon arrival. Gunfight between two BNP factions leaves youth dead in Munshiganj Dr Ruhul Amin, a physician at the hospital’s emergency department, confirmed that Arif was brought dead and said one of the injured had been referred to Dhaka for advanced treatment. The other injured is receiving treatment at the hospital. Officer-in-charge (OC) of Sadar Police Station M Saiful Alam said police rushed to the scene soon after the incident and additional forces were deployed to bring the situation under control. Locals said tension has been running high in the area since Tuhin’s killing on November 2. Read more: Some political parties’ actions may endanger people’s rights, warns Tarique

Vowing to continue resistance against ‘Fascism and Mujibism’, National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam on Friday urged all to remain vigilant as there is another fight ahead. “There is another battle ahead. I urge our supporters to stay alert. We need the support of the people of Munshiganj in this fight to build a new Bangladesh," he said.  Nahid made the call while addressing a street rally organised by the party at Super Market intersection in Munshiganj Sadar upazila. “The fight against fascism and Mujibism will go on. We must build resistance in every neighborhood,” he said. Referring to a recent attack in Gopalganj, he warned that even if similar attacks take place in ten more places, their movement will not be stopped. NCP warns of consequences for bringing back ‘old culture of terrorism’ Seeking support from people of Munshiganj, he also pledged action against river erosion and illegal sand extraction in the district. NCP leader Sarjis Alam said the country will not be truly free until fascism is eliminated.  Hasnat Abdullah, the party’s chief organiser  for the southern region, said all political forces must unite to resist both domestic and foreign conspiracies. “We need a policy-based state, not a leader-based one,” he said. Earlier, a procession from Shaheed Minar premises in Munshiganj town joined the rally at Super Market’s Shaheed Square.  A large number of NCP leaders, activists and residents attended the event, where speakers urged people to prepare for a mass movement. 

A Dhaka court on Thursday sentenced three people to death and five others to life term imprisonment for triple murder in Munshiganj in 2021. Judge of the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-3 Masud Karim handed down the punishment. The condemned convicts are—Rakibul Hasan Sourav alias Sourav Prodhan, Roni Bepari and Shihab Prodhan. 4 sentenced to death for 2021 murder of hawker in N’ganj The court fined them Tk one lakh each, in default, to suffer one year more rigorous imprisonment. The lifers were Shakib Prodhan, Shamim Prodhan, Anik Bepari, Raihan and Choto Jahangir. According to the prosecution, village arbitration was arranged in front of the house of Awlad Hossain Mintu at Uttar Islampur village over eve-teasing on March 24, 2021 where Awlad, Emon and Shakib were present. At one stage, a scuffle took place between the youths with another group of youths. Emon, Shakib and Awlad were stabbed and critically injured. Later, they were taken to Munshiganj General Hospital where the doctors declared Emon dead. Shakib died on way to Dhaka for better treatment while Awlad succumbed to his injuries on March 25, 2021. A case was filed against 12 people in this connection, Police submitted chargesheet against eight people.    

Police arrested a man for ‘violating’ two children from Muktarpur in Sadar upazila of Munshiganj district on Friday. The arrestee was identified as Sekendar Ali Chokdar of Muktarpur ara. Saiful Alam, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said Sekendar violated the two children after taking them to his home alluring them of providing food and balloons on March 2. As the news spread on Friday night, local people handed him over to police after calling the help of national emergency phone number 999. A case was filed in this connection.    

JMI Industrial Park has been fined Tk 10 lakh for not renewing its environmental clearance certificate in Gajaria upazila of Munshiganj along Dhaka-Chattogram highway, said authority. A mobile court led by Special Magistrate and Senior Judicial Magistrate Shahidul Islam conducted a drive and fined the park , in default of which its executive director, on behalf of the organization, will have to serve 20 days of jail. The park faced the fine under section 15 of the Environmental Protection Act-1995. DoE drives in 7 districts: Tk 17.18 lakh fined The drive continued till 8pm beginning Sunday afternoon with the help of the Department of Environment in the Bhatikandi area of the upazila. Mizanur Rahman, Deputy Director of Munshiganj Department of Environment, said that the park authority was also given a three-month deadline to comply with all environmental regulations. The fine was imposed on the executive director on behalf of the company.

A mother and her son were shot and injured alleged by their rivals over a previous enmity in Munshiganj Sadar on Saturday night. The injured are Jarina Begum, 35, and her 15-year-old son Jihad Mir, residents of Mollakandi Chardumuria under Sadar upazila. Police said there had been a dispute between the victims and a neighbour over the previous enmity (reason could not be known) while the victims had filed a case against them earlier. Recently, the accused was reportedly putting pressure on them to withdraw the case but the victims refused. The attackers stormed into the victims’ house around 9pm and opened fire at them, said police quoting locals. Hearing screams, locals rushed them to Munshiganj Sadar General Hospital where they were now undergoing treatment, said the hospital’s emergency department physician Dr Ataul Karim. Read: Trader shot dead in Ctg’s Raojan; several injured in attack Of them, Jihad sustained bullet injuries in a hand while a bullet pierced through the face of Jarian Begum, he said. Sadar police station’s Officer-in-Charge Md Saiful Alam said additional police personnel were deployed in the area as a tense was prevailing there. Efforts were underway to find out the reasons and nab the accused, he added.

The death toll from the Munshiganj speedboat accident has reached four. Six others were rescued following the collision between the speedboat and a trawler in the Meghna River in Gajaria upazila of Munshiganj on Friday night, said Anwar Alam, officer-in-charge of Gajaria Police Station on Saturday. The deceased have been identified as Wadud Bepari, 36, son of Mohammad Ali Bepari from Jamalpur village in Gajaria upazila; Babul Sarkar, 48, son of Bachchu Sarkar from Ramzanbeg village in Munshiganj upazila; and two men, Sakib, 26, and Nayeem, 24, both from Matlab Uttar upazila in Chandpur. Nayeem, the operator of the speedboat, was among the deceased. 2 killed as speedboat collides with bulkhead in Munshiganj According to police and locals, the accident occurred when a trawler, en route to Guagachia in Gajaria upazila from an event in Matlab Uttar, collided with the oncoming speedboat. Both vessels were carrying a total of 10 to 11 people. Dense fog at the time caused the speedboat to lose its bearings, leading to the crash. The impact caused the trawler to sink, while the speedboat was damaged. Following the collision, Nayeem's body went missing. Search efforts were immediately launched by the Fire Service, Coast Guard, and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA). Nayeem's body was eventually recovered around 2 pm on Saturday. Jubo Dal leader snatched from police station in Munshiganj Commander Obaidul Karim Khan, deputy director of BIWTA and head of the Narayanganj rescue unit, said, "We have confirmed that the speedboat collided with an engine-driven trawler. We believe that all the deceased were passengers of the trawler." Further investigations are ongoing, the OC also stated.

Police recovered the body of a 17-year-old boy in Tongibari upazila of Munshiganj on Monday. The body was discovered hanging in a room at the house of Zainal Sheikh, located near Sidweshwari Bazar in Tongibari upazila. Md Mahidul Islam, the officer-in-charge of Tongibari Police Station, confirmed the matter. The deceased, identified as Siam, was the son of Shafiqul Islam from Hirakanda village in Kalmakanda upazila, Netrokona. 17-year-old body drowns in Cox’s Bazar beach Siam's mother, Sulada Begum, stated that he was mentally unstable. It is believed that Siam locked the room and hanged himself with a rope when no one was watching. He was rushed to the upazila health complex, where the on-duty doctor pronounced him dead. The body was recovered following reports from the scene. As the family raised no complaints, the body was handed over to them.

A woman died, and her husband and son were injured in a lightning strike in Gazaria Upazila of Munshiganj on Friday. The deceased has been identified as 55-year-old Halima Begum, the wife of 70-year-old Abdul Hannan. Eleven houses gutted in fire at Teknaf Abdul Hannan is currently receiving treatment at Gazaria Health Complex, said Mahbubur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Gazaria Police Station. Locals reported that Halima and her husband were working on their land near their home during a light rain when a sudden thunderbolt struck, causing serious injuries to both. They were quickly rescued and taken to Gazaria Health Complex, where doctors declared Halima dead. Abdul Hannan was admitted for treatment. Loco master’s quick action saves woman's life in Narsingdi Fortunately, their 9-year-old son, Ramjan Mia, sustained only minor injuries. OC Mahbubur Rahman stated that the body was handed over to the family following the legal procedures.